Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-04
A PLEASING TALKER
Rev. George w. Pepper Chats
With a Representative of
the Spy.
He Spoke in Mechanics Hall rs Years
Ago in Behalf Of the Fenians With
the Late John Boyle o'Retry.

A Spy reporter had the pleasure of a
most interesting conversation with Rev.
Mr.. Pepper in the pariors Of the Com
monwealth Hotel, Thursday afternoon.
The venerable clergyman is one of the
most affable of men and fascinating
talker. He told the interviewer that the
first speech he made in Worcester was
delivered in Mechanics hail 25 years
ago, when he advocated the cause of
the irish Fenans. The late John
Boyle O'Reilly spoke with him on that
occasion. He referred in the kindliest
terms to the generous report given him
py the Spy, whose then editor the late
congressman Baldwin, he said was one
of the best informed men on the Irish
question he met in America.
Rev Mr.. Pepper was born in the
county Of Down, Ireland, 63 years ago,
but illness and his arduous labors as
pastor of one of the largest Methodist
churches in Ohio have told on him
heavily, and he looks much older.
He is an ardent Irish patriot and has
been one of the staunchest advocates in
America of the cause of this native land.
He believes absolutely in the final tri-
umph of the home rule idea.
Yes, sir" said he, 81 am as con-
fident that Ireland will win back her
legislative freedom as 1 am hopeful of
going to heaven. have the most i'm
plicit faith in the Irish cause. 1t is i'm
mortal, Parnell may blunder, Glad
stone may falter, but the cause itself is
imperishable, and 1t must prevail.
Yes, / am pleased with the local
government bill for ireland, which Mr.
Balfour introduced the other day. 1t is
great step forward. Heretofore, the
grand juries were appointed by the
high sheriffs of the different counties,
and the high sheriffs were appointed by
the landlords But in this bill of Mr.
Balfour's the people will elect the mem
bers of the county council and / am
glad to see the women will vote Those
legislative bodies will prepare the peo-
pie for the larger measure of self gov
ernment that is looming up in the near
future.
What measure of home rule will salts
fly the Irish people? Nothing short of
an independent parliament; just as in
dependent as our American state legis-
latures. / think it Is a great mistake
for John Dillon to fall into this Cath
Ole University trap which the tories
have laid for him. Why don't the Irish
they did under Parnell, towards the at
tainment of the one grand object Of home
rule? When they have their own par
Lament again, the Irish people can
build and endow all the universities
they want. To my mind, Ireland has
all the colleges she wants now, both
Catholic and Protestant. She wants her
political rights far more than a univer-
sity, and it is pity to divert the ma
1sa1
goal of national liberty, for the purpose
of advancing this university movement.
The English government believes that
by endowing Catholic university they
can placate the Catholics, who constitute
the immense majority of the inhabitants
of the country and thus wean them from
home rule. But / can speak for my
Catholic brothers in Ireland that no sop
of this nature will satisfy them, and
that no favors, no matter to what
church they are offered, Ayill buy the
people from the national loyalty
"Gladstone's espousal of the Irish
cause has done lots of good. He broke
down mountains of prejudice in Eng
land and Scotland, and he got people to
studying the Irish question for them
selves. Why it is only a few years ago
that 5000 English Congregational clergy
men publicly thanked Mr. Gladstone, in
convention in London, for his advocacy
of home rule for ireland. Twenty-Five
or thirty years ago / was the only Prot
estant clergyman in American who
dared to say word in public friendly
to Ireland. But the world is growing
broader and more tolerant every day,
and sectarian lines no longer make men,
who should be brothers, look upon each
other with hate and suspicion. In my
church in Ohio there is beautiful win
dow dedicated to the memory of Par
nell, Emmet and Gladstone, and nobody
finds fault. Indeed, / got substantial
donations for the church from Irishmen
in various parts of the country"
Mr.. Pepper was great friend Of
James G. Blaine, and he was heartbrok-
en- when he failed of the presidency in
1884, which failure he lays at the door of
the famous Burchard, but for whose
foolish speeches Mr.. Pepper believes
Blaine would have carried New York,
and been elected president
In the famous Parnell commission
trial in London, the then attorney gene
raj of England, Sir Richard Webster,
quoted literally from Mr. Peppers
speeches, and tried to get Parnell to
disavow his utterances, mcst of which
were made in Parnelrs presence, when
he was speaking through Ohio in TO-
-"But the Irish leader would not throw
me over" said Mr. Pepper. tOh, Par
nell was a hero. loved that man"
Mr.. Pepper served as United States
consul at Milan under President Harri-
son. His son, Charles Meagher Pepper.
is correspondent at Havana for the New
York Herald. He accompanied William
Jennings Bryan on his famous presi-
Dental stumping tour, and after McKin-
iey's nomination the Herald stationed
him at Canton as its special reporter.
Rev. Mr.. Pepper was a great friend of
the late Hon. w. w Rice of this city,
with whom he stumped Massachusetts
in the Blaine campaign. He lectures
tonight in Hartford and next Sunday in
Pawtucket He likes lecturing, despite
the wearing nature of the work, and on
his travels he is accompanied by his
daughter, Miss May Pepper, who is at
present engaged on a historical work
dealing with the labors Of the Jespits
in the United States.