The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-05-04
Remarks Were IRterspersed With
 Frequent Applause IS 4 BRILLIANT ORATOR
Devoted Much Attention to 'Explana- ton of Present Conditions In the
 Emerald lsle-Expects the
 Land Bill to Pass Soon.

For nearly an hour and three-quarters last night at the Knights of Columbus ball. Joseph Devlin, member of parlia- ment for North Kilkenny, Ireland, elo- quently plead for the Irish cause before large and appreciative audience. MT. Dew | lin has been in America for the past ten months, enlisting material and moral sup l port for the passage of the Irish land bill now pending in parliament. In addition to being a brilliant and forcible orator, he commands choice English, and al- though he speaks extemporaneously, his fine shades of meaning and his careful approach to clirnaxes are very marked
 In his address last night he devoted spe- cial attention to the proposition of why the agrarian feature is made so prominent ] in Irish affairs and to the justification of the means the United Irish leagque is now employing to gain recognition for their native land.
 That he made a deep impression on his hearers was evidenced by the frequent and enthusiastic applause with which his remarks were greeted.
 His audience included many men prom inent in the affairs of Birmingham. Among well known clergymen present was the Right Rev. E. P. Allen, bishop of Mobile. Mayor W. M. Drennen was to have welcomed MT. Devlin to the city, but was detained at home by sickness. In his absence master of ceremonies F. l. Monks called upon City Attorney E. D. l mil to aira
 A. o. Lane. who was spoken of as the man who had probably done more for Irishmen In Birmingham than any other man in the city, was called upon to in troduce the speaker of the evening.
 Thorough Conviction.
 From the beginning Mr. Devlin im- pressed his hearers with the seriousness of his subject, and with his thorough con viction of the justice of the principle he was advocating. At only one point in his address was there an appearance of the customary Irish humor which brought smile to the faces of his audience.
 He has an easy manner, a clear, ring ing voice, and his brogue added much to the charm of the speaker. He said in part:
 T am greatly gratified at my recep- tion in Birmingham and to find so much sympathy expressed for Ireland among the people of your city. It has been much the same throughout the whole country. Governors, mayors, prominent business men and clergymen have given me a well come that only llberty-loving people can extend. It is great honor to me to rep resent Ireland and to plead her cause 5000 miles from her shores.
 Ireland for the irish.
 The cause for which I shall speak dates back hundreds of years, and the principle Is, Ireland for the Irish and the land for the People. My business is to deal frankly with a condition
 We hope soon to do away with the iniquitous practice of landlords in evict- ing tenants from land which they have spent years in improving. The passage of the land bill now pending will mean the transferring to 5OO,0OO Irish farmers of the land they till, and making them absolute owners of their farms.
 We of the United Irish league devote so much attention to the agrarian move
 
 that question depends the very existence of our country. Forty thousand of our best young men and women are leaving Ireland annually because the hurtful con ditions offer them no opportunity for ad- vancement. We now have a population of 4.5OO,OOO whereas one hundred years ago we had 100000. In addition to this the settlement of the question means the in- coming and investment of much capital"
 Mir. Devlin said that Irishmen were will ing to take any steps that would gain their rights, and showed the futility of resorting to arms He said that the sighty-six united representatives now in parliament were proceeding in the right way and that Ireland was now nearer the realization of her hops than she had been for 800 years.
 National Self Sacrifice.
 Never was there a greater example of national self-sacriflce than when Ireland refused to assist England in trampling down the liberty-loving burghers of the Transvaal." he said "They practically offered to yield every demand we had been making for hundreds of years if we would support them against those men who were struggling for liberty fin South | Africa. We refused to fight to subject people to the very condition from which we were trying to relieve ourselves" Mir Devlin said he hoped his hearers would not consider the representative, but would be impressed by the cause in which he came. He said he was the rep resentative of the greatest Irish conven- ton that had been held in hundred l years.
 At the close of MT. Devlin's speech 1t was moved and carried that 1t be the sense of the meeting to organize a branch of the United Irish league in Bir- mingham, whose members should con- tribute their material and moral sup port to the Irish cause.
 Reception Tonight. Mir Devlin will attend reception to- night at St. Paul's hall rendered in his honor by the ladies' auxiliary of the An cient Order of Hibernians and tomorrow