The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1888-06-23

leader, an extremely able man, true
friend of Ireland, and the lawyer who
defended The Manchester Martyrs in 81.
The principal object of The Labourer
was to promote such system of land |
reform whereby every man may become
possessed OF a comfortable cottage and
sufficient quantity Of land to supply all
the comforts and necessaries Of life for
himself and his family" O'Connor also
inaugurated Land Society, in which
large numbers of the working classes
enrolled and invested their savings with
the view of becoming owners oflplots of
land, but the scheme failed and involved
hundreds in financial ruin.
In the first volume Of ssThe Lobourer''
[ find some verses by O'Connor, which
are remarkable more for the autho-
graphical references they contain than
for any literary merit
ERIN.
Oh, Erin, my country, I love thee with pride,
But love thee the more for thy sorrow;
Many is the bitter salt tear Ihave cried,
AS I've cheer!essly thought on thy morrow.
Though my fame be erased from thy history's
page,
And the name Of my martyr'd dead sire forgot;
Though my uncle still pines in the winter of age,
A fifty years. exile for Erin his lot.
Though bounded by traitor and trader, you
aimed
To she'd my life's blood in your madness and
woe,
! resisted, with reason alone, till tanned
The spiritless courage infused by thefoe.
Yet; Erin, have never forgotten the VOW
That solemnly swore al my country's shrine
That the naughty oppressor should bend his
proud brow,
That I'd break his stiff spirit, or he should
break mine.
How oft have sighed through my colo prison
AS I've thought on the magic that bound you
slave,
When you've cursed the Lord Edward that died
of his scars.
And raviled the young Emmett that sleeps in
his grave.
| Though his body lies 2nangled by traitors and
knayes,
His meraory's enshrined in each true Irish
heart,
And his country though crippled by sycophant
slaves
Shall rise proud nation despite of their art.
Then, Erin. take courage, the day is al hand,
When Saxon oppression ehau trelnble and fall,
When Erin own SONS shall possess their own
land,
And shall make their own laws, still better
than all.
O'Connor was returned for Nott1ng-
ham in 1847. He at once became ssa
character" in the house. Speaking
during debate in april, IS4s, on the
third reading Of the Grown and Govern
naent Security Bill. he said that if he
got. democratic institutions, it was o
matter of Indifference to him whether
Beelzebub sat on The throne, a statement
which evoked from Sir Robert Peel the
witty reply that when the member for
Nottingham got the Sovereign OF his
choice he might enjoy the confidence of
the Grown,
|. 48--the year of revolutions had come,
and throughout Europe was heard
The rhythn1ical march of the gathering
Nations.
And the clashjng of thrones mid their fierce
exultations.
But the Chartists, eager also as they
were to cry Cup VITA the barricades and
implore the God OF battles, y found Fear
gus O'Connor wanting-not indeed that
that the great demagogue displayed any
sign of cowardice or backslid1ng, but
the brain was beginning to give way
the malady he'd set in which few years
afterwards brought him death in a
lunatic asylum. Tie famous Chartist
demonstration came off in London in
'48, end, though great things were ex-
pected Of it by the Chartists, it ended in |
a fiasco. A couple Of years before @ Con
nor had suggested in the Northern Star
that a petition, praying her majesty to
appoint Ministry that would make the
National Charter a Cabinet Measure
ssshould be presented by deputation
of 100000 men proceeding on peaceful
and orderly procession, each with
musket over his arm." The petition
was prepared and received, it is said, the
enormous number of five million sigma
lures. The Chartists were summoned to
meet on Remington Common, and
march with the petition to the House of
Commons. The authoritiis became
frightened. The Duke of
Wellington was entrusted with the ar
for guarding the city. A
quarter of d million special constables
wereenrolled, including Louis Napoleon,
who afterwards through Judge, backed
by force Of arms, made himself Napoleon
TIT The Honseho1d tr0ons and several