Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-03-24
WRONGS OF IRELAND-spEEcH OF
THE OsD0EOGHrE.

The following are extracts from the re
cent speech Of the O'Donohue, one Of tn,
Irish members in the English House o.
Commons, on the wrongs Of Ireland. He
said:
At this time there was silence in the
homes of the peasantry, as if they were
listening for the first sounds Of mighty
tempest, foretold by strange signs and threat
ening clouds. They make nc manifestations
| of political feeling, but to learn what they
felt, we must look across the Atlantic at the
attitude of their brethren-from whom they
might be said to have only just parted, and
from whom their hearts were still lonely
marshaling in hundreds of thousands, pro-
claiming that the day of vengeance was at
hand, and calling out TO their fathers and
brothers in the old home to keep aloef from
| English party squabbles, and never more
appeal for justice to that Parliament which
had SO often spurned their petitions.
| No matter how we regard the thousands
of banded Irishmen now parading their
numbers as a menace to England in the
States of the Western Republic, by the vast
majority of the agricultural population of
Ireland, by the millions of the Irish people,
these banded Irishmen were loved and
trusted, and every indication Of their grow
ing strength was hailed with delight. What
would happen now, if force came, no mat
ter whence, having the ayowed intention to
overnn English authority and abolish the
hated land law? Would the landlords be
able to appeal to their tenantry in defense of
insecurity of tenure and high rents-in de-
tense of system which allowed one man to
sweep away the inhabitants of whole
country las was recently done in Galway by
Mr.. John Adair), and placed the Queens
troops at his disposal to assist him in exter-
minating the Queens subjects-in defense of
a system which recognized no more right in
the tiller of the soil, independently of the
will of his landlord, than it did the beast
which draws the pillow.
No doubt they were indisposed to credit
his words; they might think he exaggerated
for sinister purpose, either to lower their
reputation before the world or toencourage
their enemies by giving proof of inte nal
weakness or of anti-English sentiment. No,
he had no anti-English sentiment, hear,
hear the honorable member for Sheffield
might laugh, but he did not mind that. He
repeated that he had no anti-English senti-
ment; he deemed it scarcely possible that
man who had much intercourse with Eng
lishmen should be anti-English. Hear,
hear. If Her Msjesty's government de-
clared it was their intention to do all that
could be done to remove these causes and
gave proof of honesty of purpose towards
Ireland, that spirit of disadection would
subside; that same spirit which now was
threatening to breal; out in an instruction
airy movement, and which possessed, be-
yond all question, the popular sympathy,
and which made the people of Ireland for
midadable, no matter how they were
laughed at or ridiculed. Hear, hear
He implored the representatives of Eng
land in that House, for the sake of their
own country, for the sake of humanity, for
the sake of Ireland, which had many claims
on the gratitude of England, before it was
too lateybefore blood was shed, before pas
sion had taken the place of reason, to do
something which would give new direction
to the thoughts of the Irish people, by giving
them confidence that they might expect
judgment from the united Parliament.
[Cheers. He only hoped the amendment
he now begged tc propose would meet the
approval of the House and country, and he
pledged himself to press it to a division.
The honorable gentleman then moved to
substitute in the address, Gor the words in
reference to the part of Her Majesty's speech
relative to ireland, the following words:
Humbly to express our deep regret to
Her Majesty that widespread disafection
exists in Ireland, and humbly to represent
to Her Majesty that the widespread disaf
lection is the result of grave causes which it
is the duty of Her Maiesty's ministers to
examine into aud remove"