The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1911-08-19
A NOTED M. P.
Nenry Grattan Flood Staunch Work.
or for tho Cause.


Commons during most eventful pc
Rod of it's history, and who bore a
distinguished part in the establish
ment of it's independence in 1882, was
the son of Warden Flood, of Flood
Hall, County Kilkenny, Lord Chief
Justice of the Kings Bench, and was
born in 1882. Little is recorded of his
early life, save that he was at first
student at Trinity College, and from
thence went to Christ Church College.
oxford, where he was placed under
the tuition of DR.. Markham, who aft
erwards was Archbishop Of York
1t is said that, while at the Univer-
sity of Dublin, he had been by no
means remarkable for his attention to
studies, and that soon after his re-
moval to Oxford, he applied himself
most diligently to the ancient classics;
and, certainly, transations which he
left of many Of the speeches OF De-
mosthenes and Echines, as well as of
II lew OIL LILO outS VI illtiAdlS
a thorough and intimate acquaintance
with the Greek language. In 1852 he
obtained the degree of A. NJ. at the
University Of Oxford, and soon after
returned to Ireland.
He took his seat in the House of
Commons for the first time in 1853,
as member for the County of Kilken-
ny, which he represented for many
years; he afterwards sat as member
for the boroughs of Callan, and En-
niskillen successfully. He soon became
one Of the most prominent leaders Of
the Opposition, and distinguished
himself by amazing powers of elo-
Qusnoe. His first oratorical effort in
Parliament was eminently successful;
We are told he was universally APP
Stone, then an old man, happened to
be in the House, and. not knowing, at
first, which side of the question the
speaker purposed to take, declared, in
= patronizing way. that he had great
hopes of him." but. when, in the
course Of his speech, the young ora
TOR took occasion to pass some stric-
lures on the political conduct of the
old and willy statesman, he seems to
have changed his opinion very quick
ly, for, on Floods sitting down, his
Grace said emphatically that a duller
gentleman he had never heard"
In 1882 the independence Of the
Irish Legislature was achieved by the
repeal Of the obnoxious statute of the
9Th Geo. l., which declared: THAT the
coordinate to, and dependent upon the
Imperial Crown Of Great Britain, and
that the Parliament of Great Britain
had power to make laws to bind the
people OF Ireland But, in Mr. Floods
opinion, the simple repeal of the Act
was not sufficient to prevent England
from putting forward a similar claim
to legislate for Ireland. founded upon
the principle of that Statute; and in
this no differed with most of the Op-
position. His conduct in injudiciously
forcing forward scheme Of Parlia-
fnsntary reform, further rendered to
widen the breach. He had taken a
leading part In the proceedings Of the
well-known Convention Of 1888, and
having prepared and submitted to ii
hts plan OF reform, he proceeded in
I the House OF Commons to move for
le4Te to bring in bill to that effect
Il 10 said that at this time he looked
forward to seat in the British House
(. OF Commons, which he soon after OBJ
tptusd; and conceiving that his views
/ would be powerfully aided by his ex-
! sstaons in the Convention, as we'll as
/ IN the Irish Parliament, he was de-
stfous to take the lead in this measure
! ap the expectation that he would
thereby obtain superior weight and
influence with the Reformers in Eng
land: accordingly, without obtaining
the concurrence or operation Of al.
most any of the other members of the
Opposition, he hurried on the measure
which. after most stormy debate
was, as might have been expected un.
der those circumstances rejected b,
= considerable majority.
About this time a personal dispute
the most severe and acrimonious in its
nature, of any on record in Parla.
mentary history, took place between
Flood and the celebrated Henry Graf
tan. 1t would seem that the attach
was begun by Flood who, intemper.
ately abiding to the National gran
made to Grattan for his eminent sery.
ices to his country, had most unjustl,
stigmatized him as "mendican
Patriot, who was bought by his coun
try, and had then sold his country FL,