Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1899-02-11
ROOMS FROM soc. Up.

40 per cent. of the agricultural popula.
ton were in abject poverty.
"Where then is the advantage of the
Union, which thus increased poverty,
bringing pestilence and involving our
poor in misery and filth3 Why should
we not adopt any plan by which we would
escape from these horrors? To be sure,
the poor law commissioners go more into
detail. Allow me to read some of their
evidence One family had but one
meal for the space of three days an
other subsidized on a quart of meal a
day; another lived on little boiled cab
bages without anything to mix with
them.' / will not harass your feelings
by reading any more. Are 1900, 900 of
your fellow countrymen to live in state
of positive restitution and nothing be
done for them2
Another hideous feature of Capt.
Larkham's report is that the population
is diminishing by 10000; from the period
of 1921 to 1881 and then from that to 1871
the population has diminished by the
number of years-who would have all
been reared up if they had anything to
support them. And are we to be haunted
down who are the friends of the poor;
are we who wish to have industry re-
warded; are we, ask it in every prin-
ciple of sense and justice, are we 10 be
prosecuted and prosecuted for seeking
the means for relieving this distress2 We
have the means of relief in our power;
we live in the most fertile country in the
world; no country is in possession Of
such harbors; the earliest historical men.
ton of us which is made by Ia citus ad.
mits that our harbors are the best, and
that consequently were not crowded.
The country is intersected with whole
estuaries-ships of 500 tons burden ride
into the heart of the country safe from
every wind that blows.
mo country possesses such advantages
for commerce. The machinery of the
world might be turned by the water
power of Ireland Take the map and
dissect it and you will find that a good
harbor is not more remote from any spot
in Ireland than thirty miles. Why is moi
the country prosperous? Did / not read
for you the unheard of magical prosper.
ity that followed her legislative indie
pence2 Did l not read extracts from the
writings and speeches of men most ad.
verse to Ireland-of men most anxious
to conceal her greatness-as evidence Of
her increasing prosperity under her par
lament? What happened once will surely
happen again. oh, gentlemen, strug-
gle to secure the poor from poverty and
to give wages and employment to those
now idle--to keep our gentry at home by
an absentee tax, after the example of the
Government last year, if by no other
means, and to compel them to duty to
their country. ! leave the case to you.
] deny that there is anything in it to
stain me with conspiracy. l reject with
contempt the appellation. l have acted
in the open day, in the presence of the
Government, in presence of the Magis-
trates; nothing was secret, private or con-
cealed; there was nothing but what was
exposed to the universal world. have
struggled for the restoration of the par.
lament 10 my native country. Others
have succeeded in their endeavors and
some have failed, but, succeed or fail, it is
a glorious struggle; it is struggle
TO make the first land on earth possess
that bounty and benefit which Cod and
nature intended"
But all the eloquence of O'conneil was
in vain. The jury, being we'll aud duly
packed with Orangemen, did their duty
to the Grown" by convi.ting the ac-
cused. who were accordingly sent to
prison. But this verdict" was 50 out.
rageous violation of common justice
that even the British House Of Lords
needless to say not friends of Ireland
felt obliged to set it aside. 1t was in de-
livering his judgment in the famous case
that Lord Denman. one of the British
law lords in the House of Lords, uttered
the famous declaration that "If such
practices as have taken place in the pres
ent instance in Ireland should continue
trial by jury would become mockery, a
delusiou and snare" Immediately
after the judgmentof the House Of Lords
Oconuell and his fellow prisoners were
released.