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I H SPEECH DELIVEBED BY MICHAEL DAY ITT !BP^KlB-r»" '\ (. r\r '-/ ' ^J^^"- : The'Times'-Parnell Commission SPEECH DELIVERED BY MICHAEL DAVITT IN DEFEINTE OF THE LAND LEAGUE CAREFULLY REVISED LONDON KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER, & CO., Ltd. 1890 Uiy!iJ-WI».WPJ.W'IH'"W»;rfWl'A'^?<t*y^^^ {The rights of translation and of rej^roduction are reserved) -^ ^"KjsvJ!'^ -...-5 ''"^j'Sf- ^7 // /. ^^ ^^.^ 4^^ PBEFATOEY The ' Special Commission,' before which the following speech— was .•• delivei-ed, was^created by the Act 51 & 52 Vict., 1888: 'An , Act to constitute a Special Commission to inquire into the charges :;, and allegations made against certain members of Parliament and - r other persons by the defendants in the recent trial of an action ^entitled O'Donnell v. Walter and another.' The trial of O'Donnell v. Walter was an action brought by Mr. ¥. H. O'Donnell, ex-3I.P. for Dungarvan, against the pro- prietors of the ' Times,' for alleged libellous references in leading articles and letters, which were published by that paper under the name 'Parnellism and Crime.' The trial took place in London, and the jury brought in a V* verdict for the defendants. Immediately afterwards the subject ^ "was discussed in Parliament, and the Special Commission Act was 3 passed. The Commissioners appointed under the Act were Sir James '-J Hannen (President), Sir J. C Day, and Sir A. L. Smith. t-> The proceedings were held in Probate Court No. 1, Royal ^ Oourts of Justice, London, and began, in the first public sitting, on October 22, 1888, ending in the 128th sitting on Friday November 22, 1889. ' The Times ' was represented by the Attorney-General for England (Sir Richard Webster, Q.C., M.P.), Sir Henry James, t <^.G., j M.P., Mr. Murphy, Q.C., and Mr. W. Graham ; with Mr. "^John Atkinson, Q.C., and Mr. Ronan, of the Irish Bar. V vi PREFATORY NOTE Mr. C. S. Parnell, M.P., was represented by Sir Charles i^ M.P. Russell, Q.C., M.P., and Mr. H. H. Asquith, i The other Irish members of Parliament included in the charges were defended by Mr. P. T. Reid, Q.C., M.P., Mr. F. Lockwood-, Q.C., M.P., Mr. Arthur O'Connor, M.P., Mr. Lionel Hart, and Mr. Arthur Russell ; with Mr. T. Harrington, M.P., of the Irish Bar. Mr. T. M. Healy, M.P., and Mr. Joseph G. Biggar, M.P., defended themselves. Mr. Michael Davitt conducted his own case. ^ The expressions ' O'Donnell and Walter ' and ' the Blue Book have reference to the printed report of the trial out of which the Special Commission arose. ' ' ' The official note,' official minute,' or evidence ' referred to in the following pages mean the official shorthand record of the proceedings of the Commission from day to day, from which record this speech in defence of the Land League has been taken. To economise space matter of secondary importance has been left out of this republication. Some things objected to as irrelevant or unnecessary by the President are included, with other illustrative facts and figures, in Appendices. The delivery of the speech occupied the sittings of the Com- mission from the 24th to the 31st of October, 1889. a^f;»i£... —— CONTENTS PAGK I. Opening Observations . .1 Personal responsibility—Defending peasantry of Ireland—Prison thonghts and plans — Conquering hate — Laymen defending themselves — Asking no favour from ' Times ' counsel—The object of ' Parnellism and Crime ' to degrade the Irish nation Virtually EichardPigott's|indictment—Suffering and struggle Alison on combinations—Unnatural social system—Political charges require poKtical refutations —Plan of the I-and League's defence —The ' Times ' changes front. II. The Charges made against Me . , . .11 The special indictment—The Attorney-General's 'absolution' The charge of Fenianism—England's short-sighted 'policy Eight of resistance—The rebellion of 1798 —Fox, Burke, Russell on ' the miserable monopolising minority ' —The Act of Union —Grrattan on same—Lord Chancellor Plunkett quoted—Eobert Emmett's insurrection—Eepeal—O'Connell—Wellington's words —Smith O'Brien—His efforts at agitation—The '48 movement —Inception of Fenianism—Fenianism opposed to assassination — ' —Abortive Parliamentarianism ' Times hostility—Failure of — ' Castle government ' Times on secret societies—Irish national sentiment—Character of England's repression—Lord Derby on policy of concession^Goldwin Smith on Irish Fenianism and ' English folly —Plea for Irish liberty—The Times ' attacking John Bright for attacking Fenianism—The facts of Ireland's misgovemment. III. The 'Manchester Martyrs' .S,^ John Bright on the tragedy—Compared with Trades- Union out- rages—Delaney's perjuries — The Amnesty Association — The ' Pen ' letter—What it amounted to—Pigott and Forrester —— yyr-.-, ''^T^7^::?(¥*Si^.y'*.