The Irish standard., 1899-05-06
William O'Brien Excoriates the
Knaves and Traitors.
PEOPLE AT WAR WITH LANDL LORDlSM
Country will Unite in Spite Of
Members of Parliament.

On Sunday, April 16, a splendid dem
monstration, under the auspices of the
United Irish League, was held at Scarih,
in East Clare, at which the following
address was delivered by William
O'Brien, who was enthusiastically re-
ceived:
Fellow-countrymen, 1 think we may
assume without any great lacw of mod
esty that there is not an enemy of our
people within circuit of twenty miles
of Scariff who won't have an uneasy
nights rest tonight. (Cheers.) And
why? Because he knows that this meet
ing will not end with the shouting and
the band playing, but that we are en-
listing here today regiment of recruits,
whole regiments of united men, who will
occupy this county, parish by parish,
under the one united flag of Irish Ma
tionality cloud cheers), and who will
wake up every knave and traitor in the
community to the fact that the fight for
the old cause and for the old land is again
in full swing around him. For the last
few years there are a good many Irish
men at both extremes: who go in for
making everything nice and pleasant for
our English rulers, and for the English
garrison, and the consequence is, the
grabbers had high old time of it, and
the rackrenters were actually invited to
become the peoples representatives
(groans and laughter), and the chief
secretary and every official in Dublin
Castle were lying on beds OF down and
beds OF roses Qaughter). This United
Irish League goes on exactly the oppo-
site principle. We go upon the prin-
ciple of having no compliments and no
shillysfallying with the enemies OF our
people cloud cheers). We start from
the position that ireland is at war with
landlordism and with English rule, just
as much as if she had an army in the
field. Our duty is not to make things
pleasant for them, but to make things
as hot as-well, as hot as Purgatory for
them (cheers and laughter). Either
these men will sweep the remnant of our
old race out of the country altogether,
or they will have to be taught that as
long as Englishmen persist in ruling
Ireland, and as long as landlords or
grabbers play their game, they must be
content to be treated as public enemies,
and by every means that legitimate pub
lie opinion can make their lives tor
ment they must be made to feel that it
is not exactly paradise to dwell in the
midst of people whom these English
men are ruling against their will, and
whose means of livelihood these grab
bers- are devouring in their selfshness
and greed (cheers). There are Nation
alists who tell us indeed that, like the
snake charmers in the East, they can
draw the fangs of these gentlemen by
courting them and being sweet to them
l don't believe in the snake charmers
nor in the snakes (cheers). Neither did
St. Patrick (cheers and laughter). There
were serpents in his days, and he did
not elect them as county councillors
(great laughter), but banished them
clean out of the country (much cheer
ing). We have got to do just the same
with those more dangerous serpents that
wear trousers-that is to say, unless the
landlords take the plunge that Lord
Emily has taken and regenerate them
selves in the holy wells of Irish Nation
ality (cheers). We know no sections,
we know no factions, we fight for no
particular leader If there are Irishmen
who are fighting one another for the
fun OF the thing, as has been lately said,
they are not the men of the United Irish
League (cheers). To US all these nick
names of Dillonitcs and Redmondites
and Healyites are now as meaningless
and disgusting (cheers) as the old fac
ton fighting ncknames of the Three
and Four Year Olds and the Shal1avasts
and the Caravats. We steer clear of all
those parliamentary squabbles and dis
sensions. In our camp no man is asked:
Were you Parnellite or non-Parnell-
lite? He is simply asked: Are you ready
for another fight for Ireland (cheers)
and if you are, there are the enemies OF
our race in front of US, and let our only
rivalry be who shall strike the heaviest
sledge-hammer blow on the head of
landlordism and Of English rule Cloud
cheers). Ninety-nine out Of every hun