, 1880-11-24

trained and organized the
purpose of breaking the yoke which encir-
cles YOU lust in the same way as you had
their assistance last winter to save you
from famine. [Cheers | now come to
matters which, perhaps, more Immediately
concern us at the present moment. You
know there was a change OIL government.
The Liberal Government came into power,
and that Government was supposed to be
friendly to this country, 1t knew that we
had passed through this period of distress,
and that if we had another bad harvest
our distress would be intensified two or
three or four fold. sDiG it, on its entry into
office, do anything for the purpose of pro-
viding against a bad harvest "No"
Did il set on foot any relief works ("No"!
The enly Relief Bill it introduced was
simply a repetition of that of its predeces-
sors. The Conservative Ministry asked
for G750.000 for the Irish landlords. and
the Liberal Government asked for a SINH
lar sum of our money for the same pur-
pose. That was the only difference
between one Government and the other.
and. as far as the imminenCe of famine
went. had it not been for the bounty of
Providence in sending a good harvest and
for the determination of the Irish people
in refusing to pay rackrents, we should at
this moment be in just as great if not o
greater extremity than we were at this
time last year. lCheers, We have got
the Liberal Government to thank for the
present state of affairs. They nave done
nothing. They tried to do something for
a While in Il half hearted kind of fashion,
and of course they failed, as everybody
who tries in a halt hearted manner must
fail. The people have put Their W shout
ders to the wheel, and we are going to
help ourselves, perhaps for the first time
in our history. [ said almost all had to
say at your meeting, one of the largest L
ever attended in this or any other country,
today. We are, perhaps, but now on the
eve of an attempt on the part of the Gov
eminent to close with the people of Ireland.
IA v0ice-ELet them do their beSt"l Tho
state of government in Ireland is a pre-
tended constitutional system, but at every
time when it suits the convenience OF Eng
land-that is TO say, when 1T finds 1t can
not govern Ireland III its W way Without
the suspension Of the Constitution, 1T
never scruples to suspend the Constitution
TCheerS At one time 1t IS the suspension
of the Habcas Corpus Act; at another
time it is a Coercion Act again, 1T is the
sending of eXtra police into counties, and
the proclamation OF martial law. Ihey
cannot suspend the Habeas Corpus Act
without an Act of Parliament, nor can they
paSs a Coercion Act without going through
a similar process, and as long as we are
obIa To stand in Parliament | will under
take to say they will pass neither the one
nor the other. Loud and prolonged cheer
ing If they desire. for the purpose OF
GOVERNING Ireland in their W way, to
Na. aoo.,so, Iour, IN cncnnnd the H1ha1S
Corpus Act. and to set Ill motion all the
other naraph ~ernalia of exceptional statute
law which they enact from time to time for
the purpose of ruling this country they
must do it without us. They must get rid
of MS first. and they understand this per-
fectly well. I do not mean to say they
cannot get rid of us, but if they manage III
any way to convict the leaders OF the Irish
Parliamentary party, then, | say, we shall
resinn orr seats into the hands OF our con-
Stit1ents as a solemn and sacred duty to
elect men in our place who will carry on
orr work and who will offer just as stern
q front in the House of Commons to coer-
cion. So that, although they may get rld
of half a dozen troublesome Irish agitators,
and although they may be able to meet
Parliament with projects of coercion tree
from the opposition OF those agltators, yet
I tell them that they will have other men
to meet in their places worse than those
who went before them. A volce-'So
they will,n and cheers. In case we have
to face a prosecution, I should like to do 1T
with a light heart ia laughb and the way
in which my heart can be made light is the
knowledge hat L can be dispensed with
You can only do that by organizing. Ia
yoice-"Reprisals."I When you have q