The Portland daily press., 1885-08-17
IRELANp,s AFFAIRS.
Address Issued by the Committee OF
the National League of America.

CHICAGO, Aug. 15.-The following is an ad-
dress formulated and adopted this afternoon
at the meeting of the national committee OF
the Irish National League OF America.
In obedience to the suggestion of the chosen
leader of the people of Ireland, the National CONF
mittee of the Irish NationalLeague of America as
SemDled to designate the time and place Tor holu-
ing tne next national convention OF the league ~
the United States have decided to postpone tne
date OF the meeting until January, 1886. 1t must
be manifest to all members of the league and all
friends of self-government in Ireland that II would
be impossible either for Mr.. Parnell to attend a
convention III this country or to send one OF ms
able associates pending the general election
which Will probably occur next November. Hence
the wisdom of his suggestion that the convention
be postponed. In the meantime, however, the
league should inaugurate period OF activity not
less earnest and energetic than that Whlch pre-
vailed when Ireland was threatened with anotner
artificial famine and when her leaders were I'M
prlsoned and her press silenced under S0-called
Liberal government. The party led by Mr.. Par
nell needs support. How well that support is de-
served we need hardly tell the world. ASSuredly
we need not tell the men of Irish birth or descent
serving without compensation and without official
powers or patronage among aliens who have per-
secuted and who have sought to degrade them
and being numerically less than one twentieth Of
the body which they serve they have achieved a
success unparalleled in the history of the strug-
giles for free government. By their ability, their
unity, their discipline, their faith in the Justice of
their cause and by their restless abors they have
forced not only their enemies but the world to
ook upon their oppression and to listen to the re-
ctals of on outraged plundered and mlsgoYerned
people. They have with matchless skill seized
upon every opportunity to thrust & before te world
tiny of light. They never allowed it to be hidden /;
they bockaded the legislation of the English par
lament; they objected to, postponed and defeated
local legislation intended to foster and expedite
English business interests in retaliation for the
dull and brutal Indifference which was shown to
Irish interests and for the first time in English
history it was impossible to extend franchise priv
ileges in England and Scotland without giving
Irelandsabsolute equality in the extension.
While thew have NOT hee0 able TO cOmOnl the
government to disgorge the surplus of the uneX-
pended fund raised to support the now disestab-
liShed church they have wrung from the champi-
onS of that colossal robbery an admission that it
belongs to the people of ireland and have COM
They have not secured the land of Ireland but
they have forced the enactment of legislation
which, although inadequate in its effects, is ex
traordinary in its terms and confession of enor-
nifty of the system which has so long ground
down and impoverished the Irish people. They
have not been able to get backii Grattans parlfa-
ment for Ireland, but they boldly announce that
no lesser measure will be accepted by them and
pending its restoration though prohibited from
governing Ireland they have been able to dictate
who must cease and who may assume the work of
governing England. They have driven the party
of Coercion, the party of judicial murderers, the
party OF eviction, the party which yainly sought to
imprison the idea whenit thrust men into dun
geonS, the party led by Gladstone who wrote
boastingly Of the downfall of the American re-
public, into disgraceful retirement from Dublin
Castle, and they have shown that while Dublin
Castle was the home of the so-called English Lib
eIdisih dnu oedG VI eyIdiinyi iS ulndtuIal wee
ana imported Engsh 44eStladlty MADE II only
W. ~ Vi slIe ~ aciet oouo anu oooffah
Their NJ lahors have been herculean and their ac-
complishments under the most adverse ,i circ1m- m
stances are almost miraculous. When next they
appear in parliament their numbers will be, in
% creased from thlrty TO at least elgntyi and they
will mte more @ OF be ieSS OF .e ony Eyre rehane f Efngsn
number Of Fnslish members who will owe o their
election to the iudicious exercise of the balance Of
power BY exiled Irish in England and Scotland
and with that strength they will be able to throt-
tie English Isl lIegslatlon and thus to compel the
eIe NV T rnys ~ pd c an
~ and 70 esfahlish free 1o for the
ernment me It Of free people In Ireland 'ii' s0'-
In the accomplishment of this work they need
one more great effort on the part of their Ameri-
can allxiliares, and we appeal to every branch Of
the league TO glye renewed lie and determination
No to on G a sl amy We al wo az are NOT
Of our Wiener mebers Of t6e eage al or o not
to forward subscriptions for a parliamentary fund
to Rev. Chas. O'Reilly, ID. d., treasurer, Detroit
Michigan
AT the convention to to ee held d IN January, it is
more T pro pro95ple 5at I'M MI t VIII pc pres
tarv nartv will will be represented Of that
and the progress and condition of the irish peonIe