Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-30
POLITICS IN IRELAND
Faith, They'll Never Die for Want of
Breath.
TO JUDGE BY rHIS ONE CONVENTION
John Redmond's Followers Are the
MiddIe-of- the-Road Men.
THE STAR OF HOME RULE
Special Correspondence of The Evening star.

Special, Correspondence of The Evening Star.
DUBLIN, October Is, 1897
There is more genuine comedy in polit-
fcal meeting of Irishmen at home on the
old sod than can be found on any stage.
The first convention from all Ireland Of
the Independent Nationalist League was
held in Dublin this week. To study Irish
Politics at first hand party of Americans
came over from London and none of them
complained that he failed to get his
moneys worth The Independent national
| lists are the middle -the-road Irishmen.
They hold that Ireland's hope of shaking
off British rule rests Oh independent action,
| holding the balance of power between the
| English parties and hitting a head wher-
ever one bobs up, whereas the other fac
| ton. the Healyites. continue the alliance
with the liberals begun in the days of
Gladstone and Parnell. expecting to get
| half a loaf for Ireland from their allies
| No half loaf for the middle-of-the-road
PEOPLE, for, as John Redmond declared to
the convention, they wanted free parlia-
ment, not a glorified vestry. and they
scorned to be bribed from their principles
! by offers Of local self-government and
Catholic University. sops which the cabinet
| is throwing out to the agitation, just as
Spain attempts to quell a revolution by
autonomy on paper.
awakening from seven years sleep. The
star of home rule seemed to set behind
ParneliS tragic grave, and those Irishmen
who never lose from their hearts the
| iridescent dream of independence have
from their leaders coffin been cropping
through the dark. Next year, though, will
be an inspiring anniversary for 1rishmen
| 1t will be the centenary of the revolution
the attempt most formidable to shake off
| the government by aliens. The Irish
| jubilee they are calling 1t in Dublin, 1.-The
attempt of honest men to do honest work
| for Ireland" as one of the orators put it
this week. Irishmen are to gather home
from America and all other countries where
they have gone in search of happier condi-
| lions. there will be bonfres on the hills
and professions and speeches and as the
| mere words ''ninety-eight" are finder to
inflame the Irish blood, it will be a wonder
II something more than talk does not tran
spire. England foresees the possibilities
| and attempts to placate her restless chill
dren with toys.
Redmond and His Party.
1t was largely to make preparations for
this jubilee that John Redmond called the
convention of independents The indepe7j-
ents are Redmond, and Redmond is the
| independent party, both in parliament and
| out. In the United States he might be
called a boss, but such work as his can
not be done except by bosses. Washington
will see Redmond this winter, but Wash
ington will not be able to appreciate him.
because for that he must be seen as he
| was this week on platform confronting
bedlam of political maniacs, and single
handed plotting the convention through an
orderly program. where 800 men demanded
That as many different things he done, and
all at once. The group of leaders who sal
on the platform in the Dublin hall was
worth studying. There were the Redmonds
in the center, John and William, both mem
bers of parliament, specimens of the two
! most familiar types of Irish politicians, the
elder black mustached. curly haired man,
with the answering will and matured pur-
pose beneath the quick wit and glowing
eloquence, the younger red-nea led fire
| brand, all impetuosity and recklessness,
who had not BEEN talking Two minutes be-
| fore he had the delegates cheering "the
| men of India fighting for their homes
and tearing the benches from the floor to
brandish them with howl Of down with
England!' the threatening quality of shout
that startled spectators to nervously To-
eating the nearest doors.
| Then there was John Parnell brother of
the late great Irish leader, whose politi-
| cal legatees the defendants claim to be, a
black-bearded, Misunderstanding man, who
resembled the portraits of his brother with
the same sort of likeness from which some
| vital characteristic is lacking. that actors
! made up to play Napoleon have to pic
| lures of the little Corsican. William Field
| NJ. r, was there Also prototype of Rep
| resentative Terry of Arkansas, with the
| same thatch Of curly hair, the same SOM
| brero. the identical gloomy saunter: Pat
| rick O'Brien, another M. p. a short gen
tIeman, with bushy black beard, flaming
| red necktie and ceaseless activity in quell-
| ing turbulent delegates; Count Plunkett,
| tall, bloodless, black-bearded ascetic-
| looking person, into whose soul the iron
| seems to have entered, who has an air Of
brooding over his grievances and cold,
| measured bitterness of speech in contrast
| to the vociferous invective of his COL
leagues; Mr.. Kenny. M. P, who looks the
scholar and aristocrat, and many Others
| members of parliament aldermen and
| farmers, men among them who have had
a price on their heads and who have brok-
| en- stone in English prisons because, as
| Mr.. Kivlehan of Sligo remarked, they did
work for Ireland in their own way
An American Home Ruler.
Last, but not least, there came an Amer
lean. tall, smooth-faced youth, with the
cut Of a clubman. who looked as though
| he had dropped in from 9Th avenue, and
| was hailed by the home rulers as a
| prophet and leader. He was Lewis Chan
| Ter. brother of William Astor Chanler, the
explorer. who first bid for fame by defend
ing deserving prisoners In the New York
courts out of pure philanthropy, then went
into New York politics. ran for office in a
suburban town, was defeated by his own
party because he was establishing a bad
precedent, as the heelers said, in refusing
to buy votes. threw up the business in dis
gust and came to Ireland. where for year
he has devoted his time and money to
work for home rule, on the stump and with
his pen, a knight Grant of politics
Though his friends sometimes smile at his
quest of mission. they all envy him the
enthusiasm which animates him.
But the floor rather than the platform
was the interesting section of the conven-
ton. Such Irishmen, one would think,
could not be met outside of books. Mr.
McGrath, who hailed from Fullamore, with
an open face fringed by Jack Gowdy whis-
kers, who wore swallow-tailed coat, cor
duroy knickerbockers and leggins, an an
cient beaver on the top of his head, trotted
along as lightly with the weight of eighty
years as though they had been eighteen,
scorning to lean on his black thorn, and
putting bog oak pipe. Mr.. Dempsey of
County Armagh. whose whiskers were
sandy-red and worn on the sides of his
face like ear muffs, and whose straw hat
was garlanded with shamrocks: BartIe
Goggins from F'May, with gray Moses
Sandys braided into knots at the ends:
Luke McInerney from Clonmey Way, bot
tie nozzles peeping from the pockets of his
green knit jacket. Back of them in solid
rows to the door the husky representatives
of Limerick, Castlerea. Tulla. Mullingar,