The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-10-08
THE CONDITION OF IRELAND.
LECTURE ny o'coNNon POWER. N. P.

LECTURE by ocoNNoR POWER MP
numerous audience assembled in the Cooper In
sltute last evening to hear Mr O'Connor Power H. r.
IN his lecture on ''The Condition OF Ireland, Social
Political and Indusrialn beautifully embroidered
SIX Jag, presented BY the people Of Tipperary tho
Sixty ninth regiment, and bright American banner
were suspended above the platform Tho lecturer was
introduced 70 the audience by General p H. Jones
who was called to the chair by Major Haggerty There
were present on the stage General Thomas F. Bourke
Major conyngham, Father Kelly, Colonel John Nolan
and others Mr. O'Connor Power has strong II not
a handsome face. lie has firm mouth
and nose and his features generally give the impression
ofvigor, force and courage. He speaks without the
least perceptble Irish His voice il wen adapted
for the rostrum and his language is sngularly pure
and effective. He is above the middle height Of com
pact frame and manly bearing His appearance was
greeted with tumutuous applause He began by saying
that he had 600 miles Of ocean try and
explain to them the condition OF Ireland her wrongs
and sunerings her wants and her necessities. In
America there was a transpanted Irish nation exercls
ing less influence the political thought of
the country. England's representation though not
numerically as large, stll considerable Through
her Ambassador at Washington who has free to
tho ear Of the Executive England, of course has an
advantage. In tho annals Of America, however, he
could find ample assurance Of American sym
pathy with Irish freedom. Ireland recipro-
Gated this feeling and since the day Corn
wallis surrendered his sword at Yorktown to the
day Richmond opened her gates to the victorious
armies of the North, restoring union and peace once
more between the two distracted sections of a
happy land, Irishnen have never tatered in their
friendship and admiration OF tho great Republic He
insisted that the Of Ireland the cause Of
humanity and such needs win the sympathy
of all who look with any degree of favor on the efforts
n pan la r N
regard 10 the social condition of Ireland there
more than 100000 tenant farmers who placed
completely at the mercy OF the landlords that they were
liable at any moment to be thrown out of their little
holdings. Nineenths of the soil in the hands of
men who held it by right of conquest, which simply
tue right OF brute force In regard to the holding OF
Ireland by England there never was time when
she neat h4 rIl power drd mad been
the English connection for a single moment Ever
since the act OF union passed there have been
forces acting on the irish mind, the disgraceful mis-
government Of the imperial party and the reflection of
the power and greatness to which Ireland attained dur
ing the brief period Of her parliamentary independence
Here the speaker quoted from Sir Jonah harrington
an attractive sketch of the happy condition of tho Irish
people before the act OF union passed how trade
tourshed how her nobility and gentry stayed at home
on their estates, how religious discussions were sub
dued and universal harmony prevailed through
ing native interests He believed that time
would but intensity the longing of the
IRISH heart for Irish Parliament in College Green. He
was IN favor of having the differences between England
and Ireland settled on strict international basis, and
not on the grounds OF expectancy. Ireland and Eng
land may to be enemies condition only,
and that is by the restoration Ireland of the birth
right of which she was pundered. The national mem
bers from Ireland in the British Parliament had for
muated their programme Of action. and that
otter unrelenting hostility to any British Ministry
which declined to yield TO the wishes of the Irish
people. In regard to the industrial condi-
ton of Ireland he was happy to say
1t greatly improved. or course it could
not compete with England IN the matter OF manufac-
lures for Ireland was deficient in COAL which
OF the greatest sources of wealth country could
in these modern days Ireland, he thought however,
because of the deficiency of mineral wealth of the
jealousy of England and the prohibitive legislation
evelled in past times at Irish manufactures, with
view OF utterly extinguishing them for the benefit of
the more favored manufacturers of Lancashire. The
lecturer quoted from history of Irish trade To show the
many enactments made by the English government in
the sister isle An English act of Charles ii.
prohibited the importation OF fat cattle into England
from Ireland when it nteriered with the profits OF Eng
sh grazIers, but there was no prohibition of the ex
poraton of cattle from Ireland in the famine of 1916
and lS47, when whole districts depopulated and
thousands persisted by the wayside All the worst re-
srictons the trade of Ireland remained in force
until IT'S, when the spirit of the American Revolution
crept into ireland and called forth the glorious
army of volunteers who asserted the freedom OF her
trade and If it had not been for
! the hostile policy of England to IRISH trade
! Ireland would be in the full enjoyment
| OF her woolen and cotton manufactures. She has
retained her linen manufactures because the Ulster
tenant farmer enjoys security of tenure without which
he could never hope to cultivate expensive and pre-
carious crop that of fax. Give fxity of tenure
everywhere in Ireland, and the North alone will not
enjoy monopoly of the prosperity and trade of Ireland
He referred to speech Of Lord Carlisle. who
pressed the hope that Ireland would become the fruitful
mother of ocks and herds and insisted that the wish
OF Carlisle not far from being realized that sheep
and cattle fast taking the place OF men and women,
With eloquent peroraton the lecturer concluded his
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