Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-11-03
'O'BRIEN and DILLON
Arrive at New York Sunday
on La Champagne.
1hsy are Greeted BY a Large Party Of
Enthusiastic Friends.
Thursday Evening the Patty Will
spsak at Philadelphia.

4
wife, John Dillen, Timothy Harrington.
T. ID Sullivan and wife, arrived here early
this moruirg by La Champagne. They
were met down the bay by large delesa-
tion of Iri.hmen on board the tug bos,
John Z. Moore, chartered by the Irish So
eleties of New York. Gen, 0'Bisrpe of
the Barge office was in charge OF the re-
Gel tion arrange msnts. About 100 we're on
hoard the John f Moo-e, representing ~
Irish socities. The Irish vi.itors we're wig
orous ly eheered as one by one they were
distinguished on board the La Chsmpa gae.
Gen. O'Bierne joined them on the
stesmers' deck, followed by all those on
the tug boat. The visitors are in excellent
health and spirits ard they predicted an
early success of home rue in Ireland On
the arrival Of the steamer st the dock the
visitors were driven TO the Hoffman House
Shortly after noon, Gov. Hill called on
Dillon and O'Brien. He had ;hort talk
wi h Irish members OF parlis sment in which
he told them his sympathy with the Irish
movement. Mayor Grant came few mo-
ments later and psii his respects. After
lunche IN 0'B,ien. Dillon. Gill. Sullivan,
and Harrington met reporters, U'Brisn
read an ad iress on the sitlaton of lti.h
affairs, and the purport of the visit by him
self ard fellow travellers TO America.
O'Rrien stated that there was absolute unity
in the ranks of the parliamentary iariy, and
anorg the people. He said:
One of the CT ief objects in America will
be to explain the character of the struggles
in Ireland aud the system of co rcion IN
force there. believe the Americans will
be electrified when they hear the story of
Tippersry. For the present the question
of national fighting fund and the question
df charitable fund Is wholly separate
The dsrger Of famine along the western
portion of the Western Sea Board is un-
qnes'ionably real ard horrible. Nobody
with less than Bslfours capacity for heart
less jokes could effect 10 deny TO make
light of it. The opinion of the Irish party
is than any general American fuud poured
into Ireland at this time might possibly
have effect in confirming Belfoor 10
his policy Of leaving the r.lief of dis ress
to private charity alone AMI afterward
boasting of the distress imaginary. Willie
large sums are disbursed with the imper-
feet knosledge of the circumstances of
the country. they would inevitably find the
way into the pock't IS of the landlords and
courage the txtprtlon OF rent from the fam
isbed ard coercion among the wrong, d
tenanuy. Thursday evening The party vii
address the first meeting in the Academy
of Music, Philadelphia.
Bslfour's recent policy struck in the
speech in the House of Common in which
he was forced to confess that all his hopes
for success in coercion, now lay in multi
plying evictions 10 such an extent as 10
ssallov up the evicted tenants fund. In
pursuance of this policy the government
and l4ndloris engaged the past few months
in comp letely clearing whole estates of
their population.
The last batch of evietious completed
The depopulation of Ponsonby estate,
which once contained over 1000 souls. In
this way about 1900 families or about 1000
persons evicted for the special purpose of
settling the evicted tenants fund with the
cost of fesding, housing and msiutIining
them. The essence of Tory policy in Ire
land is lard purchase on the landlords own
terms. The whole force of coercion dur
ing the past four years has directed
to il filcing vepgance upon them and utter
ly exterminst.ng the M. Ir sh people have
made these mems cause their own c4u'e
In New Tipperary the population of the
whole to-n and two neighborin9 estates
have given up their streets aud farms en-
masse rather than let their rents be used by
ihfir landlord. Smith Barry, in effectinE
the extermina'ion of the poor Ponsonby
tenantry. Both in England ard Ireland j.
is recognized that the campaign Will turn
upon a struggle between the coercion and
combination upon these estates One of
our chis aims IN America is to explain the
character Of these Struggles, the detsstable
system of coercion in Heland and its un'-
versal ard absolute failure i, the face OF
the gsllantry aud self-sscr flee OF the pep
pie. You may Judge of the severity OF the
system when told that 90 members of par
liament, mayors of five of the obi.f cities.
almost every nationalist newspaper edi or
10 the county, a score of m)st beloved
eccl ,siastics, and neatly five thousand
others, men women and children,
were imprisoned as common felons
Under Balfour's regime fourteen pers ms
were shot dead by The police in various
onslaughts and 600 people were evicted
from these few estates alone, while in the
700 parishes where The Nstionsl League lie
nominally suppressed the people are dog
ged day and night BY the police spies and
are liable to six months imprisonment If
they are caught attending meeting. The
ststemeat closes with an appeal to the peo
pie of America for funds to sllsy the s1f-
fer ng resulting from the failure of The pa-
'ato crop and 20 aid the evicted tenants and
their scarcely less misersble fellows in the
struggle against the outrage and oppres-
sion.
The address of welcome wa. signed by
Gov Hll Mayor Grant anl many Promi-
lent Iri.hmen in the city. aud was present.
ID t. the visitors in the evening at ihe roe p
ti,n in the Hoffman House. M-ssr-
O'Bri,n and Dillon responded with briei
spes ches. and there was a general band-
shaking