MR FOSTER'S DEFENCE OF THE IRISH POLICY

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1534, 4 May 1882, Page 4

MR FOSTER'S DEFENCE OF THE IRISH POLICY

A cable special to the^feia^JTorh' Herald . from Tnllamara, Maigb^ijays :— " Mr Foster made herej»Hlfiy a very important speech &&fy§F°w ( l assembled outside of the hoteg^^ffiSid the reason ih% had undertlßSD^ll'^personSl tour was to see wJ«tsS¥Hh^st6rfe«^iTfc"HWime to Dublin Caatle were exaggerated. He was v«rj? aonryithafl he fdundtthemito a '^Bai 1 extend titue. ioffhe' result of his inspection oifc*M4 miAdf was vfclUit thenpeople ;haki itoiaJt)theiif<- flower 1 rtostop iithe<r outrages whichii disgrace the ;narae xA* Ireland^-'' which ■TCOttld J&otihappeu'in threat! Britain' or • oft. the Continents There were --no' more courageous ! . people ' in* ithe > world' in battle than the-Irish." Here a voice interrupted,,, him 'with, '/Soft colder J Kelease the prisoners !" Mr Forst€r f! ;,c"dntinued : [ *',But .there ••is one' want among - t th 6 Irish • peOple-rnamely, the extermination t to stand against the majority around them, or even against a noisy -and violent' 'minority', 'ft-hbse who commit outrages are broken - down men, and2i3rtdlfc'nt£ reckless "boy*. , -.Whetlie* you stop them or not, it is the duty of the Government <to do bo. It is especially my duty to stop 1 them. The instigators of outrages will'haN'fe several "powers, to contend <with, namely, the Irish Go-. - vernmen,t — though, perhaps, they, think f they can defy that — also the Imperial Gtyyemment, and the people ;of Great Britain.' [j,, .But they ■ have i a . stronger force, "the force of God's law, which says that thy < man Who tries to injure his neighbpvirffr^a; voice interrupting, "That is the land."]— The speaker continued : " JChere,jnay be} bad landlords,- but tha,t does nofc eicu,se the burning of house!, the torture .of animals, the' killing of men — r '[A Voice : " Who did that but the soldiers and police ?" Mr Forster then went on to speak of his experience years ago in Ireland when a young man. His determination then was to get an alteration 1 in the laws. He spoke of his pre? 1 sent joy to see the change accomplished; and of his belief that in five years, perhaps in less, it will be acknowledged to be- a great and beneficial change in the agricultural industry of Ii eland. Mr t Eorster , then* referred .to his visit to the death-bed- of Moroncy, the memory of which, he said, would remain throughout his life. "I call oii you to do what you can to stop these things," he continued. "Let me say one word abpnjjthe 'English, jJeople. There is no ill-feeling in England towards Ireland. We know that you have been a miserably and ; badly governed country; that the English Governments of past days have done, mairy cruel and many very unjust things to Ireland, and have allowed many more things to be undone. We wish to undo that, and make you as prosperous, rich, and powerful as ourselves. But in view of these terrible outrages we h.udly know how to do so. I\\ ill conclude with the words I have often read, " God have old Ireland,' Words whichsomctiincsend letters telling me I must have a buiUst through my head or go to a place warmer than we are in now. I say, God save Ireland, too, from, the man who makes that threat. God save Ireland from ci uel men, grasping landlords, rack-renting . landlords, dishonest tenants, and midnight marauders. , God save, Ireland from the pestilence which walketh at noon, and the terror which stealcth at night. And I believe God will save Ireland, for, with all her faults, the amount of virtue iimong the Irish/ people, 1 the love 1 of country and of family, which arc abiding virtues that (lo irnicli to save a country, will enable God's laws to be respected."