The Irish standard., 1904-04-02
POWER OF ELoQuRNcE.
As Displayed in the Achievements of
Daniel O'ConneIl.

As Displayed in the Achievements OF
Daniel O'ConneIl.
Now that the season of st. Patrick
is on it is gratifying to recall q noble
tribute of praise given by a gifted
American to one of the brightest and
most patriotic sons of St. Patrick 8
Isle. 1t is the panegyric Of an orator
by an orator, Of lover of freedom by
a lover Of freedom-of Daniel O'Con-
nell, the great Celt, by Wendell Phil
lips, the great American. Here is an
extract from Phillips glowing grafton
delivered at the O'Connell celebration
in Boston nearly thirty-four years ago:
Broadly considered, the eloquence
of Daniel O'Connell has never been
equaled in modern times. Do you
think am partial? I will vouch John
Randolph, of Roanoke, the Virginia
Shareholder, who hated an Irishman
almost as much as he hated Yankee
Hearing O'Connell, he exclaimed:
This is the man, these are the lips, the
most eloquent that speaks English in
my day. And think he was right.
l remember the solemnity of Webster,
the grace Of Everett, the rhetoric Of
Choate. know the eloquence that
lay hid in the iron logic of Calhoun.
have melted beneath the magnetism
of Sergeant S. Prentiss, Of Mississippi,
who welded power few men ever
l'ad. But l think all of them together
never surpassed and no one of them
eN", equaled O'Connell.
webster could awe a Senate, Ever
cit could charm college and Choate
cheat a jury; Clay could magnetic
the million and Corwin could lead
them captive. O'Connell was Clay,
Corwin, Choate, Everett and Webster
in one. Before the courts, logic; at
the bar of the Senate, unanswerable
and dignified; on the platform, grace,
wit and pathos; before the masses a
whole man. Carlyle says: "He is
Gods own anointed king, whose sim
gle word melts all wills into HIS This
describes O'Connell. Emerson says:
There is no true eloquence unless
there is Il man behind the speech
Daniel O'Connell was listened to be-
cause all England and all Ireland
knew that there was a man behind the
speech-one who could be neither
bought, bullied or cheated. He held
the masses free but willing subjects in
his hand.
$40 show you that he never took a
leaf from our American gospel of
compromise, that he never defiled his
tongue to silence on one truth, fancy
ing so to help another, that he neve.
sacrificed any race to save even Ire.
land, let me compare him with Kos.
suth whose only merits were his elo.
uuence and his patriotism. When
Kossuth was in Faneuil Hall he ex.
claimed: Here is a flag without q
stain, a nation without crime VIZ
aboltionists appealed to him: % elo
quent son of the Magyar, come tc
break the chains! Have you no word
no pulse beat for four millions OF
negroes bending under the yoke ter
] tiY,,nc hoo x,in,s fhnr, t1,0f nf rx,0
He answered.: 4 would forget any
body, l would praise anything to hell
Hungary O'Connell never said any
thing like that.
when 1 was in Naples 1 asked Si
Thomas Fowell Buxton, Tory: II
O'Connell an honest 'man?' AS homes
a man as ever breathed,' said he, ant
then he told me this story: When, /,
1880. O'Connell entered Parliament, til
anti-slavery cause was so weak that
had only Washington and myself t
speak of it. And we agreed that whel
he spoke should cheer him, and whel
spoke he should cheer me; and thes
We're the only cheers we ever got
O'Connell came, with one Irish mem
Der to support him. A large humble
of members, whom we called the Yves
India interest, the slave party, went I
him saying: 'O'Connell, Mt last yo
are in the House, with one helper. I
YOU will never go down to Freemason'
Hall with Buxton and Broughton, her
are twenty-seven votes for you o.
every Irish question. If you wor
with these Abolitionists, count us Al
ways against you
"'It was terrible temptation. HOY
many a so-called statesman woul
have yielded? O'Connell said: "Gen