The Irish standard., 1886-11-06


lish character. Some years ago, be-
fore the initiation of the land league,
the English people were practically IN
different on the Irish land question,
when they thought it was an issue be-
tween Irish landlords and Irish ten
ants. Their sympathy generally went
out to the territorial garrison in Ire
land in any contest which took
place between them and those
who till the soil in our coun-
try. [Applause.] The moment the
taxpayers OF Great Britain saw
there was the slightest danger OF their
pockets being injured in any way by
purchasing Of the Irish landlords, they
discovered Immediately that these were
worthless class and that their proper
ty in Ireland was really not worth any
Investment Of English capital, They
therefore declared emphatically against
the land scheme Of the Liberal leader;
and l am of the opinion from my inti-
mate knowledge of tine feelings OF the
people of Great Britain that il MIR.
Gladstone had appealed to them OH the
Home Rule issue alone, without handl-
Gaping his efforts with the scheme to
purchase out the Irish landlords, he
would have been returned 10 power by
an overwhelming majority, and the
Home Rule government been in power
in Ireland. There is enc consolation
at any rate left to Irish landowners,
Notwithstanding the temporary defeat
of the Home Rule case. We may have
| to struggle on couple of years more
| in order to secure our native parlia-
ment, but we have this consolation,
that the Irish lsndlords eau no longer
count upon the sympathy and support
of the British people. [Cries of good!]
In the past, rs you right well know
they die England's dirty political work
in Ireland. [Langhter.l They made
themselves all alien territorial garrison,
inimical to the Irish people in their ma
tional sentiments, their national aspir-
ations, their feelings and their relig-
ion. They thought that when the
day of danger came, if it ever did al
rive, that the people OF England would
stand by them and rescue them from
any difficulty in which they might be
placed, and now When their system is
destroyed, when economic causes are
CO. operating to its destruction, and
when it is only matter of few years
until it is made to disappear bag and
'baggage, every Irish landlord turns to
/ the people of Great Britain for succor
and support, but the answer, given en-
phatically in the recent general cleo
tion by the electorate OF Great Britain
is: Go to the Irish people. Make the
best terms you can with those Who
know you best. We are resolved not
to purchase you out. [Applause.] Mr..
Gladstone has accepted this verdict Of
the people Of Great Britain. He has
recently declared in one Of the ablest
pamphlets ever written by him what l
have never ceased to advocate since the
very initiation of The land league.
namely: that the Irish land question
can never be satisfactorily settled ex-
cept 10y and through the creation OF
A PARLIAMENT IN DUBLIN,
and this Irish parliament, therefore, is
soon to be established in the old coun-
try, Notwithstanding the boasts and
threats of Lord Randolph Churchill.
Misses. The landlords of ireland
must come to terms. A voice-Put
it there again. Great as has been
been their crimes against the people OF
Ireland in the past, [ believe that a
legislature represeL ting the people OF
their own country will deal with them
more justly bye and bye than they
would be likely to be dealt With on the
part of the English parliament when
that becomes, as shortly it will, the in
strument of the English democracy in
it's resolve to bring about a Democratic
form of government in Great Britain,
[Applause.]
Now to all these opposing causes and
adverse circumstances pitted against
the cause Of Home Rule there is to be
added the serious division which the
proposal created in the English Parlia-
ment. This opposition has been
mainly led by Lord Harrington, and
against his hostility-or rather against
the honesty Of his motives in being
hostile to Home Rule, [ have nothing
to say. He has never, as we'll as [ can
recollect, uttered word that would
lead us to believe that he was in any
way in sympathy with the cause OF
Irish national self,goyernment. His
position therefore has been straight
forward and honest. bul I cannot say
this as to the attitude Of his colleague,
Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain. (Hlsses.
This gentleman, as far back as 1874, },
was an avoWed Home Ruler. He de-
clared heswas conceding a Parliament
to ireland because he was most anxious
to get obstructive Irish representation
removed from w Westminster, and so late
q