The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-12-21
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l QUIZ IRISH LITTER.
DUBLIN, November g. 1873.
was obliged last week to omit sending You
letter, and am glad Of IL, because am en-
abled now TO give you connected Wow OF tho
great National Conference on Homo Rule. In
my remarks on this subject shall alluds suo-
csssivey to ~ the composition OF the Assem-
bly,; (2) tho broad results attained; (3) the
character Of the discussions; and (A) tho
members Of the conference most notable either
for their sloqusnce or for any other reason.
think I have already told You that the re-
Quisition sunmoning che conference obtained
more than "a 900 signatures, and that six
thousand Of thess wero Published a. IN sdver-
tisemens In three Of the Dublin morning
papers. When the managing oonmittes closed
tho list, they called upon the Requisitionists
by public advertisement to send ono person or
more from their respective localities to repre-
sent them at the conference. This request was
complied with, and the resalt was that every
part of tho country North and South, East and
West, was representented ut tho conference,
and the men who attended tho conferences
I
regularly elected. Aud here may Just remind
tho reader that there is An infamous act of
Parliament called the Convention Act which
prohibits any such thing as the election OF
delegates for any purpose whatever in Ireland;
SO that every one of your State Conventions
in America would be utterly illegal in this I'M
fortunate country though not in any other part
of the British dominions.
hn.sl -
requisition were also invited--those, namely,
who were favorable to the principle of self
government but could not, for whatever reason,
align the requisition. Altogether about 900
persons attended. I have no hesitation in
from beginning to end, that of the 900 there
were not twenty who did not look to be men
of wealth, intelligence, and position. As a
matter of fact, three fourths of the whole
number was composed of representative men
men with handles to their names "-such
as members of Parliament, clergymen, mem.
bers of corporations, mayors, members of
Boards of Guardians, and such like. The ma
gistracy was not without its representatives
indeed, there were many leading magistrates
present. twenty-five members of Parliament
were present I should say there were fifty
Catholic clergymen, one Presby terrain clergy.
man, and three or four Protestant Episcopa.
ians. There was not a single member of the
peerage present, but Lord French at least
would have been there had he not been indis-
posed. When all were gathered together in
the Round Room of the Rotunda-the very
meeting-place of the Volunteers in 17s3-the
acene from the circular gallery overhead re-
called the days of the old Irish Parliament. 1t
was universally felt that the Parliament of
the Irish people was in session. "This," ex-
claimed Mr. ONeil Daunt in the course of the
debates, {" is enough to make an old man
young;" and it was certainly enough to fire o
young maa with enthusiastic ardor.
The discussion was expected to last three
days, but it eventually lasted for four. The
broad results are two. federalism was adopted
as the creed of Irish nationalists; and an Irish
National Home Rule League was constituted
in place OF the old Home Government Associ-
alton. may say Federalism was adopted
unanimously; the only dissentisnt being the
notorious Thomas Mooney, of London-the
swindler of California aud other places the
same who has brought dissentioa and confu-
sion amongst the Home Rulers of London, and
but the other day attempted to advocate Com
munism and 1nternationalism in two
places in this country. Even such old and
confirmed repealers as Mr.. P. J. Smyth, N. Pr
and Mr.. Martin, N. p, readily gave up their
individual preferences, when they saw that
the general opinion was in favor of Mr.. Butts
plan of Home Rule. Indeed, I may say there
was no debate on the subject at all. Dean
OBren, of Limerick, went so far to say
that the sixteen hundred Catholic priests who
signed the Limerick declaration in 1867 in
favor Of repeal of the Union, distinctly con-
telnplated the plan of Federal Union, with q
separate Parliament for Ireland for legislation
on all local purposes. Other results of the
deliberations of the conference the estab-
lshmeut of special fund for Homo Rnle
purposes, to which Irishmen all over the world
are expected to contribute, and which will be
entrusted to the keeping of the Archbishop of
Tuam and fourteen other trustees and the
passing of q resolution declaring that in the
Federal Constitution clause will be inserted
preventing the Irish Parliament from passing