The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1879-01-12


but the member for Limerick and hi
friends rejoiced when the unexpected ses
sion of Parliament gave them another
excuse for obstructing the national work
aud preventing discussion, and through
their exertiops the meeting Of the League
has been indefinitely postponed.
May l not ask, after all this, who is the
real author of the "policy of obstructiopT
who of the "policy of dissensionf"-who
of the "policy of evaporation f'-who, in
fine, ia it that has drought confusion into
the cou1sels of the nation ~ Is it not the
very man who has levelled these phrases
at the heads of others, in whose work he
! never bad the spirit to share, but the fruits
OF which he does not ecruple to claim as
his own-lsaac Bait, mem mber for Limerick
and quondam leader of the Irieh party 7
1t is now plain that hs eim is to obstruct
the national work, to divide the national
counsels, to exasperate the natio nal party,
| and to bring confusion into the counseis of
the only nation which Irishmen recognize
as tbeirs-the Irish nation-which neither
the apostacy of worthless leaders nor the
brute force of England can conquer or cub
due.
The letter to DR.. Ward, Mp. marks the
turning point in Mr.. Butts career as
Home Rule leader. If Ireland could be
appreciably Influenced by the a1th"r of
that production the present generation
might abandon all hope of achieving legis
lative independence, for in that letter Mr..
Butt publicly surrendered the nationality
OF his own country. He proclaims that
her nationality has been absorbed In the
"United Kingdom" ard calls upon Irish
members to staud tameiy by while the
House of Commons approves a gross viola
tion of the territory of an loiepeud-nt
State, and the Irish members are thus 70
betray their own principles lest otherwise
their action should bring confusion into
the counsels of the nation. Here are
1Fn ~. ~
Britain, but one united kingdom bound by
the holy ~ compact OF 1900 There are
no longer three nations-Ireland, E oglaud
and Scotland-but one nation undivided
and indlvisible forever, thanks to the i'm
perial policy and the patieut mar 9 1vres
of our modern Castlereagb.
/ read this document which was sent to
DR.. Ward two weeks ago {nominally for
present tation to the Home Rule Party, but
really for circulation in the English press
as proved by the fact that while it has been
published in the Times and scores of other
English papers no meeting of the Home
Rule party has up to this hour been con-
vened to consider ny with burning sense
OF shame and indignation, but waited for
days to see if it would not elicit merited
condemnation from the more trusted and
honored members of the Irish party. Alas
for the decadence of public spirit! l wait
ed IN VAIN, and when, on the opening day
of the session, entered the meeting of
lrlsa members in King street, and saw
lees than dozen men out of a party com
posed Of sixty-she representatives of q
natlon-met informslly, and as it were by
accIdt Mt, OH the eve OF tue greatest Parlia
uentary Struggle within living memory,
AID at u vital crisis in the affairs of Eng
lanO, with no policy representing the
deatuiess aspirations of Ireland and no
thing tJ show to the world that she still
bore all the moral attributes of q distinct
. "a
resolved that, no matter at what personal
ll4k TO my self, no matter what amount of
censure aud odinm might incur, l would
publicly denounce the man who was re-
sponsioie for the unspeakab!e disgrace aud
| humiliation of my country. Some who
| hold that Mr. Butts action is inexcasab BILE
| have expressed similar opinion of the
| language III which condemned it, though
| they seem to forget the violence with
| which the member for Limerick denounced
! his active colleagues, and iAbored to hold
them un to the scOTn, ri1icu @ and contempt
Of the House of ComuIons Whatever may
be thought Of my Language, there ia no
doubt among nine ,tenths of the Irish peo-
pie that the several acts of Mr.. Butt which
have recited amount to betrayal of the
Irish cause. Though looking at the earlier
of these acts with all the just indignation
which they excited, yet entertained the
hope that they might be charitAbly set
4 S"A SAAoio "a oAN w
hope clung until the appearance Of the
famous letter to DR.. Ward, which blasted
every hope and confirmed every suspicion
After this considered that, with my feel
ings and opinions as an Iriah Nationalist
submission to Mr.. Butt would be treason
to the country and silence an unpardonablt
crime.
wish that I could stop here and leave
the settlement of the issnes raised by Mr.
Butt entirely in other hands, but an
bound to point out that he has giver
abundant evidence that there is no steI
which he is not prepared to take with tb'
object of thwartipg the national will auC
} blighting the fruiS of every heaven sen
opportunity. He is sbove~all thinge {
constitutional lawyer, aud he claims to b'
q constitutional patriot, but in his zeal tC
put down Irish activity in Parliament l.,
tramples upon constitutional law as ruth
lessly as he would, if tho Irish people per
mitted, upon the active members of the Irisl
party. Let anyone who knows anything
/ a5out Constitutional law read the follow
l 4