THE IRISH DELEGATES IN AUSTRALIA.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1892, 16 May 1889, Page 4

THE IRISH DELEGATES IN AUSTRALIA.

Melbourne, May 8. Mr Dillon, Mr Deaay, and Sir Thomas Esmonde, M.P. s, continue their mission to raise funds for the support of the Irish cause. They had a tremendous reception at the Hibernian Hall in Melbourne, and have also addressed large meetings in Ballarat and Sandhurst. Their meeting at Sandhurst, which was held last night, was the first since the publication of the cable messages detailing the results of Mr Parnell’s crossexamination before the Times Commission. Mr Dillon spoke very strongly in reference to the messages. He said “I will now deal with the cable messages which have appeared from day to day in the Argus, under the heading of ‘Damaging Admissions by Mr Parnell.” I have read those cable messages from beginning to end, and I believe they are false. With the exception of one statement, there is absolutely nothing for any man to be ashamed of. That one statement is contained in the cable messages which appear in the Argus of yesterday, and was to the effect that Mr Parnell had admitted in the witness box that in the month of January, 1881, he said that the secret societies had ceased to exist in Ireland, and that at that date he was aware they had not ceased to exist. But eyen if that statement in the cable messages were true, the admission would not remotely connect or convict Mr Parnell of one of the single charges levelled against him. The Argus wants us to believe that Mr Parnell, an innocent, inexperienced politician—(laughter)—-in an unguarded moment swore in the witness box, in order to get the Times out of the pit it had dug for itself, and into which it had fallen, that he was guilty of lying in the House of Commons. I have known Mr Charles Stewart Parnell for nine years. I have stood by his side in many hard-fought fields, I have served under his leadership, and lam proud of it. I have seen him when he was opposed by the enemies of Ireland in the House of Commons, and I have been by his side when every Englishman and every Scotchman was against him, and seen him stand with unparalleled courage, with unparalleled prudence and political skill, and proved himself a match for his united foes; and yet I am challenged to-day to abandon my faith in my leader, which is based on ten years of experience under circumstances of unparalleled difficulty, and to believe, because a special correspondent of the Argus chooses to send a cable message to Melbourne for a specific purpose, that Mr Parnell has admitted that he told the House of Commons an untruth. I believe that the statement in the cable message, to which I have referred, is a deliberate falsehood. I accept the challenge of the Argus that I should wait until the mail brings us the full report of the proceedings, because I am confident that the mail will show, as it has shown on several previous occasions, that the statements in the telegram are false, and calculated to mislead the people of Australia. They had plainly for their object to discredit myself and my colleagues, and to interfere with the success of the task which we have undertaken in Australia. These cable messages bear on the very face of them the mark and the impress of being manufactured to meet a demand. I say that, speaking from my own private knowledge of the methods by which these messages are prepared in London, and of the influences which preside over the great Press agencies of London and the offices of those newspapers to whom these cable messages have been sent here, I publicly and deliberately accuse them of manipulating the news in accordance with directions from headquarters. Ido not think that even in the somewhat wide experience I have had in the powers of mendacity in journalism, including the Times, which has certainly reached a very high pinnacle of fame in that regard, I should give the palm to the Times—l think I should give the palm to the Argus.” Auckland, May 13. At a public meeting to-night it was resolved to invite Mr John Dillon, Sir Thomas Esmonde, and Mr J. Deasy to visit Auckland, and a numerous committee was formed to arrange for their reception. It was also decided to ask members of Parliament for Auckland provincial district to allow their names to be placed on the committee.