The Irish standard., 1899-01-28
A THRILLING. SPEECH
Continued From Page ID

x,.
matter, but, in Heavens. name, what
are the signs that the leopards have
changed their spots? (Hear, hear)
Where are the signs beyond the few
sugared electioneering speeches. which
ought not to impose upon a schoolboy
in his first trousers? All, it is not the
landlords that are changed men, but it
is the misguided Nationalists, who are
backing them amidst the applause of
the Times newspaper, which is threaten
ing us with coercion in the West lhear,
hear). If the landlords frankly offered
the country the reinstatement Of The
evicted tenants as peace Offering
if they had the good sense to cooperate
with the United Irish League, in giving
the land to the people, and abolish land
lordism, upon terms which would be a
blessing to landlord and to tenant alike.
then, indeed, there would be some guar
antee Of their sincerity, but instead Of
doing anything Of the kind the landlords
are as remorseless as ever in their policy
of vengeance on evicted tenants, and as
to the land question, their cry is that the
only people who have grievances now
are the landlords, and. that the onlyAl leg
islation the government ought to intro
duce should be bill to repeal Mr. Glad
stones land acts, and to compensate the
landlords. l will take one test of the
real inwardness Of the landlords. There
Is one department in which the. land
lords have still supreme power, and that
Is as magistrates in the administration
of what is called justice Don't we all
know that these men have used their
power for the vilest and most selfish
purposes of their class, to indulge their
hatred and vindictiveness for every man
who crosses their path?' Don't we know
that poor Nationalists- had no more
chance of justice or fair play in their
courts than one of the early Christian
martyrs had from the wild beasts in the
Roman coliseum. lHear. hear.j That
is how the landlords use the last rem
nant of their evil power, even crime on
the part of the people, and the only re-
gret In their hearts is that they have
not still the power that those who went
before them had In '9S. and forsooth.
this is the class into whose hands the
Irish people are now asked to put new
weapons. and to offer sort of national
testimonial of gratitude by inviting
them to take back all the powers Of Job
berry and corruption which they got hah
million of money for parting with.
"Oh, but" they tell us. you forget
there is actually one lord who has de-
clared himself a home ruler on the eve
OF the elections-you forgot our one
white blackbird, Lord Emily (laugh-
teri Why. when Mr.. Butt founded his
home rule movement 1t was not one lord,
but whole troop Of the nobility and
gentry. that tlocked in upon him for
their own selfish purposes, and got into
parliament as home rulers and had Mr..
Butts home rule movement practically
strangled until Mr.. Parnell came to the
rescue with party composed of cough
and-ready men of the people, Cheers.
| and swept out Of parliament the whole
crew OF Lord Robert Montagues and
Lord Francis Conynghams and King
Harmans. and O'Conor Dons applause
If men like Lord Emily prove their SIN
certify as Irish nationalists the fact Of
their being landlords or Of their having
been unionists won't stand in the way
any more than it stood in Mr.. Parnelrs
| way. CHEERS. The generosity of tho
Irish people in these matters is carried
to the point of a weakness and a faulr
but we are not going to buy a pig in a
bag. nor even peer in a poke tlauyh-
ter and cheers). and most undoubtedly
we are not going to sell the country
back to men who don't even pretend to
be home rulers at all. but who are
stepped to the lips in hostility to he
erirted tenants and land reform, and
to everything else which the Irishmen
look for the happiness and freedom of
their country. (Cheers.) | have TO