- T'' , VUl CONTENTS PAGE TV. Okigin akd Growth of anti-English Feeling among Ieish Ameeicans ..... ... 4:0 • The American story ' — Origin of anti-English feeling—The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick— The Irish in the War of Inde- — ' pendence — Historic testimony ' Knownothingism — Trans- planted English feeling—Effects of the Famine horrors of '47 Wholesale extermination—The ' Times ' gloating over it—Its envenomed hostility—Attacks on Irish race and religion Thanks Heaven at disappearance of the Celt — Uneasy predic- tions of the ' Times ' —Anticipating dynamite —Predicts Fords and Finnertys. v. A3IEEICAN Fenianism . .55 Strength of Fenian Brotherhood — Invasion of Canada — The ' U.B.'—Beach's 'circulars'—O'Donovan |Rossa — His career From Skibbereen to penal servitude—The Skirmishing Fund follows —Homeless Irish girls in New York —Insulted poverty. VI. Patrick Ford , . .59 Patrick Ford's objects—My connection with his paper— Opinion of Ford—The opinion of the President of the United States * Ford's charitable work—The Irish World ' and its record—The second count of the special indictment—The National Fund money—The ' Times ' charge refuted —Contemporary evidence — The ' Irish World ' and the Land League — Articles against assassination—The ' Irish World ' Land League Fund—How and whence the money came—Sentiments of subscribers —Who the Land League appealed to in America — American Land Leag-uers on the Phoenix Park crime—Mr. Parnell's ' Last Link' — speech—Judgment upon one per cent, of oratoiy ' Irish World' opposition to Parliamentary opporUinism. VII. The Alleged Alliance with the Eevolutionary Parties 88 The third count of the indictment—Assertion, but no evidence Le Caron's contradiction— Disproves the 'Times' case —The Attorney-General's contradictions—Alexander Sullivan set right —Parnell never saw the message—The truth about the founda- tion of the Land League— Revolutionary opposition—Eepresen- tative Irish Americans^Dr. William Carroll—The Devoy dis- patch—Brooklyn and Boston programmes— Moral force proposi- tions to Irish Americans—The ' new departure ' explained—Mr. Parnell's real new departure—Pigott's bogus Eugene Davis ' ' ' interview foundation of Times charges—The Times ' cloaking CONTENTS IX TAGK forgery — Pigott's servant's confession — The first President of American Land League—Its Treasurer, Eev. L. Walsh—P, A. Collins—James Mooney—Alexander Sullivan—Clan-na-Gaelmen and the League—The League in America defined—Patrick Egan — ' ' Times testimony — John Fitzgerald of Lincoln — John Finnerty—John Boyle O'Reilly—Thomas Brennan—Informer Delaney's perjuries—John Devoy. VIII. 'Le Caron' and his 'Circulars' 122 ' iSecret ' circulars—Their— value as evidence—The documents of the American League "What they demonstrate—Pigott's 'cir- ' culars' — The Alliance ' allegation falls to the ground—Le ' Caron's admission— His very secret ' circulars. IX. Foundation of the American Land League . , 129 Mr. Parnell's New York hotel conference—The programme agreed ^upon—His American tour. X. The American Land League Conventions .... i:]2 The Trainor Hall, New York, Convention—Its platform—How America was appealed to—The first executive American Land League—Constitution and rules—Le Caron's Braidwood meet- ing—The spy foiled by a law-abiding speech—The Buffalo League Convention—Its sentiments—Eesolution against out- rage—The Chicago (1881) Convention— How events were mov- ing in Ireland—T. M. Healy—T. P. O'Connor—Eev. Eugene Sheehy—What the Convention said and did—The Washington League Convention—Pronouncement of its president—Its reso- ' ' — ' lutions—The Astor House Conference ' Times misrepresen- tations —Suppressing facts to suggest falsehoods—Moral assas- sination—The Academy of Music indignation meeting lied about —How a charge was fabricated 'against Patrick Egan—The ' ' Times ' again convicted—The Attorney-General's matter [of fact '—The Chicago League Convention of 1886—President Fitz- gerald's remarks—The Convention's platform —Finnerty j;. Davitt ' —More Times ' falsehoods exposed—The Clan-na-Gael at Land League conventions—How conventions are constituted—-How they should be judged— Illustrations—The Land League Con- vention of Philadelphia—Followed by the National League Con- vention^The status of extremists thereat—Mr. Parnell's cable despatch—The Convention's pronouncements—Money sent for relief to Ireland— Le Caron again proved wrong—The Boston League Convention—Why Americans upheldthe League—Money X CONTENTS | ' ^ PAGli sent by American citizens to pay rent to Irish landlords—The 'American story' summarised—What Sir Henry James must disprove. XI. The Clan-na-Gael • -183 The ' Murder Club ' allegation—What the charge involves—Its falsity demonstrated—What the Clan-na-Gael really is -How recruited—How to end it—The I.