The Irish standard., 1910-04-23
From John Dillon, M. p, at a
Monster Meeting in Old
Historic Athlone.
The People of Five Counties
Flocked to Welcome the
Eloquent Tribune.
The Parliamentary Party is
Stronger and Higher in
Estimation of All. !;

was held on Sunday, April 8, at Athlone.
to give a hearty ovation to Mr.. John
Dillon, NJ. p, whose name has been
so prominently identified with that Of
Mr.. Redmond in the effort to keep the
Liberals in the straight path and safe
guard the national cause. Multitudes
aocked from the five counties of West
meath. Roscommon, Mayo, Kings coun-
ty and Longford to hear him. Very
Rev. Dean Kelly presided and intro
duced Mr.. Dillon, who said in part:
The latest phase of Irish politics
is that Mr.. Redmond and myself and
the Irish party are denounced for
what? Because we are wreckers and
have contemplated the possibility Of
voting against a benevolent govern
ment, the only friends Home Rule has
in England, while three weeks ago we
We're denounced as slavish tools of the
government daughter and applause).
I think a more striking illustration of
the madness of faction could not pos
sibly be given than this Inconsistency
H(applause.) But Mr.. O'Brien says now
that he and Mr.. Healy have obtained
enormous concessions OH the budget.
Well, now, Mr.. OBrien is suffering at
present from two diseases which are
either Of them fatal. In the first place,
he is suffering from a swelled head
(aughter); and, secondly, from that
peculiar disease which breaks out in
The time was when Mr.. O'Brien had
no love for Lords, but now he seems
to think that no meeting is complete
without two or three Lords and one
or two ladies on the platform Qaugh-
teri. He claims to have obtained con-
cessions on the budget. How could he
obtain concessions on the budget? Mr..
O'Brien and Mr.. Healy between. them
control seven votes in the House of
Commons; some people say ten. AS
matter of fact, they control seven.
What matter does it make to the gov
ernment whether these seven votes go
for or against them? Seven counts
fourteen in division, and the govern
ment majority is 1874, and the most ne
could do is to reduce the government
majority to 10. Well, that won't kill
the government. What means has he
of getting concessions? He must be Of
opinion that his terrific attitude and
the tongue of Tim Healy are so effect
i've that the mere threat of bringing
them into operation will f1atten out
the government Qaughter). Then he
goes on to complain that we refused
to have q friendly conference with him.
Well, really, I have not seen anything
lately calculated to invite a friendly
conference in any of his speeches
daughter and applause). A friendly
conference is what he wants now with
men whom, within the last three weeks
he denounced in his speech at Mallow
as the greatest nest of corruptionists,
traitors and enemies of Ireland that
ever cursed the history of this coun-
try. That was what he described the
Irish Party and their leader to be in
his speech at Mallow; and now he
says we have refused to go into a
friendly conference with him in order
to get these great concessions Oaugh-
teri. If he wished friendly confer
ence with his old colleagues in the
Irish Party why did he not remain a
member of the party (applause). and
submit himself to the discipline which
I and others have found it easy to
submit to? (renewed applause). Again
I say, if he wanted conference with
his old colleagues, strange way he
sought it, by denouncing those COL
leagues as liars, traitors, corruption
lists and place hunters (applause). I
only give a small specimen Of the Ian
guage l have extracted from his
speeches within the last few weeks,