, 1880-11-24
LAND LEAGUE SPEECHES IN IRELAND,
Weekly Times.)

or MI. Iarnoll and MIR. OCOnnOr, MIR. Par
nell gave the following speech, having been
preceded by others of the same tenor:
Mr.. Chairman and Geutlomen,-I feel
very much indebted to you, Sir, for having
permitted me to reply to this toast, be-
cause l almost think that l have not had
an opportunity of paying my tribute of
gratitude and esteem to our tellow-cOun-
tIymen abroad since / returned from
America just before the last general cleo
ton. | was during my trip to the United
States brought into contact with the Irish
people in a way, perhaps, that no one ever
has been before me. The circumstances
were very peculiar and exceptional, and I
must confess that ! was surprised at the
experience Which met me there. | had no
notion OF the position to which our people
had attained i'll America, but | afterwards
became acquainted with their power and
the great love which they have for their
own country, those of them who were born
in Ireland and those Of them who were
born in America of Irish parentS-I draw
no distinction between the two, save in my
admiration and wonder that those men and
women who have never seen ireland
should feel affection and love and de.
votlon to this country. (Cheers) When
| started for America. Ireland was
threatened with a great famine, a e.
mine of which we had given warning
many months previously, and we had re-
peatedly entreated he Government of Eng
land to com to our help, and by affoTding
employment to our people to save them
from d repetition OF the scenes of lS47 and
1913. Up to the date OF my departure
there had been no single response loud
cries Of "No'l !; but immediately it was
announced that | and my friend Mr.. Dillon
tho 111auhap for HG1nNapor ~ (cbnarCN IVapa
to sail for America on this begging expedi-
ton, the wife Of the Lord Lieutenant of
Ireland also issued her appeal to America.
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, for the
first time, through his wife admitted the
lmminenCe of famine. His Government
hal done nothing to prevent it, but the
Government were then not ashamed to
beg the world for succour for our people,
famished by their laws, While they them
selves refused to give one penny or to
allow our people to work for a living.
ICheersI. We sailed for New York, and it
was only on my arrival there that | com
menced to appreciate the undeveloped
power that is available for your s%uccour,
not only in the matter Of charity, but III
other matters of q very different nature if
you call upon them. cloud cheers.) l
was perfectly amazed at the extent Of the
HN ulIdLu1 hAlC1 ~ IlaA14G VI AANA0hNN w
tanned in every quarter of the United
States of America. Hear, hear. 1t was
not very pleasant for us to beg for Ireland.
l have many times carried my hat person
ally through crowded meetings in America,
and | have received the ten cent pieces of
the poor and the hundred dollars OF the
rich. TCheerS. But when we were max
ing this application to save the heart of
our people from being broken as it was
broken in 1S47 and 1849, We promised that
it should be the last time, and that our
people would never again consent to pay
rackrents to landlords or to put themselves
in the position of having to starve.
[Cheers. We promised this in their name
and nobly the west O Ireland has redeemed
that promise. Loud cheers. Recollect
there had been three bad harvests. The
harvest of 1878 was worse than that of
1879, and [ I'M inclined to think that the
harvest of 1877 was also as bad as the
harvest of 1879, which was supposed to
have produced the distress in Ireland.
Last winter our governors, who were
watching these things, who had these sta
tistics at their fngers-ends, made no sign.
They set on foot no relief works, and. as |
said before, we were simply left as objects.
of charity for the nations of the world-for
every nation except England. | pass
from the subject Of our cOuntrymen abroad
with the remark that | feel convinced If
you ever call upon them in another field
and in another way for help, and if you :