The Irish standard., 1890-12-27
preacher Of the gospel, is q queer thing,
PARNELLA ASA FIGHTER,

PARNELLASA FIGHTER.
No matter how much the recent con
duct of MIR. Parnell may be condemned
by the friends of Ireland on both sides
vi the ocean no one can but admire the
M gnifcen, fight he has made to retain
the leadership Of the Irish party His
skill as tac,ician is matchless and his
audacity is sublime. After being repu,
dated by the m 4jorlty of his own party
and by his former allies. as we'll as by
the Irish hierarchy, any ordinary man
would have succumbed to the tempest
and retired until the storm blew over,
But Parpell Is no ordinary man in the
face OF such strong opposition. He still
holds his ground and hurls defiance at
his enemies, both Celtic aud Saxon.
With the adroitness of SIX, led politl-
clan, aided BIZ potent faction of his
party, he threw tno moral question into
the back ground and changed the issue
by charging Gladstone with hypocrisy
aud t, eachery to Ireland. He appeals
to the best aud worst passions of the Ir:
ish race in his famous manifesto, and
since his ARRIVAL in Ireland he has dilated
on Saxon fraud and Celtic fidelity and
vaior with such perststenoY as to secure
large following of the people to his
side. Though beaten in Kilkenny he
made gallant fight and Is still deter
mined to carry the war into every con-
stituency IN the island. He issued a
frantic appeal to the Irish Nationalist
to come to his rescue, telling them not
to submit to Eugl1sh dictation. II one
had not known that Parnell was the
leader Of constitutional. parliamentary
movement he would be apt to mistake
him for physical force leader in re-
bellion. Some have thought, after read.
ing his manifesto, that be was suffering
from cerebral excitement, and some
noted American doctors have doubted
his sanity. He says: "Will you, coun-
trymen of Grattan aud the Volunteers,
of Wolfe Tone, of the gallant Father
Murphy. who fought and bled for the
independence of our country-will you,
inspired by memories Of the past, aban-
don your chief? Will you give him up
to the Saxon wolves that are bowling
for his destruction? Oc will you rally
around him as your fathers did around
the men of SO and shout with thousand
voices: No Surrender! Hurrah for
Parnen, the leader of the Independent
Irish party? Down with faction that
would make the Irish people the SER
wants of foreign power. Gather,
men of the h1ll-sides. at Johnswel],
around your chief aud hurl dthauce at
his enemies and the enemies of your
race +"
This is the most remarkable call for
aid that we have yet seen from a moral
force agltator. 1t is revolutionary in It's
character and was simply used for eff ct
to help him in his dire extremely. 1t
certainly produced the effect anticipated
by lis author as the accounts from XII
kenny abundantly show. Now that the
election is over, what next? In our
OPINION, the people Of Ireland ought to
hold national convention of repre-
sentative men from every county
AID d. eide the question of leadership as
quick as possible. There is no like.
llhood of s reunion of the two wigs of
the Irish party. and We believe VIM.
O'Brien's efforts in that direction will
be unava'llng.
This is supreme crisis in the history
of Ireland The people OF that Cypress
ed nation will demonstrate their apacity
for self. government by stopping their
wrapgl1ug AID taking concerted action
in the retention or rejection of either
leader. A majority vote of the dele
gates to a national convention would
definitely settle the question, if the
minority would abide by the result
Those in favor Of preserving the alliance
with Gladstone Will vote for Mccarthy,
and those opposed. for Parne]l. The
one receiving the majority of the votes
ought to be declared the leader, and that
should end it.
THE KILKENNY CONFLICT,