Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-02
BURKE.
Close Of His Series Of Lectures In Reply
TO FrOude.

Close Of His Series OF Lectures In RepI
TO FrOude.
ireland in the Time Of the Union, an
the ireland OF the Future.
From the New York Herald.l
| Father Burke closed his series Of fiv
lectures at the Academy of Music befor
an audience which packed and jammes
every foot Of space within its immensi
area. The magnetic Dominican haC
probably never had so grand a reception
as on this last night of his stdefense, ?
| and the enthusiasm with which his
summing up was received convinced
him, doubtless, of the genuine Ameri.
/ can verdict on the question in dis
| formal vote. The platform was
filed. Among the more distinguished
individuals present were Vicar General
| Stars, O'DOROvan Rosa, Bishop Becker,
and nearly all the Catholic clergymen OF
the diocese of New York and Brooklyn.
Father Burke began by saying that he
udu ODctL NCu a D1AaAAtA lAt III AA4C ~ cCtNftt
of that morning, which recorded an act
of discourtesy toward Mr.. Froude in
Boston, and in the name of his Irish
brethren in America he rendered him an
apology; he wanted to assure him that
COURTESY AND HOSPITALITY
on the part of Irishmen here was some
thing which Irishmen had never yet re-
fused even to to their enemies. Mr..
Froude does not come as an enemy. He
saws he loves Ireland, and, in the words
of O'COnnell, "Any man who loves Ire
land cannot be my enemy True Irish
men in America will tender him the
same courtesy that he received in Ire
land. 1t is not by discOurtesy that citi-
zens of this country expect to make
their appeal in the great question OF
Ireland's wrongs that has arisen among
US. If ever the reign of intelligence
and of mind was established in this
world, it is established in glorious Amer
lea. Anyone who speaks the truth may
here have a hearing, and it is not for
Irishmen to refuse that hearing to any
one, even should his sentiments tend to
the disparagement of their old home.
In my present lecture 1 propose to
reply to Mr.. FrOud's remarks concern
ing the acts of 1882 and the Irish rebel
lion of 179S. He asserts that the Irish
made mistake in insisting upon the
independence of the Irish Parliament.
He says that they clamored for political
reform, but meant only
POLITICAL AGITATION.
Political reform means the correcting
of great abuses, and according to Mr..
Fraude, England was glad, only too
happy, to repeal in 1850, all the bad
laws of previous legislation, and grant a
real redress Of all their grievances. But,
he says, with all these conceded them,
they insisted upon independence, and
therein they were foolish. independence
led to contention, contention to con-
spiracy, conspiracy to revolution, and
revolution to tyranny.
l am inclined to be an enemy TO po-
litical agitation. Political agitation
draws mems minds away from the sober
industrial pursuits of life-causes bad
blood, and brings to the surface the
meanest and vilest elements of society.
But il Is the only resource left
to a people who would extract
good laws from an unwilling and a tyr
annOus government. Mr.. Froude has
the highest admiration for the war of
the Netherlands against Spain, and
other wars which were waged by Pro-
testant people against Catholic govern
ments, for a few rights, that were as
much merely abstract principles as liv-
ing, breathing rights. The Irish stood
up only in
DEFENSE OF THEIR AFFAIRS AND THEIR
HOMES,
not their freedom, for that was gone
long ago, and for them my learned an
tagonist has only words of disapproval
and disdain. The Irish demanded
among other things a repeal of the laws
against the wooden trade passed during
the reign of William III. These laws
fixed duty on the expectation of wool
which was so high as to be prohibitory
The sale of fleeces was prohibited ex-
cept to England, and England could in
sist upon her own price. As Mr.. Froude
himself has stated it, France might offer
twenty shillings a pound, but Ireland
could not accept and was compelled to
sell to England for two. Did England
reply in a generous and Just vein to this
reasonable request? No. England, in
effect, said: "I never will grant a re-
peal. Ireland is down and / will keep
her down" These peaceful appeals were
disregarded, and when Henry Grattan
finally demanded the restitution of Ire
lands commercial rights, fifty thousand
volunteers were in arms for their main
tenance, and the significant motto of
GREE TRADE IN IRELAND"
was borne upon the trunnions of loaded
cannon on College Green and Stephens
Green. If England was so willing to
repeal the bad old laws why did she
wait until, In 1850, she was compelled to
yield at the cannon's mouth? Is it any
wonder that men saw reprieve only in
political agitation? Is it any wonder
that men thought,if our rights are to be
gained only in this way, that they would
have to keep torch ready lighted at
each cannon's mouth? And yet Mr..
FrOude says they made the mistake of
clammoring for political agitation. l
am
APPEALING TO AMERICANS
tonight. 1 expect to hear my verdict
here, and not from DIR. Hitchcock either.
do not expect to hear the crow of a
barn-dOOr fowl, but the scream of the
American eagle, when that verdict
comes. Applause.
There We're two alternatives offered
US by legislation of that day. England
said, " Remain subject to me, and will
never grant you any privileges, or take
your liberty and legislate for yourself"
o, HENRY GRATTANl
You were not a Catholic, and / am q
Catholic priest, but in memory Of that
glorious movement 1 call down upon
your head ten thousand blessings to-
night.
The Irish Parliament of 1852 was a
failure, Mr.. Froude says, because the
Irish are incapable of self-legislation.
This is serious charge to make against
any people. Here, before Almighty
God, L assert my belief that there is not
a nation or a race Gnder the sun that is
not capable of self-legislation, and has
not the right Of freedom. 1Cheers. |
The real cause of the failure of
THE EMANCIPATED PARLIAMENT OF 1872
was that, although it enclosed within its
bosom Grattan and Flood, and some of
the best men Of Ireland, it did not rep
resent the Irish nation. There were
three millions and a half of people in
Ireland, three millions of them Catho-
lie, and the other half million Protest
ant, and this Parliament presumed to
only Protestants, and 1t did
not even represent them fairly. Rotten
boroughs, nomination bOroughs, pocket
boroughs, were represented by the
bought nominees in this Parliament.
THE MISERABLE VILLAGE OF DRoGH-
EDA,
the dirtiest and most miserable ever
saw. Well, it sent a representative to
this Parliament. daughter Three
million Catholics had not a single
vote.
Had that Parliament represented the
Irish people truly, it would have solved
the problem Of home rule. When the
of the Parliament was Sc
cured, reform was at once demanded.
The volunteers at Dungannon-nine