Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1889-02-02 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

SPEECHES FOR 1880 COMPLETED.  Soon after noon Sir H. James completed the 1880 speeches. He did not propose to go through the other speeches, but would, only refer to one or two, in different periods, which either represented a class of speeches to which reference would be made, and which would be relied upon, or else they were speeches of such importance that special attention would be called to them hereafter. In reply to Mr. Reid, the President said that learned counsel would be at liberty to comment upon any speeches which the Attorney-General had put in, though they might not have been read at length. Among the speeches now referred to was one by Mr. Boyton, who, speaking at Kerry in 1881, referred to the magistrates as "contemptible sneaks," who were chiefly ex-policemen and broken down militiamen. He further said he had always denounced might outrages, but if they met the " landgrabber " in the day time, if they must blow out his brains, they should do it in the daylight. Mr. Reid said in respect to that speech he must ask that the man who reperted it should be called to prove it. This Sir Henry James promised to make a note of, and proceeded with the quotations. Am ong these was one in which Mr. P. J. Gordon, when on his Sway to prison in charge of a file of policemen spoke of a certain landlord as a "cross horn bastard," and told the people to "blow him to hell." Mr. E. Harrington, rising at this point, said he must call attention to the fact that these words were not spoken at a Land League meeting. Sir. H. James accepted that statement. The work now got on rapidly, and the period of 1885 was soon entered upon, thus bringing the end of this dull task, "within measurable distance." On the 12th of Jul', Mr. Kelleher, of Cork, told the people at Innishannon that where a man grabbed the land he should be visited by the vengeance of man. Mr. Biggar, in a characteristic speech of the same year, told the peasants that by boycotting a land-grabber they could make his life intolerable. Sir H. James now announced that he would withdraw some of the speeches delivered in the years 1886-87 dealing with the question of the Plan of Campaign. Where the Plan of Campaign had been carried on so as to be an incitement to outrage, it would be put in; but where it stood alone it would not be admitted. The learned counsel then proceeded with quotations from United Ireland. commencing with the year 1879. These contained letters, telegrams, and items of intelligence with regard to the organisation of the Lana League. Mr. Reid, while not objecting to the production of these items, said the fact that a certain thing was reported in a newspaper could not be taken as evidence of the occurrence. To this Sir H. James replied that what appeared in a newspaper might well be taken as evidence against the owners of that paper. After the adjournment for luncheon the reading of speeches went on. They consisted chiefly of reports of meetings held in America, interviews with various prominent members of the League, &c. Among the articles quoted was one published in United Ireland condemning in strong terms the proclamation issued by Admiral Hewett in 1884 offering £l,OOO for the body of Osman Digna dead or alive, and charging the British officials with suborning murder the same as Joe Brady and his comrades. The President, interposing, said he did not see the relevance of that quotation, a remark which was supported by Mr. Lockwood, who observed that the House of Commons forced the Government of the day to withdraw the proclamation. Sir H. James retorted that he only quoted it to shew the arguments which were used by the party in favour of Joe Brady and his friends. The reading went on without producing any features of public interest till 4 o'clock, when the Court adjourned.