The Irish standard., 1902-05-24
The Founder of the United Irish League
is in the Field Again and
on the War Path.
He Hurls Defiance at the Proclamations
and Styles Them Eruptions
of Dublin Castle.

MI. NllIl;llll " lillen, Nj. L., inc
founder of the United Irish League, re-
turned home last month after an nb-
sencc of nearly Il year. ncccssitatcd by
the condition of his health. which had
been seriously impaired by the nrduo,ls
labors of three years devoted to the
glorious task of restoring unity to Ire
land and to the building up of great
national organization. When Mr.
OBrien arrived in London he got an
enthusiastic reception from his pnrlia-
mcntary colleagues. and after a brief
stay in the British capital lle lmstcncd
to Dublin. On Saturday evening. April
2G. Mr.. O'Bricn, accompanied by his
wife, left for Cork to fill an cngnge-
lncnt to address his constituents which
he had made several weeks previous.
1t being Mr.. O'Rrien's first appearance
in public in Ireland in twelve months,
preparations were made for a monster
demonstration and reception, ana the
member for Cork City got welcome
such as he will never forget for many
year. Mr.. O'Tricn delivered n patri-
otic address which was chccrcd to the
echo. In the course of it he said:
suppose you will expect me to say
something of the recent Coercion proc
lnmatiOns from Dublin Castle (groans).
We'll, don't think we need treat too
tragically the latest eruption of that
ancient volcano of hel's fire, called
Dublin Castle daughter AMI loud
chccring). 1T is an exhibition of weak
ness and mG,nncss rather than of
strength. So far as any protection tile
law of England ever gave our people
it does not make a iot of differences; It
does not matter Il fig to an Irish Ma
tiOnAliSt whether he is tried by
packed jury and the Packer (gr0ans),
or by two Castle nominees, or by
drumhcad cOurt-martial except per-
hapS that the drumhcad cOurt-martinl
would be the most candid and the fair
est tribunal of the lot Onughtcr). What
these prOclnmations really proclaim to
the world is that after eight centuries
of English rule what is called public
Justice has to be carried on by meth
ods as foul as any process by which
the Sultan Of Turkey gets rid Of his
victims, and that is a pleasant con-
fcssion for England to have to make
to the world on the eve Of her kings
coronation (grOans). The thing is moth
ing new to us. 1t really is not very
likely to frightcn us cloud checrs) You
would naturally suppose that If men
are to be tried for acting on the doe
trines laid down by the United Irish
League the logical and the manly
thing would be to try the League itself.
The government apparently shrink
from carrying their folly to that brut-
ally logical extreme for the present.
Whenever they do SO we will then be
In position to have this question
fought out upon an issue which will
be the battle of every working man in
England, as well as our own loud
cheering); but the thing which really
renders these prOclamatiOns one of tho
most Odious crimes of which civilized
government could be guilty is that
they are published with the deliberate
object of cndeavoring to stir up vio-
lcncc and bl0odshed in the most peace
full and crlmeless country upon which
Gods sun shines to-day. That is what
makes the men who signed these proc
lamations-Mr. Smith-Barry Ooud
groaning), Lord ClOnbrock (groans),
and their miserable official tools-in
my judgment, as ab0minablc ruffians
as ever exploded a cartridge of dyna-
mite in the midst Of peaceful crowd
loud cheers. The real crime of Ire
land in the eyes of these men is that
crime there is none (checrs). That is
the unfOrgivable sin. If the people
could only be gOaded and maddened
into shooting and moonlighting the
task of these scoundrels would be easy
enough (groans). I call them scoun-