The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-18
A Monster Meeting of Irishmen and Sym
pathizers with the Country's Cause
at Masonic Hall.
What Ireland Needs Most and How
She May Acquire 1t.
Addresses by Mr.. Brennan, Rev. Myron W.
Reed, Hon. T. A. Hendricks, Mayor
Gfubbs, and Others.
MIR. BRENNAN,s ARRIVAL.

An Interesting Statement of IreIand's Needs
Operations of the Land Act of 1881.
Mr. Thomas F. Brennan, ex-secretary of the
Irish Land League, the well-known worker
and organizer, arrived here yesterday al
ternoon from Lafayette, where he had
spoken the night before. He was escorted
from Lebanon to this city by a delegation
of the local land league, and on his arrival
at the Union Depot a number of enthusi-
astic Irishmen were on hand to welcome him.
He was driven to the Grand Hotel, and there
the journal reporter was introduced to him.
MIR. Brennan has already "caught on" to the
customs of the country. "Interviewl' he in
quired. The reporter asked him to name the
hour, and he would call again. "Oh, we might
as well begin now," said the agitaIor, in some
agitation, "and have it over with"
Mr.. Brennan is tall and slender, lacking only
q quarter of an inch OF being six feet high.
His forehead is not only high but broad; be
has a large, full blue eye, we'll
formed mouth, clear, white teeth, and on
well poised head has good supply of chest
nut hair. His mustache and slight goatee are
inelining to be red and his complexion is ford.
He has generous warmth of expression, and,
unlike Parnell, who is of a colder temperament,
appears the full-blooded Irishman that he is.
Mr.. Brennan is twenty-nine years old.
'Where was born9 All, you are starting a
good way back. was born in county Meath,
but most of my life has been spent in Dublin. I
arrived here last April in time for the Philadel-
phia convention, and have been travelling
through the country ever since, speaking six
times week on an average"
"Where have you been speak1ngf"
my first speaking was in the New England
States. 1 have been as far West as st. Paul, and
have spoken in illinois. Wisconsin and Mime
sofa. shall go from here to Louisville and from
there to Chicago, where series of meetings are
ln, fNu fhnF hill
West as far as San Francisco. You ask the OBJ
ject of these meetings. II is to organize
The Irish IN this this country n SO that
morally and materially. My success thus far, at
least until recently, has NOT been good as it
should have been. 1t is now much better The
money that Is raised, you understand, does not
come TO me, but goes to the local committees,
who send it to Dr. O'Reilly, at Detroit the treas.
urer of your National Land League, who, when
the amount reaches $1,000, RENTS it to Ire
land.''
"what about O'Donnell, the slayer of Carey9"
inquired the reporter
There is nothing new to be said ON that sub
ject. do not believe American counsel will be
allowed to appear for him at all. They have no
right to appear before an English court. An
Irish counsel could not appear there either un-
less he Is also a member OF the English bar;
neither can an English counsel appear before an
Irish bar"
Here a number of visitors entered. Resnmng,
he said: 1.-The primary object of this land-league
agitation is to obtain separate government for
Ireland-separate your States are from the
, national gOvernment-suDJect to the general or
imperial government. Pending that we want
as many concessions as possible Tor the
people. What we especially want is
a better land bill than has yet been
obtained. The land act of 1881 which the Land
League and other agitation were instrumental
in getting, is something, but 1t is only begin
ming, ana in it's working is inexaet, and unjust.
Under that act the landlord has not, former
ly, the power of fixing rent but the rent is fixed
by court appointed by the government Now
most of these appointments are made of land
lords or landlords friends, who being partial
to the landlords interests, fix the rents at too
high a rate But once liked 1t must remain and
can not be raised for fifteen years. Formerly it
could be raised fifteen times day if the land
lord liked At the end of these fifteen years the
comes TO fix the rate again the improvements
made by the tenants are not to be taken into
consideration IN settling the new rent. This is
better than heretofore, when tenants were
made to pay increased rent by reason OF i'm
provements they had themselves put upon the
property. We want to get rid of the whole land
lord system and have IL more as yOu have
in this country, where the man who cultivates
the land owns it, We want the laws OF primo
geniture and entail abolished which tie up all
the large estates In Ireland, that the land may
be thrown into market. We then want to com
pei the government to purchase out the lands
from the landlords enough we do not acknOwl-
edge that they are in Justice entitled to any
pensatiOn at all), and sell them out to the people
as was done in Prussia, in Stein and Harlem
berg's time"
"And what else7"
1--WE want to change the franchise in ireland
to what il is in England 1t is higher in Ireland
than IN England, though the Irish are 81 much
the poorer. In Ireland 1t is &12 for the county
and 36 for the borough. This, you see, Is upon
representation of wealth and not or manhood.
What we really want is manhood suffrage, as
you have 1t in this country"