Los Angeles herald., 1890-11-03
IRISH VISITORS.
Dillon and OB'rien Arrive at
New York.
A Most Cordial Greeting Ac-
corded Them.
Governor Hill and Mayor Grant
Extend Official COurtesies.
The Fugitives Recount Their Recent
Experiences and Discourse on
Irish Affairs.
Associated Press Dispatches.

New YORK, Nov. 2.-William O'Brien
and wife, T. D. Sullivan and wife, John
Dillon and Timothy Harrington arrived
this morning on the steamer La Cham
pagne. A reception committee, repre-
senting various Irish societies, met them
at quarantine, and when the steamer
arrived at the dock reception was held,
after which the visitors went to the
Hoffman house, and Governor Hill was
one of the first to call upon them. He
warmly welcomed them to the city and
state, expressed sympathy with their
cause, and signed his name to the ad-
dress of welcome prepared by the Irish
societies, and Mayor Grant did the same
Eugene Kelly and Joseph j. O'Donahue
were also among the callers.
Feeling of the Irish People.
In a talk with newspaper men O'Brien
said out of forty by-elections held in
Great Britain since the assembling of
the present parliament, fourteen had
been won by the home rule party. This
was a fair indication of the feeling
of the Irish people on the question. He
believed the Tories would be forced to
dissolve parliament sooner than they
anticipated. The government, he said,
was not taking proper measures; for, it
denied that famine existed, and now ad-
mitted that there was deep distress in
the country, by proposing measures for
relief.
O'Brien also read an address on the
situation OF Irish affairs, and the pur-
port of the visit of himself and fellow
travellers to America. 'We are coming
to America" the address said, "by the
desire and with the approval of Parnell
and the Irish parliamentary party"
O'Brien stated that there was absolute
unity in the ranks of the parliamentary
party and among the people. The old
taunt of instability of purpose could no
longer be thrown at Ireland.
The Fugitives' Experience.
Speaking of the experience of Dillon
and himself, O'Brien said they were
we'll watched by the police and spies.
When they took special train at Linn
erick, the police took another special
train in order to keep them continually
in sight. Yet they were caught nap
ping. Neither bri5es or threats induced
any one to tell the police of their de-
parture, and Balfour's sytem of espi-
onage was wasted.
"The government cannot trust its own
servants" continued O'Brien. "Why,
on the day before we were arrested,
Dillon wrote me informing me what
was going to take place, although it was
supposed to be castle secret.
''We waited in Tipperary so long as
there seemed the least chance OF forcing
a prompt disposal of the charge. As
soon as the tactics of the government
were quite clear, we took leave to tum-
BILE their elaborate house of cards about
their ears, and came away to appeal to
America against Balfour's ignoble dodge
for starving out the tenantry whom he
has failed to intimidate. We will, of
course, return the moment our business
here is finished. If we shall have in the
meantime secured the means of preserv-
ing the Irish ranks unbroken until the
general election, we will not grudge Bal
four whatever comfort he can derive
from keeping us in jail for our success.
The Tory Policy.
''The essence of the Tory policy in Ire
land is land purchase on the landlords
own terms. To effect this the tenants
combination had to be stamped out. The
tenants once smashed and disorganized
under the terror of coercion, cabinet Of
landlords and landlyrd tribunals could
arrange the rest at will 1t was with
the view to crushing the tenants com
bination that all the prosecutions, ,,baton-
ings and police outrages took place, and
it was to prevent this that the Irish rep
resentatives came here"
Exultant Calculations.
''The London Times has exultantly
calculated" continues the address, that
Balfour's policy has cost the tenants
defense fund 100000 year, and that it
cost us 100000 more to build New Tip
perary. They calculated that the Irish
people at home who last year subscribed
$4,000 for the eyicted tenants fund,
would not be able to come to the rescue
this year, and that we must therefore
appeal to America. Hence the Tippe-
rary arrests on the eve of our depart
ure. Ii the tenants would be broken by
the terrorism of starvation, the govern
ment could carry whatever land pur-
chase scheme they pleased, and 60 to
the country with triumph over the sue
cess of coercion. On the other hand, if
Balfour has to face the general election
with the confession that the landlords
syndicates, with all their power, fail to
break the spirit of couple of dozen
bodies of Irish tenantry after all these
years of merciless repression, the CO.
ercion policy, already disliked, will be
overwhelmed at the polls"
Watching the Situation.
"For the present, the question of a
national fighting fund and a charitable
fund are wholly separate. Tire danger
of famine along the western portion of
the seaboard is unquestionably real and
horrible. The Irish party are watching
the situation with the utmost solictude.
The bill which they have called for
suspending evictions for the non-pay-
ment of rent on small holdings-com-
bined with more liberal administration
of the poor laws, would go far to avert
any danger OF general famine.
"The opinion of the Irish party is that
any general American fund, poured into
Ireland at this time, would PROBABLY