The Irish standard., 1886-09-25
WILLIAM O'BRIEN AT HOME.
His Tribute to the Interest the Irish
Americans Take in Anything AZ
fecting the Old Land.
THE HUGE BRUTAL JA|LER,
England, is Not Now Dealing With the
Small Island Of Ireland. But With the
Ireland on This Side Of the Atlantic,

On his return to Dublin, Mr.. William
O'Brien, who was enthusiastically
cheered when he appeared on the bal
cony of the Imperial Hotel to speak,
said: MY dear friends and fellow
countrymen, ( thank you with all my
heart for this glorious and spirit-stir-
ring Irish welcome home you have
given US tonight. I can assure you
that much as we were feted and greeted,
and wonderful as was the kindness we
experienced at the other side OF the
Atlantic, still it is an extremely plea
SAINT thing for us to feel tonight that
we are now once more at ] ,me on lrls':
soil. When all has been i'd and done.
believe me that the more IN lrishman
travels, the more he feels that, in the
words of the old song
There is no land like ireland
All the world round.
Not indeed, that we ever felt our
selves, or that they allowed as to teel
ourselves, strangers on the other side Of
the Atlantic. No, on the contrary. the
whole continent of America was to US
almost as much Ireland as if it was a
vast county Cork or Tipperary. Travel
wherever you would--no matter how
many thousands of niles-lrlshmenl
you had always with you, and the Irish
cause, the pleasant Irish voice, and the
warm Irish heart was always there,
Well you know what took us to
America. Iconfess, for my own part,
that it was with something like awe
and trepidation visited the great as
semblage Of our countrymen in Chi
cago. 1 felt, can assure you, consAd~
erably more trepidation than l ever felt
in the face of the English House OF
Commons. And I did so because it was,
without exception, about the finest
representative gathering that po!iti~
ca]ly, Intellectually, or physically !
eve, saw in my life. Well, if ever we
had any trepidation what did we find?
We found that every heart in that
magnificent Irish mb]age in Chi
cago pulsated with our own. We found
there from not in all the world hearts
more loyal and devoted to Parnell,
more determined to strengthen his
hands and to sustain him, or more de-
termined to do OF say nothing that
could discourage or embarass him in
the gigantic undertaking he has already
half accomplished. My friend, Mr..
Redmond, who delivered a speech at
the assemblage which captivated and
charmed them and made us proud OF
Irish eloquence, will be able TO tell you
much more eloquently than / can how
that convention progressed. Well, be-
tween US anyhow, we will tell you how
we were impressed by the power and by
the. determination Of our Irish race
across the Atlantic and by their abso-
lutte union in the cause of Ireland. John
Mitchell once compared England to
A HUGE BRUTAL JAILER,
for ever standing between Ireland and
the world and shutting Ireland out
from the sight and sympathy of the
world. Through America to-day we
have got the eye, ear and sympathy OF
the whole civilized world, and 1t is not
q question of Irisbmen in America
alone, but according to our experience
upon the Irish question there is the
distinction between Irishmen and
Americans. What wanted to
tell you was-and it. is good news to
hear-that the whole American nation
of every party and creed, all the news
papers and all their pulpits are ringing
with the cause Of Ireland to-day. l
need not tell you what tremendous
effect that is in our FAVOR. All, it Eng
land had US still, as she once had, all
alone to ourselves with nobody looking
on, there are men at the head of affairs
to-day-there are mannikin Cromwells;
yes. and as somebody suggests, there
are Castlereaghs, though he is very
dimlnutive sort Of Cromwell indeed
and if these men had their way. as they
ence had in Ireland, they would not
scruple as Cromwell once settled it
they would send their Sir Redvers
Butler, they would flood the country
with their runaways from the Soudan,
and if they had their way they would
leave us an island of corpsesand desola-
tion. Thank God, the day for that kind
of thing is gone They are dealing now
not with this small island, but with the
gigantic Ireland across the Atlantic
an Ireland where the British coercion
acts never ran, and where the British
red coat never set his foot except to
run. I will say no more to you, for I
know you are exhausted. Anyway I
am exhausted if you are not. Now: I