The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-05-26

until they were found guilty. What We were
defending was the constitutional right of the
Irish peasants and Irish people not to be
branded by the Government with the infamous
brand of murderous conspiracy. What we
were de defending was the right OF men not
proved guilty to be held ut least presumptive-
the attempt of the Govern ment to prtjadge
the whole offence, to find guilty without proof,
to visit upon district, upon class, upon the
entire tenantry of Ireland the accumulated
spite and venom with which the landlord class
regard that small instaiueut of Justice CON
tanned IN the Gladstone Land Act (cheere).
may sometimes have expressed opinions not
perfectly hattsriDR to the intelligence OF the
least highly-gifted member of Parliament, but
l will not do the intelligence of the least
bighly-gifted member of Parliament the ipjus
tice of supPosing that he for one single IN
slant misu ne derstood our real position, or that
he was under any isconception when be 40
cused MS of favoring assassin alton, while all
We were doing was demanding justice for an
innocent peasantry. Bot the game went on,
and member after member ross-some on the
Government side, some supports, still more
outspokep, on that eide which is not usually
considered the Government side-Qaughter)-
and the burden of the debate as, "Shame on
you three Irish members because you are
fsvoripg assassination" (hisses) Aud not 9
man who said that believed what he WAS say
ing. (Cries of "Not one.O They said it purely
as one of those ornaments ofdebate which men,
bsrs of the British Parliament permit them
selves in referring to Ireland, but which they
dare not permit themselves In referring to Eng
land. Well, when sas down, Mr.. Parnell rose,
and in ono of the most calm, careful and we'll
prepared orations that even he ever delivered
with proofs and with quotations and excerpts
of every kind-reviewed the course which the
Government was always taking towards the
irish tenantry, and clearly and distinctly
proved that the present game of calumniation
was only another chapter in the old game of
oalumniation with which Government after
Government have sought to meet tie just
claims of the Irish people. Bot the one stock
answer was still " You are favoring assassi-
nation" They dare not advance proof. they
dare not suggest even q reason, why the people
of Donegal should be suspected of mureerous
conspiracy. They simply got up the parrot
cry of "You are favoring assassination" They
had their way they howled and they booted,
and they interrupted and they insulted, and
this member arose, and that member arose, and
the Chancellor of the Excheqa aer came for
ward and expressed his reprobation of our
conduct (aughter). And, finally, when they
had exhausted themselves, the debate ended, (,
and the bs fled majority discovered on going
out of the House of Commons that they had
not been able to keep the truth inside the
House of Commons daughter and cheers). Mr..
ODonnell then dealt with the land question,
and concluded by esying-Absenteeism WIS
one of the first curses of the Irish Parliamen-
tary situation. He was not despot, however
through not being an upright landlord, he
supposed (laughter)-aud he would allow the
lees active mem to be less active in one con-
ditiou-that they should not come forward to
degrade the common cause and insuls the com
mon banner and defame the common nation
ality by foul dissensions in the face of the en-
emy Qoud and continued cheering0