Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1844-04-09
MR.. O'CONNEI.'S SPEECH

By the arrival at New York. copies Of
Mr. OConneIPs speech in defence of HIM
sell against the charge of conspiracy have
been received. The following is an alb
stract Of il:
he court was crowded with ar immense
'hrong of eager listeners.
Mr' C'Connell discaimcd having ever
'lo'a'ed any law or having ever been actu-
aiea by any motive save Il desire to serve
his country lie, however, Acknowledged
himself a repeater, and avows that. with
the most upright intentions his acts, since
he first began that course of conduct which
had brought him before their lordships his
end and object had been the repeal Of the
Union. IL tell you Che cxcIanmed) | can
not bear tit was forced upon the Irish
people by the mos, foul and unius,ifab!e
means that ever a government had recourse
to, and | have the highest authority for
saying So" He then went on, rs he said.
not to take back any Of the sentiments he
had advocated, but to repeal the substance
OF every thing lie previously said.
Mr.. O'Connell ridicued the idea of his
course in behalf Of repeal being charged
upon him as q conspiracy, and displayed
with much powerand biting irony the mock
cry OF calling that conspiracy which had
been transacted al noonday, and published
upon the winds. If there be a conspiracy,
where is it! Where The time, the place,
the circumstances. the actors! No speci-
ticatlons were made, and it was not al all
certain that he was even supposed to have
been present at 1t! But if so, he certainly
should have been informed of the time at
which the conspiracy took place, that he
might have the benefit of an alibi if he
could make it out. Instead Of the unravel-
ling of dark and horrible Vaccinations and
reasonable conferences, the attorney gen.
eral has occupied eleven mortal hours in
reading and commenting upon extracts
from newspapers which You had all read
long ago. and knew all about, and has then
thrown these dreadful newspapers into the
Jury-box in heap, aud told the jury, .there
they are-he'p yourself to the conspiracy y
lie had told them nothing, proved nothing,
hlatod at nothing new; no new develope-
ments-nothing which all the world did
not already know. Was this the way 10
establish conspiracy? TO prove its
charge OF conspiracy the prosecution re-
lied first upon the public meetings in favor
OF repeal, and mex; upon the newspapers.
The idea of q conspiracy, from such facts.
was absurd. Would slavery have been
abolished if its advocates had entered into
a conspiracy! And vet they hold their
public meetings, ana make bitter and un-
relenting enemies, and had their newsnn-
Pers, and their calumniators and had done
and suffered exactly the same as the friends
OF Irish repeal-and their leading men.
with equal Propriety, ought 10 have been
prosecuted for conspiracy; thew should
have indicted. WiIberforce, who has
written his name upon the most prominent
pages OF history as the strenuous advocate
of freedom-and who will never be for
gotten while feeling or humanity exists
he would have been indicted for conspi
rGcy. The venerable Clarkson, too, should
not have escaped. Convict US, and he is
not tree in his Old age. By the names of
Wlberlorce and Clarkson | coniure Won
to dismiss from your box every attempt to
shut out free discussion. Large meetings,
and which were resorted, too, in the news
papers, were held in favor of catholic
emancipation, and great agitation and ex
cltement were produced. Was this a CON
sclracy! The anti-corn law league and
the anti-slavery society-they, too. held
public meetings and received money-whv
where they not indicted for conspiracy
Mr.. O'Connell then went on TO examine
IN detail the two classes of charges which
had been made against the prsoners-mon-
ster meetings aud newspaper publications.
We have not room TO follow him through
his eloquent, scorching and powerful ad-
dress. After a searching examination of
the various points in the accusation, the
speaker went into an elaborate and siatis-
tlcal argument 10 show the claims OF Ire