The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-09-16
RARNELL g SPEECH At THE GREAT
DUBLIN MEETING,



Mr. Parnell, M. p, next came forward, an
was received with extraordinary eutbusiasm
The whole audience rose to their feet, will
waving of hats and handkerohiefs, and th,
cheering was repeated again AID again fo
nearly ten minutes. He said:
| Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I can nssur,
| you that feel deeply grateful to you for the
| way in which VOC have received me to night.
feel also very sensible that ycu have received
me In thus cordial way not on accoont of what
| have done, not on account Of nythiDg may
have been enabled to do during the last session
| of Parliament, but rather because Hishmen
always support those who have been Surround
| ed by many enemies, aud because Irish me n
love to array themselves on the weaker side
have said, gentlemen that l have done but
| lament. I have only eudeavored family to
indicate in 30 far as the exertions at first of
one or two men AID after ards of seven men
could indicate, what might be the power Of a
number of Irsbmen acting together in Eng
land, with the determination to win from tue
English eueuy-fur must cali Them our
enemy-with the determ instion to win from
bat English enemy the rights of our country.
/ may, perhaps, be allowed to show what it
was that induced me to take up the position
of en6ssvoring to indicate what mi ght be DOS.
sible if lr1shmen would only remember the
brave hearts they have left behind them, and
the exertions that have been used and the sac
ridces that have been made to send them over
to the House of Commons at Westminster.
When / wac first elected for the. county of
Meath, and when death undertook that sterl-
ing champion and honest Irishman, honest
the Irish Home Rule party, inaugurated
smidst the bright hopes of the nation, and
pledged, as it was, to do all that lay in it's
po wer-I then believed that the party could
even before my election evidences were not
wanting that although the promises had been
loud, numerous, and frequent, the performances
were soanty, if they were not absent alto
gether. Coercion Bill for Ireland was in
troduced in the very first session of Parlia-
ment under the guise of q bill for the purpose
Coercion Bill enveloped among a GEO wd of
other Acts, was introduced in the dying days
OF the session, when the English. John Bulls
were anxious to be off to the moors to kin |
grouse, and when all men were hurrying to |
leave the heat and dust of London. as il it |
were q eecond Pnrgatory, behind them. That |
sacred rights of the people of this country, |
You know what it was well enough, because
you have each and all of you suffered from tn at
aud similar measures for many long year.
But what was the action of the Irish party in |
the last week of the session when they might |
have stranged this bill in it's birth, when fifty
eight determined men-determiued that no. |
thing OF that sort should pass as long as they |
could oppose it in the House of Commons-if |
they could not destroy that bill they might at |
least have made the English remember their !
attempt to renew that bill under that Ruise. |
But what was the fight this Home Rule party
made on this question. Why, it was simply |
the commen cement of the series of cham bat
ties which have been waged ever sioce. It
was simply the commencement of q series Of
reviews when it was perfectly known that the
guns were to be loaded with nothing but half
charges of powder, that there were to be no
bullets, no cannon balls, nothing unpleasant
to be used in our parliamentary warfare. After
, mild expostulatioa from a majority of the |
mem bers of the party, and after an attempt on
5he part OF some dozen members to prevent the
bill from passiDg-an attempt that was prompt
y put down by the majority of the party-th.s |
'enewed Coercion Bill was allowed to pass,
md your neoks were put under the yoke for
another year, without challenge and without
That was, almost from the be-
ginning to the end of the first session of this
Parliament, the action of the Irish parliamen
ary party. Next year this Coercion Bill was
brought in again, fall- -fedged, bill which
vas TO be renewed, not for the term of one
'ear, but for the term of seven years. Again
he sham battle went on. Again Irisbmeu
proved That though they can fight in their own
country though They can 6gnt in England, or
n any corner of the world, tney kno" not bow
o fight, and dare not fight, the floor of the
English House af Commons.
a Vuice-You were not
Mr. Parnell-AgaiD that bill was passed, and
he country wondered and said to themselves,
If this is the power of parliamentary action
would be better for the country to have no.
hing to say to either parliamentary parties or
action" These things went on
it'll at the end of last session Mr.. BigEar and
with come Others, could bear it LO longer
ONE what might, take Whatever risks might t
o lnvolVed III the matter (and the risks were
reat), we determined that at least We should 6
now the Irish people that something better 4
ould ba done than what had heen done the +
asst. Icoufess when We originated the line of {
ction uotermiI Q ~ on we did not real z. Y
all 10 the full extent the InpoT tance of the +
,sults we should have been able to gain by L
e,ermination, assiduiry, aud activity fIr l
Iort while, We dtd not kno" theu, Wa l
nuw now, that our interference il Ensl 8 +
usiuees would Ue resented with a!mcs 1
'r0city and savaEery by he English people 's
10 Erglish press, and the English members of t
Arliameut. We did not know that, although
Q in Ireland have been bearing patiently for r
many years English Interference in con-
,rns, that the interference of two Irish mem
ers would have appeared SO ntolerable, SO
n lbearable as it has proved to the English
ouse of Commons and to the governing c.
asses in England. We did not know tba a V
owl of determination would be raised against n
J. that the Epgllsh press would have called ri
1t for the Institution of penal laws against -
ish members who dared to interfere in their 3
lsiness. We did not know q variety of things II
at we know to day, and therefore we failed II
appreciate the Importance of the results that II
Q have now obtained by the very simple ao- it
irif I'D 4 m