Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1909-10-30
Mammoth Mass Meetings Greet
Redmond's Energetic
Lieutenant.
Tells of Affairs i'm Parliament
and the Approaching
Crisis.
IRELAND'S GREAT OPPORTUNITY

Hon. 4. p. OConnor, one of Hon.
John T.. Redmond's ablest lieuten-
ants in the Irish party in the British
House of Commons, arrived in New
York City last Friday and since
then has been conducting whirl-
wind campaign in behalf of his col
leagues in the Eastern States.
Wherever he has spoken thousands
of dollars have been pledged to help
the Irish cause along, and when Mr..
OConnor returns to London he will
carry material as well as moral aid
to Mr.. Redmond and his cohorts.
Last Friday evening Mr.. O'Connor
was rendered reception at the
Hoffman House by the Irish-Ameri-
cans of New York His first formal
address was made in fremont Tenn
pie at Boston on Monday night.
That vast edifice overlooked with
enthusiastic Irish-Americans, and
at the conclusion of Mr.. O'Connor's
address those present gave in cash
or pledges $4,000. On Tuesday
night he spoke in Lowell, and in
Orange, \. j., on Friday night. To-
morrow night he viii address a
mass meeting at the Lyric Theater,
New York City. Next Tuesday he
will speak in Chicago and will close
his tour with addresses i'm Philadel-
phia on Thursday and Friday even
| ing.
While Mr.. O'Connor is n versatile
speaker. all of his addresses have
had the same import, the necessity
| for the Irish in America to aid the
Irish members of Parliament in the
present crisis. In his addresses Mr..
O'Connor explains that members of
the British Parliament serve with
out pay from the Government. More
than three-fourths of the eighty-one
members of the Irish party are
without means, or rather have given
lup their ordinary mems of liveli-I
hood to fight the battles of their
countrymen in London. All are able,
intelligent men. They are giving
their best years to fight that ire
land may become a nation once
again. These patriots must be sup
ported. They have families to sup
port. and it is It duty of every son
of Erin to aid them materially and
morally.
Mr.. O'Connor has not only been
an eyewitness, but a partaker of the
recent strenuous times in the House
of Commons and knows whereof he
speaks. In his address in Boston he
said:
81 return to the conviction which
| have steadily held except for a
few days, when the whole tide
seemed going one way, that the
probability still points to the ac-
ceptance of the budget by the House
| of Lords. Already / believe | see
signs of blue funk in these exalted
circles; already you hear less talk
of the right of the Lords to reject
the budget, or If the right be
claimed, there is a strong word of
warning or of doubt as 70 the wis
dom of exercising the right. The
danger, l fear, is different. 1t is
that the House of Lords will pass
the budget; that the Government
will then be satisfied. and will make
the attempt to live through another
year or two of office.
"This is the reason of the tone
which Mr.. Redmond has taken up
during his recent successful tour of
speech-malSing in the English cities.
He has declared his strong opinion
that the Government will be ill-ad-
vised II they do not have an early
general election, whether the bud
get be accepted or not. lie even
went the length of saying that he
and his party would do their best
to force the Government to dis
solution.
1T is needless to say where the
Irish party stands in this contro-
versy. One of the curiosities of the
present struggle is the way in which
lxaa IN.
bercd by the English politicians,
especially of the Unionist side. Ire
land has knack of suddenly
bobbing in this way wher everybody
has agreed to forget it,. Redmond's
manifesto to the Irish people OF
America and the friends of Ireland
in all races has acted for the mo-
ment as the necessary reminder of
Ireland's continued and persistent
existence. His frank .avowal that
the House of Lords is the only
obstacle to home rule is a fact so
palpable that its restatement ought
net to be regarded as anything ex-
traordinary.
"But Redmond's message has been
received with howl partly of de-
light and partly of apprehension, by
the Unionist newspapers throughout
England. All unionists are solemnly
adJured to pay attention to the
statement; are appealed TO in every
tone to rally round the House of
Lords as the one bnlwark of the
empire against Irish treason, and
so on. What is perhaps more re-
markable and certainly more salts
factory is that the Liberal party
leaders have taken the cue given by
Redmond quite as readily. Within
; a few hours of its appearance Win
. ston Churchill, making speech a.
. L the National Liberal Club, the head
quarters of militant Liberalism