The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-06-10
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Blaine.
THE MAGNIFICENT SPEECH OF NAMES GREAT
STATESMAN FOR HOME RULE AT PORTLAND.

THE MAGNIFICENT SPEECH OF NAMES GREAT
STATESMAN FOR HOME RULE AT PORTLAND
PORTLAND, Me- June I'm lofty hall
cleaning with golden traceres and blazing
with punches ofelectric lights swung overhead,
1900 heard James G. Blaine deliver his speech
in favor OF Home Rule for Ireland, tonight 1t
was not an Irish audience, but an assemblaee
of Yankees, fishermen straight from American
decks. grangers from the old Kennebec FARMS
and braWny lumbermen from the back country
formed the body of the multitude. Scattered
among them were the leading lawyers, mer-
chants, bankers, and businessmen generally
of Portland. In ten minutes after the doors
were unlocked every inch of sitting and stand
ing room was occupied. The gallery was
mass of ladies'. AT least q thousand persons
stood outside, content to merely catch the
strains of the band within. Mr.. Blaines
daughter sat in the gallery beside the daughter
of Gen. Sherman. A long row of well-known
priests sat on the stage, and to the right ola
little brown pulpit, on which Horace Greeley
has pounded his honest fist, sat Governor
Frederick Robbie, tall, raw-boned Yankee
granger with strong, brown features, IRON
bound spectacles, and trailing gray beard.
Mayor Chapman, Collector Anderson, and four
ministers were also ON the stage.
Mr.. Blaine did net appear until the middle of
the evening. That tie audience was wildly in
sympathy with the Irish cause was apparent
from the beginning.
Mayor Chapman opened the demonstration
by introducing Gov. Robbie, who spoke briefly.
After a few remarks by Rev. p. A. McKenna
of Marlboro, Mass, Mr. Blaine entered on the
arm of Col. w. II. Looney. President of the
Portland branch of the Irish League. He was
received with tremendous applause and spoke
as follows:
MIR. BLAINE's SPEECH.
"Your Excelleney: Directly after the publi-
cation OF the call for this meeting received a
letter from venerable citizen in an adjacent
county asking me to explain if | could Just
what the Irish question is. / appreciate the
questioner, or rathefl appreciate his request
Tor an eXplanatiO OF a question that calls forth
SO much sympathy and sentiment or the part
of the world at large, and evokes SO much op-
position among those who are directly inter
ested. There, may he danger of not giving
facts of the cas-. Now, what is Home Rule :?
Why. it is what every State and Territory of
what Ireland does lot enjoy. In Parliament
of 65S members. dIeat Britain has sos and Ire
land lob, and except with the consent of that
any-[laughterl-or a horse railroad company
or a ferry over a stream [laughterl-or do the
slightest thing that implies legislative power.
''Now, suppose we bring that home, and the
State of Maine should be linked with the State
of New York, relatively as large with the State
of Maine as England in numbers with Ireland,
and your beautiful city here could not take a
step for its own improvement nor the state of
charter a company of any kind unless the over
whelming galaxy Of the New York LEGISLATURE
gave her consent, how long do you think the
people of Maine would stand it?
THE FEDERAL SYSTEM ADVISED.
"That is the simple question between Eng
land and Ireland, except that there is the great
fact in addtion-which could not apply to New
York and Maine-that there are centuries of
ninp hoy hr1i
hatred on the part of those who are the sub
jects of oppression and which have aggravated
ain far beyond the limits that would be found
between New York and Maine. I suppose if
deee We e lone t the to
tenn have your legislature for ireland, YOUR
legislature 1or England. your legislature for
Imperial Parliament for the British Empire
Let questions that are Irish be settled by Irish
men; questions that are English be settled by
Englishmen questions that are Welsh be set
tied by Welshmen, and questions that are
scotch be settled BY scotchmen. Applause
Let questions that affect the whole Empire of
Great Britain be settled by Parliament in
which the four great constitutional elements
l say that would be the shorthand method of
settling the question, for we have lived that
for nearly 100 IN the United States of
ever, that it would be political emplricism to
attempt by any prescription to give the exact
that should settle this long dispute between
Great Britain and Ireland. L am admonished
by what have noticed in the British Parlia-
ment in discus sions concerning America not to
be too forward in the knowledge of details or
in prescribing exact measures, because. 1 sup
pose, they would retort that we know quite as
little about their precise troubles as they
know about ours.
FAvoRS ANY RELIEF BILL.
s'Therefore, do not stand here simply to say
that Mr.. Gladstone's is perfect measure do
not stand here TO SLY that l ever could give
YOU the exact details of that measure L do not
say that even took time to examine them, but
/ say l am in favor OF any bill that shall tnke
the first step toward righting the wrong and
of handing over the government to Ireland,
AS to any Staten. .ts.lrding Parliamentary
power in Greal britain am aCnonShed to be
modest, because | we'll remember that Lord
occasion informed the House OF Commons that
the President of the United States could not
alone declare war; that it required the assent
of the Senate, when every school boy knows
whom the war power is given in this country
+ Laughter.] But that was not so bad as another
member OF Parliament who assured the house
on certain occasion that no law could be
passed in the United States until it had re-
ceiyed the assent of two-thir OF Tie Legisla-
O fellow member corrected him by saying:
you are wrong, Congress cannot take up any
law to discuss until two-thirds of the legisla-
lures of the States consent. [Great laughter.
notice made by Lord John Russell in the House
of Commons in 18Th to enquire into the condi-
tiOn OF Irelund-I said "Mr. Seward, ~ 1 meant |
II Lord Macauley," but am sure thai the men,
ory OF neither will be injured by being mistaken
for the other. lApplausel Lord Macauley saio /:
govern Scotland, but as you govern your new