The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-17
National Convention of Irish
 League Leans That Way
O'BRIEN MAKES HOT SPEECH
While Begging Ills People to Let Their Representatives Settle the Matter He Denounces English Policy
 With Ills Usual Virulence.

With His Usual ViruIence.
 Dublin. April 16.-By an unanimous vote the Irish National convention, which met today. accepted in principle the Irish land bill introduced in the house of commons by MT. wyndham. chief secretary for Ireland and entrusted to John Redmond and his party the task of securing In the house of commons that serious amend ment In various points of vital import ance" which the national convention may consider essential. The con- vention tomorrow will outline the shape that the amendments should take, and on Saturday Lord Dunraven, Lord Mayor Captain shaw-Taylor. John Redmond. William O'Brien and T. ". Russell are likely to meet at round conference table to discuss the landlords and the tenants opinions on the land bill and to try to arrive at a common basis of parlia- mentary action.
 Today's proceedings at the convention revealed discontent with various features of the bill, but nothing so serious as Ao AAuitdlS hdHBti bA It's dliihiait AtJtC- tlon. Even Michael Davitt who had an opportunity of dividing the delegates into two bitterly opposing camps, and who amidst dramatic excitement subordnated his own views, pledged himself to abide by the verdict. John Redmond and Will I liam O'Brien trlumphed over all objec- tions. Indeed, the objectors. save Michael Davitt. were scarcely given hearing by the delegates.
 Every Seat Taken.
 Every available seat in the round room of the Mansion house was taken by the delegates who surged up the aisles in solid mass and overfowed the surround ing rooms. Not for many a day has such a representative gathering been seen in Dublin. Irish wit and eloquence lived up to It's reputation. Speaker after speak CT brought the audience to that pitch of enthusiasm when hats were thrown up and men stood on the chairs yelling with delight. The crowd was irrepressible. Old men, white-haired relics of the Lang league, young farmers, rising factors in the United Irish league, fresh from the fields of Connaught and Munster county | councillors priests, young and old. rose | constantly from their seats to hurl inter- | jections of approval or dsapproval at the | speaker. The force of habit was far too strong to prevent the sons of the soil from cheering madly when some speaker referred to the landlords "as blood suck l CTS" Such appellations not lnfrequently brought the response from the body of the hall "To Hell with theml' Good man.!
 The national convention of the United Irish league was held today In the his- toric round room of the Mansion house. | About 2000 delegates assembled in tho crowded rotunda, which was incapable of holding all who had come from every part of Ireland to discuss the Irish land bill.
 On the platform sat almost every na- tfonalist member of parliament with a scattering of prelates. In the body of the l rotunda was a gathering seldom equal ed in representative capacity. Farmers from Clare in top boots, laborers from | Dublin county landlords from Cork and priests from all parts, the latters' som bre clothing and tall hats contrasting ! pleasantly with the grim home-spun ap- parel of the majority. It was essentially a convention of the soil, though a light CT touch was given by the presence of the well-dressed women who filled the galleries.
 Dunraven Wants to Confer.
 Early In the morning Lord Dunraven, who Is simultaneously presiding at a private meeting of the landlords commit- tee. sent word to John Redmond, the Irish | leader suggesting that the land confer ence reconvene Saturday after the opinion of the national convention on the land l bill is known so that both landlords and tenants may then discuss their mutual | objections
 MT. Redmond will be unable to decide on the proposition until after today's | y,rn AipC fnr uybta oh fhxt | have been provided. consisting of many | proposed amendments to the details of l Secretary Wyndham's proposals, the chief movers being William O'Brien and Michael Davitt.
 The former. while eongratulating Ire- land the fact that the British ministry had introduced a bill accepting in prin- | ciple. after centuries of struggle that the | land should be restored 10 the people of l Ireland. will urge the delegates to press amendments enlarging the financial scope | of the bill.
 | MT. OBrien, however. will ask the con- vention to entrust to parliament the re- | sponsibilty of eventually dealing in the committee stage with the amendments. It was learned by the correspondent of | the Associated Press that Lord Dun | raven is of the opinion that some of the amendments in the nationalist programme can never be accepted by the government. but that some of the others might be | accepted.
 O'Bren's lmpetuous Speech.
 While begging the delegates to let their 1 parliamentary representatives settle the matter, MT. O 'Brien attacked the land | lord, Irish judge and British rule with the same vrulence has always marked | his speeches, to the intense delight of the audience. which. swayed by his elo- | quence. hissed and cheered alternately. He concluded with saying that if properly l amended, MT. Wyndham's bill would make the peasants as safe as the king on l his throne in the possession Of their land. They would never again have to stand trembling in the rent office MT. ! O Brien added:
 of we go on it Is not too much to say that in the next generation 1t will be as l hard to find man who has witnessed an l eviction as 1t is now to find man who has not witnessed one"
 Pleading for a friendly spirit in the dis 1 If