St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-02
He Makes Vigorous Speech at an En-
thusiastic Home Rule Meeting
in Portland.
The Cause of ireland Championed in
Glowing Terms and Glittering
Rhetoric.
A Bitter and Scathing DenunciatioI
of Lord Salisbury and His
Followers.
The Problem OF Uniting Protestant
Ulster With the Rest OF ireland
Discussed.
AGreat Home.Rule meeting.

pT6Sluellt u L OIllduu UIdllcil VI llC 1llSll
national league, Mayor Chapman, Collector
Hon. George w. Woodman.
Hon. George T. Emory, Postmaster Palmer,
Hon. II. V. Jose, Hon. w. F. Mill
ken, Col D. II. Dow, and many prominent
citizens, IriSh-AmericanS and business men
of Portland. The mayor then introduced
Gov. Robe, as chairman of the meeting.
The governor spoke briefly, concluding by
the Rev. P. A. McKenna of
MalborO. Mass. At the close of the latter'S
Hon. j. G. Blaine appeared upon
the platform, accompanied by President
Looney. Mr.. Blaine was greeted with
tremendous applause. Gov. Robe intro
duced the distinguished gentleman, who
spoke as follows;
Your Excellency: Directly after the pub
lication of the call for this meeting, 1 re-
ceived letter from venerable citiZeniu an adj
jacent county asking me to explain. if could,
just what the Irish question is. appreciate
the question, or rather appreciate his re-
quest, for an explanation OF a question that
calls forth so much sympathy aud sentiment
on the part of the world at large, and makes
so muca opposition among those who are di-
rectly interested.
There may be danger of not giving attention
enough to the simple elementary facts of the
case. Now, what is home rule? Why. it is
what every State and Territory of the United
States enjoys [applause, and is what Ireland
does not enjoy. In a parliament of Sos mem
bers, Great Britain has sos and Ireland has
los, and except with the consent Of that Par
lament Ireland cannot organize a gas COM
pany laughter or horse railroad COM
pany, or q ferry over stream laughter
or do the slightest thing that implies
legislative power. Now suppose we bring
that home, and the state of Maine should be
1iDka1 vvit no Of Naxv Vnrl- ral a tiJ-o1v
as large with the state of Maine as England
with ireland, and your beautiful city here
could not take step for its own improve
ment, nor the state of Maine organize an
association of any kind, or charter a COM
pany of any kind unless the overwhelming
consent, how long do you think the people
of Maine would stand it? Applause. |
That is
THE SIMPLE QUESTION
between England and Ireland, except that
there is great fact in addition-which would
not apply to New York and
Maine that there are centuries of wrong
which have built up monuments of hatred
on the part of those who are the
subjects of oppression, and which have
aggravated the question between Ire
land and Great Britain far beyond
the limits that would be found between New
York and Maine. 1 suppose if the question
were left to the United States to decide we
should say adopt the federal system, have
your legislature for Ireland, your legislature
for England, your legislature for Wales, your
legislature for Scotland and your imperial
parliament for the British empire. Let Ques-
tions that are Irish be settled by Irishmen,
questions that are English be settled by En-
glishmer, questions that are Welsh be settled
by Welshmen, and questions that are Scotch
be settled by Scotchmen. Applause. Let
questions that effect the whole empire of
Great Britain be settled by parliament in
which the four great constitutional elements
shall be impartially represented. Applause. |
l do not stand here simply to say that Mr..
Gladstone's is perfect measure. do not
stand here to say that I could ever give you
the exact details of that measure. do not
say that ever took the time to examine them,
but 1 say that l am
IN FAVOR OF ANY BILL
that shall take the first step toward Fighting
the wrong and Of handing over the govern
ment to Ireland. Lord Salisbury says if the
Irish do not wish to be governed by the Brit
ish they should leave. But the Irish have
been in Ireland quite as long as Lord Sails
bury's ancestors have been in England
Laughter. And very likely, for aught I
know, for have never examined his lord
ships lineage in Burke'S peerage, very likely
his ancestors were Danish pirates or peas
ants of Normandy, who came over with Will
IAN the COnQuor6f centuries aIUer LlO Irish
people were known in Ireland.
Therefore, We need not be surprised we
who remember Salisbury's course in the civil
war, therefore we have to say that Lord Sails
bury may be called impudent. Wewould not
transgress courtesy if we call him insolent.
We would not transgresS truth if e,called
him brutal. We knew him IN this country.
He was the bittereSt foe that the government
of the United States had in the British parla-
ment during the civil war. He has trans
ferred to Ireland all the hatred which Missed
forth in the parliament of Great Britain dur
ing our struggles. Another objection comes;
it comes from source upon which 1 am
anxious to comment. An objection comes
from
THE PRESBYTERIANS OF ULSTER
appealing to the Presbyterians of the United
States against granting this bill. I was edu-
Gated under Presbyterian influences
and I haye connections with that
church by kindred blood and affinity tn at
begins with my life and shall not cease until
my life is ended, and / would be ashamed of
the Presbyterian church of America if it re-
sponded to an appeal of that kind, which asks
that 100000 of Irish people shall be kept
from free government because of the remote
danger, as they fancy, that a Dublin parlia-
ment would Interfere with their liberties as
[Great applause.l Now, Mr.
Chairman, il the home-rule bill shall pass
and
DUBLIN PARLIAMENT BE GRANTED
there never was an association Of men since
human government was instituted which as
sumes power with greater responsibility to
the public opinion than the men who will
compose that parliament, because if they are
allowed to form it, it will be by reason of the
pressure of the public opinion of the world
Applause. And know that the Catholics
of Ireland and the Presbyterians Of Ireland
1,.-ao ovid do i,,cf H. ,xl.
United States and the Presbyterians Of the
United States live [applausel, citizens of one
country, each giving to the other perfect right
Of conscience, each declining to interfere
in any manner with the perfect liberty of the
other. Applause. Mr.. Gladstone in his
policy proposes another bill. He proposes to
do something to relieve the Irish from the in
oppression Of the landlords. Let
me pass to practical examination. somewhat
minute it you will pardon it, of the land
question, not in any abstract way, but in a
perfectly practicable and farmer-like way
l wanted to test what Lord Macaulay said
about the extraordinary fertility of this land.
and I took the latest British authority upon
which I could lay my hands for statistics.
l could get no later than 1880, but will give
you the result of my examination for that
year and for some years that preceded it. In
the year 1880 Ireland produced 1000. 600
bushels of wheat. But wheat is not the crop
VI IiCidud. CHC pIOQuCCQ O,UUU,UUU bushels
of barley, but barley is not one OF the great
crops of Ireland. Now we begin to strike in
the next item, something for which she Is es-
pecially adapted. She produced 10000, 600
bushels of oats. The next item think every
one will recognize, as it is peculiarly adapted
to Ireland.
OF POTATOES
She produced 11O,0OO,0OO bushels Tan-
within 6O,0OO,00O Of the whole
product of the United States. She produced
turnips and mangolds, put together, 1876, OOO,-
600 bushels. She produced OF flax 90 900, 600
pounds. She produced of cabbage $50 ,OOO.-
600 pounds. She produced of hay 1850, 600
tons. She had on her thousand hills and in
her valleys over 4,O0O,0 600 head of CATTLE In the
same pasturage she had 3,50O,OO0 head of
sheep. She had $4,000 horses and 100000
asses and mules. During the year 1880
she exported to England over TOO,-
goo head OF cattle. over 100000 sheep