The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-11-04
CONFERENCE OF HOME RULE M.P'S.
A COURSE OF ACTION FOR THE NEXT SESSION
ADOPTED.

COURSE OF ACTION FOR THE NEXT SESSION
ADOPTED.
On the 9th of October o meeting of the men,
bers of the Irish Parliamentary Home Rule
party, convened by Mr.. Butt, was held in the
City Hall, Dublin. Twenty-seven members
were present and q number of others sent
apologies for non. attendance caused by urgent
private business, sickness, etc.
After q full and free Interchange of opinion,
during which the course of the Home Rule
party in general and of Meesrs. Parnell and
Bggar in particular was thoroughly discussed,
Mr.. Shaw offered the following resolutions:
81. That We take this opportunity of re:
affrmiug our pledges to our country and to
each other to maintain the unity and the au-
thority of the Home Rule parliamentary
party, as constituted by their resolutions OF
March, 1874, more than ever convinced of the
wisdom and Efficacy of o policy OF united and
energetic action, under the leadership OF Mr..
Butt.
"2 That on all questions affecting the in
terests of Ireland, and on Imperial questions
| of Importance, it is the duty of the Irish Home
Rule parliamentary party to consult togetner,
| and to carry ont, as far as possible q. definite,
earnest, and unite3line of policy and cotton
| But that it is understood that on questions on
which no such agreement has been arrived at
the mem bers of the party have full liberty OK
| action, always remem bering the deep obliga-
side the House of Commons, of endesvoripg to
avoid any course that would ipjurs the inhu-
| enoe and unity of the Home Rule party.
"3 That we shall be glad to meet in pablo
consultation the members of the Home Rule
League, or the members of that body and
others of our countrymen whom they may in:
vite. If it be deemed necessary, to national
conference az to the present position and pros
poets OF the national cause"
Mr.. A. NJ. Sullivan seconded the motion to
adopt the resolutions in the following ex-
cellent speech which will be read with in
| terest by all our patrons:
A. sULLIvAN's SPEECH.
/ venture, sir, to second the series of resolu-
tions moved by Mr.. Shaw. In doing SO may
| he excused if i repeat, aS all events, one Por-
saying that we shall (and begin to think we
shall) disappoint the malevolent expectations
that have been SO general in certain quarters
as to what the termi alton of our meeting to-
day would be- do know, sir, that there
have been within the last three weeks in Lon
don (Which city left yesterday moIning) the
fullest expectations that the rehabilitation of
| the old Whig. Liberal party in Ireland was ut
| hand, aud do know something of steps actn
| ally taken to reconstitnte Whig-Liberalism IN
Ireland on the ruins of the Home kule party.
I said to some who in London mentioned such
mad dreams TO me, that they did not know the
men that were called observation-disclosures in
the Home Rule party for that i, who knew
something both of NE. Butt and Mr.. Parnell,
ventured TO affirm that there was no sacrifce-
no sacrifice that an honorable man could make
that they would not make upon the hoor of
this house to. day to trample under fOot such
dreams or expectations as these beld 10y the
enemies of their country. Bat now, cir, let us
| not think that closing over difhcuity or
hiding it settles it; let us believe to-day in the
glow Of kindly feeling for one another but
| let us beware of leaving untouched the source
and origin of the difficulty. Let us not scotch
the snake-let US kill it, and let US prevent the
| recurrence in the future of what has happen
1 ed in the past. There has run through moro
| than one of the speeches OF some OF my respect
ed friends (and 1 think it underlies good
deal of Mr.. Butts action in this matter) what
call q snare of the Whig party In the House
| of Commons. As q friend of Mr.. Butt, will
give him my candid iDpression-he can dispel
| the illusion if it be one-that it has been
| snare and plot on the part of the Whiga OF the
House of Commons to come to us and attempt
to fasten upon us as party responsibility for
| the individual action of individual members of
| our party, which they do not take for them
selves. assert that they wanted to muzzle,
| to gag and to fetter the Independent action
| of the members of our party when they know
| that they dare not attempt it with members of
their own. And these are the very men who
would, in their jourDals in London the next
morning, denounce the Home Rulers IS body
| of slaves if they accepted these letters, and
who would say, ss they used to say OF MS, that
we voted at the bidding of the priests, that we
were whipped now at the oiGSne R.i d 0n AsHaC tSC
say, "My dear Mr. Butt, assure you only Tor
those obstructioniSts We were going TO 90 this
or that, or we would nave poSsiOIy IN bne Io-
ture near ct hand, or at some fnture time, we
might mediate upon whether We might not be
able TO do this or that, only for these terrible
fellows" l call that transparent snare of
the enemy. We must show those men that we
are not children. We must show those men
that while We have sixty men banded to-
gether for Home Role, We do not attempt to
make each man lie in Proorustean bed-thst
there is o certain area within which men may
have q certain freedom Of aotiop-and We
must show that Mr.. Butt neither coVets, nor
would receive, from the members Of our party