St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-11-01
.uIrish Statesman Speaks.

over three llOuSdllu pCloOilo' HiO'o
many ladies'. greeted Michael Davitt the
;amous Irish leader. at Market hail yeSter-
Law afternoon. Long before the hour an
aounced for the meeting the hau was
hacked and many were obliged to stand
hiring the lecture. Shortly after o'clock
Michael Davitt, accompanied by Timothy
Reardon. P. H. Kelly, NJ. j. O'Connor,
sx-Goy. Ramsey and Thomas Grace, en-
tered the hall and marched to the stage
amid cheers from the audience and
natriotic airs by the band. On the stage
we're seated a score of prominent Irish
ritizens. P. H. Kelley was chosen chair
man of the meeting. and in accepting SAID
he was proud of the honor, and 1t was the
rroudest moment of his life to Introduce TO
fine audience the great commoner OF
Fnrone. the man who ''had never bent the
HINGES of the knee that thrift might follow
fawning:" the man who refused seat IN
tba English parliament until ne could come
as a representative of the people, and that
man was Honest Michael DaVltt, OF Ire
land.
MR.. DAvITT'S SPEECH.
Mr.. Davitt stepped to the front of the
nlatform. while the audience cheered
loudly. and said:
Ladies and gentlemen, while listening to
the eulogistic manner of my Introduction py
Mr. Kelly remembered that the gentleman
was in the old country last year, ana nave
no doubt but that he visited Cork aud also
SIC neiehrated Blarney stone. While listen
ing to the warm welcome given me, ana the
si~bt of so many smiling faces, IND II dll1I-
c1IIt to realize the fact that L am thousands
of miles from nome. When L last spoke III
St Paul ] represented movement winch at
that time had not many friends,and was WAL
n,pht be called q hopeless cause. To-day l
represent movement which is on the eve OF
success and is backed by the clVIhzeo world
IADnlause.1 When I was here eight years
nuo ST. Paul was ranked the fifth or sl1tn
.ity in the country. Now it is one OF tne
eading cities of the United states.
ms is good illustration of the
irish cause. 1t has been lifted into
International affairs, and is international
rather than local. Ours is struggle 1or
liberty l am Instructed to thank the people
If my own race in America Tor assistance LOT
The last seven years. Without their help IL
would have heeA impossible to carry on the
Hoh1 Thanks to the financial assistance
from St Paul Minneapolis and other cities
the movement has been pushed forward. ana
come veal or woe the Irish flag floats at the
head of the movement,and the time Is coming
when il will float over an Irish parliament III
College Green Loud applause.J My object
is to deepen the sympathy among the Amefi-
ran peonle for the cause. The sympathy or
the American people has not only put cour-
age in Irish hearts, but has put different
aspect on public opinion in Britain. Ihe
PEAL issue in the struggle was home rule Tor
ireland and the demand was a just one. The
government they were struggling against was
one of oppression, and an UNJUST one
in every particular In asking for
aid for Ireland5 cause against Eng
land we are not asking Tor nostlllty-
ireland asked the right to manage her own
off. interference OF alV
powers from outside the shores OF Ireland
Is there any civilized people whose national
lty is more clearly defined than that of the
Irish? After centuries of oppression the
nation
Is NOW RISING
TO the rights which have been adhered to in
the face of almost insurmountable Difficult
ties. Viewed from historical STANDPOINT,
Ireland had the right to- and did, manage her
own affairs long before England did. From
every point of view the business of her de-
mands, that nation should be mistress o.
her own people and affairs, was acknowl-
edged The complete failure Of the rule,
which was instituted for Ireland eighty-slx
years ago. was another proof Of the business
Of our demands for home rule. In 1871 Ire
land was in a good financial condition. Ii
was promised that taking the Irish
parliament to England would benefit
the country. Promises were made that class
privileges would be SubOrdinated to the pub
lie good and taxes reduced. The union has
resulted in one resembling that between 81
shark and its prey. Manufacturing interests
have been crushed out and instead or Delu@
able to care for 100000 people, it now
hardly supports 3,000,0 600. Ten million acres
of land are useless and the taxation now
amounts to $35,000,000. During the last forty
years. although population has decreased
100000 the tax has increased 5000, 600
annually. In every rightly governed com
munity in the world the manner in which the
laws are administered shows the state OF
affairs What can be said of government
which in eighty-siX years has been obliged
TO pass ffty-fve coercion acts TO enforce the
laws ireland is governed by a lord lieuten-
art appointed by the English poll
tician who has control Of the couHtT.
Some Of these officials have been men who
were never in the country before their ap-
pointment, and one Of them, when appointed
had an idea that Munster was small town 10
the north of ireland. This official controls
tie Judges, police and $4,000 armed troops,
and under his direction the taxes are Levied
ON the Irish people. Suppose governor
should come to the state of Minnesota from
Canada, Mexico or some other country and
undertake to run things for the citizens, what
would be your action? Would you not resort
to every legal means to pull down the gov
eminent and
PREVENT SUCH PEOPLE
from treading Oh your rights? To the polit-
zeal crimes we have to add the landlOrdiSm
CUES ton. When the parliament was removed
to London the Irish landlords, who were also
largely the lawmakers, went with it.
There they endeavOred to live in the luxury
of the English ariStocracy, and in the en-
deavor to do SO had to fail back for the neces-
sary expense on the system of rack rents,
which have caused SO much trouble in the
last eighty-six years. 1t is absentee Irish
landlordism and rack rents that have caused
so much trouble. When, establishing the
irish National Land league we found it neces-
sary to band the Irish tenants together. We
educated Irish farmers that they would be
traitors to the cause to take farms from
which their own people had been evicted
We also had TO educate them that the soil
was made not to support landlords, but honest
and Industrious people. The present dilap
dated system of Irish landlordism is the re-
suit. Some seven years ago that Irish leader
whom you know, Paruell, loud applause
offered to purchase from the landlords the
land, paying as the price their rental fol
twenty years. Then the landlords called Par
nell a conhscatOr. and what he proposed
confiscatlon of their lands. To-day they would
gladly accept these terms. Parnell has proved
to the English lords that eighty-five men, act
Ing under their leader, can prevent by OBJ
ktruction tactics coercion bills being passed
with impunity. Not only has he fought the
eause for MS country, but he has attracted
the attention of the whole world to the in
1uSIlcS OO-ic ny luC A4lSi4oh duu
English statesmen will next year have to dis
rover some means to carry on the affairs of
the empire by means other than one parlia
ment Outside we have succeeded in dividing
the English people on the Irish question
Formerly il was an easy thing to put the
North aud South of Ireland at sword points.
Now we are united as one man, while the
English people are divided, and half of them
are fighting our cause. Some are under the
impression that Parnell was beaten at
The last election, and are in favor
of more hostile methods. We, who know and
have to bear the penalties and consequences,
ought TO know the best course to pursue. In