The Irish standard., 1899-05-20

into the Council meeting in a united
body, knowing their own minds, know
ing their programme, and the landlord
minority were so impressed, or over
awed with the Eelplessness of fighting
against discipline such as that, that all
their little intrigucs for running the ac-
c;dental county councillor as chairman
collapsed like a house OF cards, and
MIR. Conor O'Kclly (cheers) was re-
turned by the unanimous vote OF the
County Council, including even the rep
resentatives of the Grand Jury Qaugh-
ter). The same thing happened in the
County Sligo and in East Galway, which
is the only division OF that county where
an Executive OF this League is fully
formed, according to the constitution oi
the League. And l don't think it is too
much to say that in these counties, what
has happened proves that a properly Or
ganized county can still be got to stand
together with every bit as much unity
and discipline as was shown in the days
OF MIR. Parncll's party, when Mr.. Arthur
Balfour described it as the most perfect
fighting machine that was ever invented
(cleers). What can be done in one
county can be done in the whole coun-
try (cheers). There are some gentlemen
who think they are saying something
very cruel to lis when they call that
bossing. 1t is bossIng the enemies of
Irish Nationality (chccrs). 1t is the
people Of Mayo who are the bosses, and
they have put their enemies under their
feet (chccrs). Ii that is what these gen
tlemcn mean by bossing, we want a
great deal more of it in Ireland (chcers).
And ii every county-ayc, if half the
counties i'll Ireland were only bosscd
in the same way and were united in the
same way, organized in the same way,
the cause OF Ireland would be as Of
ganizcd as ever it was (chccrs). You
would have an Irish Parliamentary Par
ty with some grit in them, and you
would have the two English parties
competing with each other to see who
would be the first to abolish landlord
ism, and draft new Home Rule Bill
(checrs).
| need not tell you that OUR victories,
great as they are, are no reason for re-
laNing our efforts (hcar, hear). On the
contrary, they are good reason for
pushing more vigorously ahead than
ever the work OF this League (checrs).
We have arrived at critical time OF the
year i'll this agitation. Our president
has referred to what is happening in the
neighborhood OF Newport The next
few weeks will decide whether or not
those grazing ranches are to be left idle
on the landlords hands this year
(cheers). Now this is becoming qucs-
ton literally of life and death for the
country (chccrs). Yesterday ] was look
ing over the figures as to emigration,
and this year undoubtedly the tide OF
emigration is setting in in more alarm
ing shape than at any time for the last
fifteen years Oruc). AT almost every
railway station every week you see the
very flower OF the land, the boys and
girls OF the country, going away, and
you see the same miserable spectacle
OF the old and the feeble left behind,
sorrowcd and brokcn-hcartcd. If | may
use an expression that was once made
use OF by Isaac Butt: ut is really al
most as if the country were being turned
into one vast graveyard, where there is
nothing left except the funeral process
sions OF what is best and bravest OF the
youth OF the country"
The country from which the young
people are flying is a country where
there are hundreds OF thousands of acres
of as prime land as they will find in
America (hcar, hcar). On that land
the boys and the girls might find homes
where they could lead better and purcr
and happier lives, both for faith and
fatherland, than they are likely to lead in
the middle OF the wees and tcmpta-
'ions OF foreign cities (hcar, hcar). In
Gods name, arc we TO go on listlcssly
year after year, doing nothing while
this process is going on--looling on
while the very life OF our nation is be-
ing destroyed under our eyes by this
everlasting process Of hunger one year
and fresh tide OF emigration the next?
(E1car, 1lcar)
| make no secret whatever as to the
means by which this League can work
and ought to work. need not tell you
it is not by crime Or outrage. 1t is not
we who have shrunli from the invcstiga-
ton demanded by Michael Davlt the
other night in the House OF Commons
(chccrs). And it is because we have
left all the crime and outrage to our
enemies that the Government have never
been able to strike a single effective
blow against this League (chcers). But I
do say openly, that the first business OF
every branch OF this League ought to
be, black-ball every eleven months man,
and every grabbcr, to ostracisc him, to
exclude him from the society OF his fel-
low-men, just as thoroughly as if he
lived amidst the sands OF the Sahara
Desert (chcers). You cannot make a
revolution with rose water and Won can