The Portland daily press., 1881-10-27

ciated with the London Radical, in which
paper he has a financial interest. In appear
ance he is quite youthful. His features are
typical of his nationality. His head is square.
He has dark br own hair, and his nose is aquil-
inc. His eyes are remarkably bright. He
wears small moustache, but is otherwise
close shaven. The lower part of his face indi-
Gates frmness and thought, and, take him alto
gether, he looks wonderfully young.
Att p. m. the various Irish societies formed
ranks at the corner of Plum and Middle
streets, and, headed by the Montgomery
Guards with full ranks, proceeded up Middle,
Free, Brown, and down Congress street, to
the Preble House in the following order:
Chambers Band.
Marshal.
Capt. L. E. Hartnett.
President Frank Cunningham of the Irish Ameri-
can Relief; President Dennis Walsh of the
Ancient Order OF Hibernians.
Montgomery Guards-Lieuts. Lappin and Mccall
lum.
Irish American Relief Association.
Portland Division Ancient Order of Hibernians.
Portland Longshoremen's Benevolent Society.
Portland Boiler Makers Protective Benevolent
Association.
Portland Branch, Irish National Land League.
The procession number 235 men and bore
the green flag of old Ireland with the Stars and
Stripes. A large crowd followed the process
sion and filed all the space in front of the ho-
tel. When the distinguished guest appeared
the military opened ranks but the movements
of the party were so quick that they were in
the carriages and the procession had started
without any opportunity for cheering. The
route was then taken down Middle, up Elk
change street, to the City Hall.
The hall was completely filled by deeply
interested audience, long before o'clock We
should make the reservation that the first six
rows of seats in front of the platform were
retained for the escort. A few moments after
3 the Guards and Chandeliers Band marched on
the stage and were received with long contin-
ued applause. Chandler's Band then exc
cuted, in admirable style, medley of favor
tie Irish airs, after which the distinguished
guests marched on to the platform. First came
Mr.. O'Connor escorted by Mayor Senter and
President Looney followed by Aldermen Chap
man and V'inslow, Councilmen Soule, Bradley
and Hawkes., ex-Councilmen Little and Red
lon, Rev. Mr. McKeown, Judge Cleaves,
Hon. G. FL. Chase, Deputy Sheriff B. f. AM
drews, ex-Deputy Sheriff Deehan, T. P.
MCGOWAN, J. M. Todd, G. B. Nash, A. @.
Leach, Judge Kingsbury and others. Most OF
our well known Irish citizens were seated in
the audience either as members of the various
societies or otherwise The audience was a
fine appearing one and paid the closest atten-
ton to the speakers. The galleries were filled
with ladies including those of the Ladies'
Branch of the League. A delegation of Land
Leaguers from Biddeford was present
When Mr.. Looney came to the front of the
platform he was greeted with loud applause
and simply announced Mayor Senter as chair
man of the meeting. The Mayor, after re-
marking that DIR. Dillon Eagan was unable to
appear, saying that it was hardly necessary fol
him to acquaint the audience with gentle
man who had been SO widely heralded, intro
duced Hon. T. P. O'Connor, member of Parlia
mems for Galway.
As Mr.. O'Connor stepped forward he was
greeted with a tremendous round OF applause
and spoke in clear, distinct voice, free from
warmth or excitement, a speech that dealt
with the Land Act and its workings in Ire
land.
Mr. O'Connor's speech, which lasted abou1
an hour and half, fully realized the expecta-
lions of his hearers, and was characterized
throughout by irresistible pathos, humor anG
clear-headed argument The full sympathy
the large audience was accorded the speaker
and frequent bursts of applause testified to thu
quick appreciation of his able arraignment o
England in general and the Gladstone govern
ment in particular. He believed that the tina
had come when landlords by the hundred arr
more than anxious to leave, and the time wa
near when those hundreds would become thou
sands, until the last of them had gone III
denounced the land act OF the Glad
stone government as delusion ant
sham, that in effect it but enabled the dissatis
fed tenants to bring their cases into court, ant
this invitation of rich men to the poor to ap
peal to the law, reminded him of the nurser.
rhyme "Will you walk into my parlor, sait
the spider, &C." He wildly portrayed the an
full distress Of 1846-7-8, and says another such
calamity threatened in 1879, only averted b,
the open handed charity of America, kindlst
in Parnell and other warm Irish hearts the I'M
diving determination to uproot forever the land
lord system which had for SO many centurie
proved an unmitigated curse to the Gree
Isle. He explained sthe wide difference be
qween communism and the objects OF the Lam
private property, while the Land League pro
poses to create hundreds of thousands of small
nroperty holders. AS to the wisdom of thu
policy of coercion now so extensively resorte'
to by the government, Mr.. O'Connor says evel
the landlords now see that by the imprison
ment of Parnell and others gigantic blunde
has been committed, and that by that blunde
every hope of the landlord for future rents wa
| DESTROYED. He agrees with Parnell that pas
sive resistance will be sufficient to win, and III
| ges that the Irish must go on, to yield meaning
| defeat for all time. But a little and all is &C
| complished. In the past the tenants threaten
| ed with eviction would fall upon their knee
| pleading to be allowed to remain. Now it
| the turn of the landlords to fall upon his knee
| and implore the tenant to remain. The force
| upon the side ofsthe Land League are growing
| those of the governm emit are weak and palsie6
| The emo rent" cry is strictly conditional an
| temporary, the conditions are, that Mr.. Pal
| nell and companions be released and rights &C
| corded to Ireland. If the rich tenants {
| farms in England must have their farms at tn
immense discount that they obtain on rent
should not the poor tenants of Ireland be cor
| sidered?
He declared the government desires to fix til
| rent we are determined upon the entire abol
ton of the present unhallowed system. Th
land law would retain the landlords. we war
to get rid of them, to have them skedadle.
| , The object of the league is nothing novel {
| startling. 1t is only asked that Ireland hay
those rights of peasant proprietorship commo
to most agricultural countries, for instance
| France, Germany, &c.
In conclusion, Mr.. O'Connor asserted to th
present generation belongs the glorious priv
leQe of finishing the work of centuries, and
advancing the Irish nation from the preser
abject condition to her proper place among th
noblest races Of mankind.
Prior to the introduction of Mr.. O'Conno
Mr.. T. f. Sheehan, in behalf of the Ladie
Land League of Portland. presented the di
tinguished Irishman with beautiful harp
roses and smilax typical of the national on
blem.
At the close of the speech the following C
blegram was forwarded to Europe: