MICHAEL DAVITT'S CASTLEISLAND SPEECH.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2161, 15 May 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

MICHAEL DAVITT'S CASTLEISLAND SPEECH.

Thb full text of Michael Davitt's Castle-Island speech (says the San Francisco News Letter) is one which the average Irishman of " patriotic " proclivities should read carefully and ponder over. In it he naya : ''The torture of dumb Animal", the infliction of pain upon blameless and helpless heasw who only exist to serve us, and to minister to onr needs, who have not the power to give "xoression to the sufferings which they undergo in our service, is, in my onini >n, a crime so brutally wicked, so blindly barbarous in it* callous inhumanity, that if my own brother were brought before me and proved to be guilty of nuch an atrocity I would take a pleasure in flogging him at a cart* tail before flinging him into prison, as a creature unfit to walk abroad among nine— a libel u|>on the name and features of onr common manhood. This is strong language, I know, and it pains me to the heart to have to address it to any number of my countrymen in any part of Ireland, but I believe in plain speaking at all times, and ray object m 'coming down here at this crisis is to try and bring home to you in blunt, straightforward words the injury which some men in Kerry are now doing, not only to Ireland's cause and character, but to the best interests of your own county, and those of every homestead within its borders as well. * * * * Now, as to this custom of moonlighting, which may have been originally resorted to with no intention to do harm, but out of devil - may - care feeling peculiar to many districts of Ireland, out of that love of adventure which distinguishes Irishmen all the world over, it has now degenerated into common theft and cattlelifting. Ido not know among the scum of unadorned scoundrelism in human nature a creature so vile and contemptible as the man who will carry out the purpose of the burglar and the cutpurse under the guise of patriotism." These are brave, honest words, and they do credit to the gentleman who used them. Mr Davitt, we may here remark, is infinitely the superior of Parnell in point of intellectuality and honesty of purpose— and that, too, without having had one-third of Parnell's chances in life. Davitt sprang from the lower social levels— from what is generally termed "the common people." In the early stages of his career he regarded all the misery he found around him as distinctly Irish grievances, and all the errors in social organisation and public affairs which came within the rango of his vision as being the direct result of the malicious wickedness of the British So, vernment. His opinions have been largely modified since then. He has seen more of the great world which lies beyond the Irish shnres, and his mind has acquired breadth and depth. He is no less a fon to error and wrong, but he is more a philosopher and less of a prejudiced enthusiast. He is amenable to reason, and is not afraid to discard prejudice and follow truth according to hid lights. He still objects to tenants being evicted from property for which they will not pay rent, but it cannot be said of him, as can be said of Parnell, that he has evicted his own tenants. He may be wrong as to his views in -regard to the rights of the owners of real property, but, at any rate, he is honest in his opinions,