Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-08-04
DANIEL O'C0NNELL.
Centennial Celebration Of the Great
Irish AgItaUOr ard L1beFatOE-
sketch or His Career.
The centennial of O'Connelps birth,

The centennial of O'ConnelI's birth,
which occurs on the sixth of the
present. month, will be celebrated by his
cOuntrymen in a thousand places scat
tered over the world. 1t will be a sort
OF jubilee that will send its echoes
around the world, for there are fifteen
millions Of his countrymen scattered
over the earth who hold his memory
sacred on account OF his genius, his con-
slant labOrs for his cOuntrymen, and the
exceptional grandeur of his character.
He was the best specimen of q peaceful
agitator that ever lived. When he made
his debut in public life, at the age of
twenty.four, his countryman suffered
under various disabilities, and many
grievous, disabling statues stood against
them on the law-boOks. He became the
leader of the political struggle that
aimed at emancipating the Catholics,
WHO were not allowed a voice in the
united parliament Of Great Britain and
Ireland. When he "rann for the posi-
ton of member Of parliament, many OF
his own countrymen and co-TeligiOnists
were dubious, while the Tories in Eng
land sneered at his impudence. He was
elected, and presented himself at the
bar of the house of commons alone to
be sworn in. He was surrounded by
five hundred members, all Pedestrians
and generally antagonistic to his claims.
He was rejected. Going back again
to the county Glare, he ran the
race again, and was again elected
and took his seat, the emancipation act
having in the meantime passed. From
that time onward he became the leader
OF the resurrected nationality in Ireland,
and fought with pertinacity and vigOr
that eXtorted the admiration and praise
OF his enemies, for 3 dissolution of the
legislative union that bound Ireland hand
and foot to England. In the zenith of
his pOpular glory, when Ireland possessed
over eight millions of people, he gath
cred together series of monster meet
ings in various prominent parts of the
island, that were said to number nearly
a million of men, and those vast masses
Were managed by his genius as effectu-
ally as skilled commander could move
brigade on field of battle. The VEN
Grafton in which he is held by the peo-
pie he led so long is not to be understood
by our practical nature. On Friday next,
the sixth of August, there will be perhaps
a million of people gathered together in
Dublin, q city whose normal population
foreign exchanges tell Us that additional
steamers will be put on duty, running
from Glasgow, Liverpool, BOlyhead, and
other English ports to Dublin, to carry
the throngs of Irishmen who are 8nX-
ious to participate in the ceremonies Of
the day. The procession there will be
immense, for every town in Ireland will
send heavy delegations, and the enthu-
si2stic citizens themselves, always fit to
make an astonishing display of that
sort, will hardly find room to
march in the interminable line
that will move to Gasneven cemetery,
where O'Connell rests under an Irish
rOund-tOwer. Ia the United States the
celebration will of course, be mere echoes
OF that at Dublin, but will neverLhe-
less be gigantic and spirited. The con-
vention CT Irish societies in New York
have decided on a celebration. The
same sort of action was taken in Brook
Ign. Jersey City will participate
Washington City has provided for an ex-
tensive celebration. In other cities the
fame and memory of O'COnuell will be
duly honored. What has been done in
Memphis so far has not been made pub
lie, but the national spirit is quite fer
vent here, and the admirers OF O'Con-
nell are among our most prominent
Irish-Americans. O'COnnell was sew
enty-twO years old at the time of his
death, in 1S47, which took place in the
city of Genoa, while on his way to Ron
to pay his addresses to the pope. He
was s.aunch Catholic as well as an
ardent patriot.