The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-03-15
The Wrongs of ireland.

land, on the evening of the LIST of February
last, for the purpose Of hearing The
.ODoSoGoUE ''on the Irish Question and
the Importance Of the Union between
English and Irish Reformcrs. The chair
was occupied BY the great English Com
moner, Mr.. JOHN BRIGHT, who, after some
fitting remarks, introduced the speaker to
the audience. After some previous remarks
Tie O'DoNoGHUE went on to say:
An attempt had been made to represent
the disofection an Ireland as foreign in its
origin, and as der,ring its vitality from The
other side Of the atlantic. That ,cas not so.
English rule in ireland was SYNONYMOUS
with oppression aud tyranny. There always
bad been q prOfounu sympathy between the
home, but that sympathy had only recently
taken political shape, owing to the in
creased facilities of communication, and to
the growing strength of those who, from a
despairing band of flying and crouching
cmigrants, had gradually swelled into a
great nation, confident in their might and
almost frantic wit the spirit of retaliation
Loud cheers No doubt Irish disafecton
had a powerful auxiliary in American Fen
iauism, but no one could assert Will, any
show of reason that this Feniani>m WAS
anything more than the result of that dis
satisfaction which had created and fed it.,
and in the absence OF which Feniani.m
would DE inexplicable and its objeoes aim
less. Personally, he was convinced that
nothing could put stop to the combina-
lion unless voice went across the Atlantic
~ I,,xu
justice, and proclalming that the past must
be forgotten. To assert that Irish disaffec-
ton was the result Of foreign interference
and to abuse the American Irish was only
convenient methods of CLOSING over the
the English public from the actual condition
Of Ireland. He denied that the cutlery
against the Established Church in Ireland
and the existing system of land tenure were
mere blinds, or that there was any covert
attempt to resuscitate long buried animosi-
ties, and to interpose barrier between that
cordial spirit of friendship which ought to
unite the people cf both countries. Having
had close intimacy with all classes of his
countrymen, then he could confidently
assert that no antipathy existed in Ireland
either to Englishmen or to Professionalism
purely as such. He never knew an Eng
li>hman settled in ireland, who was not
popular, or who owed the want of popular
ity to some encroachment on the rights of
ular wherever he was A daily increasing
manifestation of friendship between the
masses had softened down that antagonisn
which was no doubt, prominent feature of
the nast history Of the two countries. A
step in advance had now been gained by the
recognition OF the reality of Irish disaffec
ton. But, beyond that ground he feared
they were not likely to advance for some
time. lie believed that the causes of Irish
disatfection could he removed by legislation.
The government Of Lord Derby and others
believed otherwise, and assumed that there
was no legitimate cause OF disaffection, and
that the disafec, ed could be appeased oy
legislation Of a character which no good
nlan could sanction. Hitherto, no doubt,
legislation bad signally failed, but the fail
ure was to be ascribed not to causes of dis
affection, being beyond the reach of just
laws, not to the incapacity four legislators,
net to an accidental miscarriage OF legisla-
ton, but to the fact that our legislators
were elected from class with special inter
ests of their own. (Cheers.) In ireland
there were about 10000 persons occupying
land as tenants. This number included
only the heads of families, but taking the
moderate estimate of Lord Dufferin that
each family consisted OF five, they would
have an agricultural population of close
upon 5000 900. Of the 600, 900 heads of
families about $50. 900 were tenants at will,
without leases, and could be dispossessed of
the land on the service of 9 SIX months
notice to quit, there we're therefore $4,000
persons in Ireland without legal security of
any kind for the possession of their farms,
each Of whom at the end Of SIX months
might find himself on the roadside, in the
poor house, or if he could scrape few
pounds together, On board an American
ship They might have toiled upon their
farms from Morn till night, and in so doing
they might have improved the letting value
Of the land, but nevertheless the law ena-
bles the landlords tc evict the tenant with
OUT giving him scarcely shilling of COM
penSation. (Hear.) There were millions
of his fellow countrymen living in Ireland
from year TO year in this state Of insecurity
1t rendered them the merest slares ]; and
u"less they acre differently constituted from
the men Of Manchester, IN their Utmost souls
they must long for the orerthro,o Of a system,
rhict compelled then, to endure such a life.
Hear, hear.) Then, again, the tenant
could not bargain; he must keep his farm
on any terms on which it was offered to
him, or bring either ruin or misery upon
himself and those dearest to him. 1t was
the fashion to talk in some quarters as if
land in Ireland was to be had for the asking,
whereas the truth was there was no land to
be had, because the landlords fancied it to
be their interest to have as few tenants as
possible, and to keep the population at a
lew figure. Some years ago an instance
occurred, which would probably be still re-
in which considerable portion
of the County of Donegal was almost de
populated by Mr. John George Adair.
The tenants were able and willing to pay
the rent but some one on the estate had
been shot by an individual. and for the
offence committed by this one person it was
decreed that hundreds should suffer the
most excruciating agonies of mind and
body. They expostuIated, cried and i'm
plored for mercy, but Mr.. Adair was mex
orable, and, surrounded by the soldiers Of
the Queen, his myrmydons went forth to
drive the people out and to level their
houses to the earth. (Cries Of "Shame !')
The case was brought before the Lord
Lieutenant, the late Lord Carlisle He