The Irish standard., 1888-03-31
IN FAVOR OF Home RULE.
The Inaugural Banquet of the Oxford
University Home Rule
Union
LORD RlP0N's ELOQUENT SPEECH
1.-THE Manner in which tbs Coercion Act w:ls
Being Administered was Irritating
to the Last Degree"

Being Administered was Irritating
to the Last Degree"
Dublin freeman, March u.
The Inaugural banquet Of the Oxford
University Home Rule Union was held
in the town hall, Oxford, Saturd ay.
The Union already numbers some 500
mem bers, embracing in Its ranks some
OF the most distinguished men of the
University world. Professor Freeman
presided.
lord Ripon, on rising ii, respond to
the toast OF "The Houses Of Parlia.
ment," was received with loud and re-
peated cheering HE said he offered
them his most hearty congratulations
upon the formation Of The Home Rule
Union in the University ofOxford lie
thought it most difficult to imagine
meeting more full of promise for the
future, whether they looked a. the
numbers present OF tie spirit of earnest
zeal by which they were evidently anil
mated. 1t was great thing that they
had formed She Uni,u. Their oppo~
nents had been apt to claim for them
selves q monopoly OF the opinion OF the
universities, aud he confessed he WAS
surprised On Thursday morning to
learn that in the Oxford Union, which
had always been represented to him as
very Conservative body, no less than
thirty per cent. had been found to vote
i'll favor OF distinct Home Rule
motion. Their opponents were never
tired Of informing them that they had
monopoly of the rank. wealth, and in
tellect Of the country. Well, as TO rank
they had all the Dukes (iaughter}, most
of the marquises, and q large proper
tion Of the carts and peers. As to
wealth he admitted they beat Liberals
very largely, and at election times they
took good care to let them remember in
various ways that they were tbs pos
essors of vast wealth (ls,sghter), AL
though he felt they ought to take ;lp a
| very humble position in the presence
o.such superior persons he thought there
there was doubt their monopoly of in
tellect daughter and cheersj. Advert
ing to the Irish question, he said he
would take the policy of their oppo-
nents first, and they wouid see what
lhey had done in the l3 mouths in
which they had enjoyed political power,
and the full effects OF carrying out that
policy The first results Of it were
those aisgracefnl scenes which took
place in the winter of 1856, aud which
| tbs names Of Glenbeigh and Bodyke a
/ byeword in the land. The next result
Of their policy was the Plan Of Cam
paign, because that came out of the
evictions which went on in ireland
during that winter. The next result OF
their policy was the Coercion l'ill last
year. There would have been no Glen
beigh, 10 Bodyke, no Plan OF Campaign,
and, if Lord 4. Churchill was right, no
Coercion Bill if the Government had
simply done what was pressed upon
them by the vast maj ajority OF the Irish
|
rears bill during the autumn session OF
1856. How was the Coercion .act being
carried out? He WAS not going to en-
ter into the particular Cases of Mr..
Sullivan (cheers), Mi. William O'Brien
Illoud cheers), Or Mr.. Wilfred Blunt
(cheers), but into the spirit in which
the law was being carried out. He
went abouta month ago to Dublin with
MIR. john Morley, and he then made
some inquiries rs to the mode in which
the Coercion Act was being admins
tered. lie did not ask member of Par
Lament who had come out of prison,
he did not even ask any person directly
belonging to the National League, but
| he consulted Irishmen of judgment
and Of long experience, and they told
him that of the many coercion acts they
remembered they never knew one that
was administered with such bitterness
and fierce spirit as the present Act was
being administered by the Irish Execu-
tive (shamr). The policy Of the Liber-
al party had already had some very re-
markable and admirable results, in
proof of which he asked them to look
at the attitude Of the population and
their altered feeling which the policy
of Home Rule had inaugurated (cheers).
| The manner in which the Coercion Act
was being administered was irritating
| r., thp Ia CT daOrpp aud gar thav met IT.
with calmness and a patience Of
which it was difficult to say too much
patience and a calmness based On a
newborn confidence in the British peo~
/ pie (appause). 1t was phenomenon
unknown before during the many cen
turles' connection between England