The Portland daily press., 1875-10-20
1. A. MA. COURSE.
MIR. O'ConnOr Power, MI, r., ON "lreland's
Condition, Social, Political and Indus.
friaI.'

Last evening the first lecture of the course
announced by the Irish American Relief As
sociation took place at City Hall. The body of
the hall was about half filled and there were
few persons in the gallery, but what the audi
ence lacked in point of numbers, it made up in
enthusiasm. Previous to the lecture the As
sociation preceded by the Portland Band
marched from the hall on Middle street over
the route given yesterday to City Hall. The
lecturer came in with the committee a few mo-
ments after o'clock and was greeted with
swarm applause, and was introduced to the au-
dence by Mr.. Wm Melaugh. Mr. Power is
good specimen of man physically, about 40
years of age. He has face which indicates
strength of purpose and vigor. His voice is
we'll adapted to the platform and he evidently
is accustomed to public speaking A slight
Irish accent is percsptible in his speaking.
After the applause of the introduction had
subsided, Mr.. Power said that he had come to
this country to make statement of the Irish
question on American platforms 1t is not the
first time that the American public has been
appealed to in the cause of Ireland versus Eng
land The Irish people, or rather trans
planted Irish nation in the United States, rep
resent the cause of Ireland here, but its
influence is more than balarced by Che fact
that by her literature England exercises a
greater influence upon American political opin-
icn than the presence of the Irish people. Fur
ther, England as nation has representative
at Washington. who by right has access to
the ear of the government. aud further she has
consuls in every large town. Consequently in
view of the preponderance Of the means to rep
resent the English side of the question, his ap-
pearance as the defender and advocate of the
Irish people was justifable. After referring to
he sympathy which Ireland ever expressed
for the people of the United States, from the
struggle of the Revolution until the overthrow
OF the Rebellion, and calling attention to the
generous aid of America at the time that
famine afflicted Ireland's unhappy people, he
stated that it was his purpose to give compre-
hensve view of the Irish question, the social,
political and industrial condition of its people,
The soil OF Ireland is the basis of its social con-
ditlon One has only to acquaint himself with
Ireland history to find the clew to most of the
evils which have afflicted that people. There
are 600 900 agricultural tenantcies in Ireland,
100000 of which are tenanteies at will-ten-
ants who can be turned off at the pleasure of
the landlord or his agent. Nne-tenths of the
quest and the magnates who hold this landed
property, exercise Ithe right of eviction and
really hold the power of life and death over
tn the Irish people They have no more right to
the soil they hold than they have to the terri
tory about the North Pole not yet discovered
MIR. Power proceeded to give the history of
the conhscation of estates of the Irish princes
by the English rulers, which is one of the
blackest pages in the history of apowerful ma
ton in its treatment of a weaker The Irish
nr0nrlat0rg hu
wrongs and then their lands were confiscated
and given to new prOprietors who only sought
the greatest amount of money that could be ex
torted from their tenants But i'll gotten gains
were expended in debauchery; and the utmost
farthing was wrenched from the poor tenant
Mr.. Power quoted John Stuart Mill IN saying
that the Irish tenant is the only human being
on earth who has nothing to gain by an in
crease of industry, and nothing to lose by in
diligence of idleness; for an increase of industry
always insured an increase of rent. A situa-
tion, says MILL "more devoid of motive to la
Dor, imagination cannot conceive. The motives
to industry by every human being take those of
self into supposition, but in the condition of
and nothing to fear except being turned out,
and he defends himself from this by the atltigna
ratio of defensive civil war;
The country is under the domination of
strangers, who wiring from an impoverished
tenaptry all that it is possible to get and spend
it in other countries for the greater part Of the
landed proprietors live in England or on the
continent. The result of the present system is
that that there is no middle class in Ireland-a
class which gives enterprise and power to
country.
He then proceeded to give description of
the Irish squireen who might possibly be mis-
taken for the representative of the middle
class. This squireen he said, is ''unequaled
for scientific dissipation and invincible sotn
which never devate into industry or temper
ance sHe is the bitterest enemy of a home rule.
In noticing the political condition of Ireland,
the speaker warned his audience against plac-
ing too much reliance upon the impressions
likely to be received from Irish history as pre-
sented TO English readers. 1t was all false
The only way that England can prove that its
course toward Ireland is justifiable is to show
that the Irish are less than human beings. The
English Eress, platform and pulpit continue
the reiteration of the hatred and contempt
England entertains toward the Irish people.
The British mind has been so long poisoned by
this misrepresentation of the Irish people and
their cause that it is vain to expect justice
from it.. Indeed, all the concessions made by
England have been made when the government
felt its weakness or after some humiliating
It has been asserted that Ireland acquiesced
in English supremacy. 1t is false Ireland's
history for seventy-ive years is a protest
against the act of legislative union passed in
and fraud. The result of the recent parliament
tary election plainly indicated that the Irish
people which cung to the national idea, loathe
British despotism and demand home rule and
an Irish parliament
The speaker then proceeded to further show
how the industrial interests of Ireland were
ruined by the British policy. Not only are her
farm laborers in hopeless bondage, but Eng
land has from time to time, by tariffs and mis-
chievous legislation, for more than hundred
years crippled her manufactures. AS an exam
pie he cited the destruction of the fine wooen
manufacturing business years ago by hostile
acts of Parliament. He spoke at length of the
facilities of Ireland for manufacturing indus
tries, but remarked that there was no hope so
long as the present usurpers held the soil and
rendered tenantry so insecure that fax and
other crops to be manufactured cannot be cul-
tvated.
He predicted that the time would come when
Ireland would be free, but said he did not ex-
pect justice from the British Parliament.
He was only member because he hoped by
being 80 to arrest further and greater calami-
ties. She lecturer closed with an eloquent ap-
peal for justice for Ireland.
Before the lecture the Portland Band gave
some fine music
The MUSEUM The "Orphans'' continue to
draw Iaroe housas This evenino naonIa on tho