The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1879-01-12
!. stsr snd Catholic Messenger.
MR ocoNNoR POWER AND MR.. BUTT.

lin Nation of December 2lst:
To the executive of the Home Rule ContederA alton
London.
GemHeman II beg to return you ny
best thanks for the resolution which yo,
have been pleased to pnse in reference tc
my recent letter on Mr.. Bait and my
speech in the House of Commons on the
opening night of the session.
have now to request your permission
to make through you public statement o
the reasons which induced me to write o.
Mr.. Butt in the terms which l employed in
the letter to which your resolution refere
Since the night on which Mr.. Butt rose
in the House of Commons, and sin the
name of the Irish nation" denounced Mr..
Parnell and Mr.. Biggar for daring to dc
that which was to them a matter of plain
and simple duty, l have felt that 1t was
incumbent upon me, as q mem Der of the
Irish party, to observe closely the danger
Gus course of the policy upon which 1t
appeared to me be had then entered. and
accordingly, l have watched Mr.. Butts
conduct for long time with datrust and
alarm, with pain and humiliation
On the occasion to which / refer two of
the most faithful members of the Irish par
~ wers denounced in the face of a hostile
assembly, and handed over to the fury of
their enemies, by the very man whose po
sition required ofhim that, instead of de-
nouncing them, he should have acted the
part Oh LuelE GUAM plUn auu NeieuueI. Az
that time wrote public letter question
ing Mr.. Butts right to act thus sin the
name of the Irish nation y and had after
wards ample proof that the Irish nation
repudiated any such authority in Mr.. Bait,
and condemned his conduct even though
regarding it as that ofsan individual mem-
Der of the Irish party. All the recognized
organs of national opinion in Ireland ex-
pressed that condemnation, but this did
not prevent him from seizing the very next
opportunity to subject those gentlemen to
another denunciation in which he declar
ed, of course amidst the applause of the
alien Parliament, that Irish politics as un
derstood by the active section of the Irish
members were nothing better than an
"Irish brawl."
When it became necessary last winter
co summon the friends of Home Rule to
National Con- erence, this 30 called leader
threw every obstacle in the way. The
Conference was held, however, in spite of
him, and he and the whole parliamentary
party were publicly bound over to policy
of energetic action. He solemnly pledged
himself to energetic action, and as solemn
ly promised 20 consult the party on all
important questions 80 as to secure unity.
Bat how did he fulfil these obligatiops3 :
lie never appeared in his place in Parlia
ment dnriug the following session, until
IGe intermediate Education BIll was intro
duced, when he came over to appropriate
the credit of other mems leborR. This
was the extent of his energy. What did be
do to secure unity He was literally
bound to consnlt with his colleagues on
'imperial questions OF Importance" bat
when the final Issue upon the Eastern
auction arose, he was one of the first to
sound tho note of fdiscord speech which
wOnld have been moro appropriate in the
mouth of CastlereaGh than in that of a man
supposed torepresent a country struggling
for national iDdel cadence. Thus did he
chow how much he estimated the upitT of
ne Jriah party. Aud this is the man who
writes series OF letters containing much
perverted history of the past and many
ydelusive dreams Of the future, bat carefully y
avoiding the practical work of the present
and all for one oSject-viZ., to fasten q
charge Of dissens:on on those who refuse
TO sanction every recent folly Of lis iucon
Bistent Parliamentary career.
1t cannot be forgotten that the resOlu
tinne calculated to promote union have
always emsnated from the active sector
Df the party, the section whose successful
activity has excited the jealousy anC
wounded the vanity of MIR. Butt. or thi
character was the resolution which l NOV
ed at the National Conference last JAnuA
~, by which the council OF the League
was bound to convene an annual confer
ence. This resolution commended itself t.
the unanimous approval Of the gentlemen
assembled from all parts of the country
1t was passed amid great enthusiasm ii
presence of Mr.. Butt without a dissentien
voice, and everyone seemed to feel that b.
providing means for an annual review O
Home Rule operations it would prove
remedy for the evlls arising from apath.
or dissension. This, however, did not sui
the honorable and learned member fO
Limerick. He did not want to have tn
light of "a annual conference thrown upo
his operations. He would render the res
olution null and void at all hazards. Ac
cordingly when it was proposed in th
council of the Home Rdie League that tb
annual conference should be held, MI
Butt strenuously opposed the proposition
He had its consideration adjourned to
more convenient time for his purpose-th
31 of last September-when the assemblet
council numbered exactly Eve persons-
Mr.. Butt and four others of no pArticuls
weight, as far as know bat perhaps i
would be only fair to give their nameI
They were Mr.. Philip CallAn, MP, Nj
Maurice Brooks, MP, DIR. O'Leary, NJ P
and Mr.. r. B. Butt. The decision of th
xvaa aat anida On