The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-14

and to you, our brethren in this great
land and to the people of the earth
we present the spectacle Of an abso-
luteiy united nation, rightly strug-
Cling to be free" 1t is for this reason
I say. that we do not come to speak
of a "downtrodden and distressful Ire
land" but for self-reliant and re-
surgent ireland.
POLITICALLY speaking, there are two
communities in Ireland. There are the
Irish nation, and the British garrison
in Ireland. We represent the Irish ma
ton Leaving altogether out of con-
sideration the individuality of the dele
gates, 1 venture to assert as simple
matter of fact that no delegation
which has ever reached the American
shores, to state the case for Ireland,
had behind it as the source and origin
of its representative capacity so united
a people as the Irish in Ireland are
today
Il have said that we are at present
engaged in fighting for the complete
abolition of Irish landlordism, and the
substitution of an Irish parliament for
what is known in Ireland as Castle
rule" To carry on that fight our
forces are an organized country and
fighting parliamentary party. Both OF
these we have got at the present mo-
ment We feel ourselves fit for the
task before us, and we mean to WIN,
but we are not going to adhere strictly
to the old Shakespearian idea, the few
er the men the greater share Of honor"
and if there are men of our race in
this country, as we believe there are,
who would like to take a hand with us
in our present fight against Engnsh
rule in Ireland, we will gladly welcome
them to our ranks. and will gratefully
accept any assistance they may choose
to offer.
"Our methods are constitutional, and
it may be said that constitutional
movements have been a failure in Ire
land. Now, let me examine that pro-
position To a certain extent every
movement may be called failure
which has not carried to complete sue
cess the object it originally aimed at.
Judged by that standard, almost every
movement in the worlds history might
be called a failure. Christianity itself
might be called a failure, as Mammon
and Moloch are still enthroned in the
high places of the earth, but Chris
tianity is still fighting, and the Sermon
on the Mount exercises today WIDER
and a loftier sway over the minds OF
men than it exercised at any period IN
human history sisnce its utterance by
lips divine upon the Gal1lean hills.
constitutional or revolutionary, may be
said to have failed, to a certain extent
as not having attained it's immediate
object. Every political movement in
Ireland may be said to have succeeded
inasmuch as it contributed to advance
the Irish National cause. Everyone
who has read Irish history must have
been struck with the marvellous re-
cuperative powers of the Irish race.
Over and over again in the opinion of
their oppressors they were conquered
beyond the hope Of recovery. AS John
Mitchell that most glorious of Irish
rebels, has pointed out, they were con-
quered by Montjoy; they were con
ouered by Cromwell; they were con-
ouered by william; they were conquer
ed in '98 and AS, and g. and the latest
fable is that they have been conquered
by kindness in the shape of land acts
and local government
"After each conquest they rested for
a while, and then came up smiling. Inc
truth is. the Irish race has never been
conquered, and never can be conquered.
We are still fighting. No movement
ran he said to have failed while 1t con-
Times to progress. We are now engag-
ed in g. movement which is a continu-
alton Of the Land League ana say
that the Land League as constltu-
tionaJ movement, was a success. what
Land League? The whole Of the land
Of ireland was owned by landlords,
Enplish law propounded. and English
bayonets sustained the infamous doc
trine shat those who worked on tne
land and lived by the land IN ireland,
had no legal title to the land' they hdd
no property in the land; they were
simply allowed to live on It ike slaves
on a cotton plantation; there was no
curb on the eXactionS of their task
masters: if they paid the demands OF
the landlords, they were in most cases
allowed to remain, but no length OF
residence gave them the shadow of
O legal claim to any property IN the
land, or even to any improvements they
made upon 1T. There was never in the
history of the world a civilized commu-
I1itv so cruelty plundered and enslaved
as the peasantry Of Ireland before the
Land League. I am not going TO des-
cribe the horrors Of irish l7Td'
they are written on the eXile's heart,
they are scared on the tablets OF n's
"In 1878. while the social condition 1
have described was still the condition
established by British law, and en-
forced by British bayonets. Michael Da~
witt came to this country. A meeting
was held in New York, and al tnat
meeting It was decided that Irish Ma
tfonalists in America would support the
PsrnelI movement. The conditions are
similar today. The United Irish
League stands in the place Of the Land
League. and Mr.. Redmond stands in
the place of Mr.. Parnell. Since then
we have got fair rents, ixity OF tenure
and free sale. Fair rents have oeen
fixed in the case OF sSS,s44 holoinBs
with an average reduction OF zV.S
per cent of the old rents. These were