National Convention in Dublin

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 24, 11 June 1903, Page 29

National Convention in Dublin

A great National Convention to consider the Land Bill now beloie Parliament was opened m the Hound ilootti ol the Mansion House, Dublin, on April 10 Mi .John Hedniond, Ml' , presided, and there was <wi 1111nit n-,e attendance, ovet 1000 delegates fi om public bodies etc, m all patts ol Ireland, being present

'I he than man. alter toinially opening the Conlerence, sanl that the Land Bill was ptopo.se d by .1 Government which has c\n overwhelming maioiiiy 111 the House of Commons and mote than that, a (Jo\ ci nment that has the conltol ot the House of lotcls On all the essentials Ireland to-day is united as she never was united befoie No a, gt nt lemen. these conditions never existed beloie with leieiente to the lush Land Question And 1 take leave to s.iv that 111 mv judgment, if this oppoitunitv is lost in all human piobabihtv these conditions will never au.un anse 111 our liletune Ihe issue is a peifettlv plain one What J would most lespectlully urge upon the delegates heie to-day is that the issue should be decided lianklv and openly that it should not be decided mdnectlv The (11st' issue that this assembh ought to eonsidei and to decide is this . Is this Bill as it stands, is this Bill heie and now to he icected'> 11 v 011 s.i\ I es. then lianl-lv say so and fate the consequences But II not then I say to von let us address out. selves in a leasonable businesslike, and itiemllv .spirit to the. conside! .U 1011 of these amendments which you 111 jour judgment clesne the lush Parliamc ntai v Paity to pi ess upon the Govei nmeiit m the House of Commons

Mr William O'llnen then moved— ' That we congi atulate the Irish i ace on the introduction by a Biitish Mmisttv of a measure which lor the fust tune in the histoiy'of land legislation in the Impenal Parliament with the common assent of all paitus in lielnnd accepts the principle that dual ownership m Ii eland must end and that, alter centimes of stiugglc, the land of liel.uid should be lcstoied to the people ol Ireland that the acceptance of this pi mciple pi onuses the removal of the uncertainty, turmoil, and antagonism which have so long tendered peace or contentment impossible in lieJand . that we teel it our duty at the same tune to declare that the measure requires serious amendment in various points of importance ' The mover said that the real question and the vital cjuesUon this Conivience his to decide is not how much the landlords are to pet, but how much the tenants are to pnv as t lie price of a vast Nation.il settlement that would a (Tend some substantial hope of rescuing our people from the sea of lite-long litiiz.it ion and the uncertainty in which they aie struggling, That would put some check uj on the emiirration that is wasting away our population to the skeleion of a population, aye, and that would lav the foundations for a better' stale of feeling in which the power mlr nl loyal minolitv, who are one-fourth of the population *f this country,' vv hei her we like it or not, instead of being the most formidable enemies of TTome Rule, would find it their interest to live in the country and to obtain influence in

the country, and would find that the only way of obtaining that influence would be by identifying themselves with the people, with the people's happiness, and with their national aspirations. Now, in all these negotiations for the peace of this wasted and distracted countiy the representatives of the tenants were guided by two principles. The first was that the tenants should not be required to pay more than the fair average market pi ice that prevailed in the open market for the last filteen years, and that they should obtain immediate i eductions which would be equivalent to what they could obtain if they had waited to have third term rents fixed in ten or hi teen years to come. llie olhei principle on which we acted was that the State should pay whatever lurther indemnity was neceb&aiy to induce the landlords to sell— not, again I say, as the mere price of the land, but as the ransom — as the penalty— of getting rid of the that the Government have brought in a measure which England is responsible and which has brought landlords as well as tenants to a condition in which— well, it is not too much to say that landlordism is as grievous a curse to the landlords themselves and to Eongland as it is to the Irish people. According to the ' Irish Times,' a strong Unionist paper, Mr. O'Brien's speech was the most notable item in the first day's programme. 'He made a most remarkable speech (it said). It is hardly necessary to say that it contained many passages to which we as Unionists cannot possibly subscribe ; but, taken as a whole, it was filled with a spirit of broad and tolerant statesmanship which until a few months ago was conspicuously absent from Mr. O'Brien's orations. What the feelings of the meeting were before its delivery we do not pretend to know ; but if they were hostile to the Bill they underwent a sudden and remarkable change. After Mr. O'Brien sat down at the end of an hour there was no doubt as to the sentiments of the delegates. They would hardly listen to the speeches of Mr. Patrick White, M.P., who proposed a resolution declaring that the Bill does not merit support on the second reading, and of Father Humphreys, who seconded it. Even Mr. Michael Davitt, though he was listened to with courtesy, could obtain hardly any support far what he described as " a friendly amendment " requesting the Irish Parliamentary Party to state the amendments required on the second reading oi the Bill, and adjourning the Convention till after the close of the Committee stage ; and he eventually withdrew it at the request of Mr. Redmond and Mr. O'Brien. Finally Mr O'Brien's first resolution was carried without a dissentient voice The Bill is over its first fence. There are many obstacles yet to be surmounted, but at least its enemies in England will not be able to claim atcursecPsvstem which is the work of England, for which is rejected by the very men whom it is proposed to benefit Mr William O'Brien deserves well of his country.' On the second day of the Conference various provisions of the Bill were dealt with and several amendments suggested for its improvement. Among the matters discussed were the evicted tenants, land pui chase aid fund, the perpetual rent charge, congested districts, housing the working classes, and town tenants

As announced by cable Major Jameson, M.P. for West Clare, was declared to be no longer a member of the Irish Parliamentary Party. as he had flagrantly neglected his duty as an Ti ish Nationalist. A similar resolution with regard to Mr Jaspor Tully was also passed.

Before the close of the proceedings on the last day of the Conference a resolution in favor of National Selfgovernment for Ireland was moved by the chairman, who said that some of them had recently declared their views that it would be a misfortune to mix up the question of Home Rule with the Land Bill Some of them took the view that one thing at a time was a good policy, and lie. thereiore. deprecated any attempt which seemed likely to be made by some of their political friends in England to lack on Ihe Home IMile question to the Land Bill. But these declarations of his and others had been const i ued by ceitam English newspapers into some sort of an admission on their part that they were willing to postpone Home Rule And, thereiore, he thought it w ould be well if this great National assembly should put on lecord its opinion on the Home Rule question. Hi', therefore, moved the following resolution :—: —

' Th.it the first and greatest need of Ireland is National Sell-government, and that this Convention reiterates the demand of the Trish people unceasingly made during Ihe past hundred years for the restoration of the full constitutional right of the Irish nation to r(ule themsches in their own way throueh an elective legislature lesponsible to Ihe people of Ireland ; and that no other temedv tor Irish needs or grievances can or will be accepted by our people as a substitute for our country's supieme and inalienable right of National Self-govern-ment '

Mr Michael Davitt, in seconding the resolution, which was passed unanimously, said that had they neghcted to pass a resolution of that kind at this Convention they would be neglecting the performance of a sac-red duty to the National cause It was absolutely essential that the F-ntrlish people should clearv understand, without the possibility of any doubt, that the settlement of the land question," or the education question, or all other Mibsuliai v questions in which they were interested would not lie a satisfaction of the demand of Ireland till the greatest of all questions. National Pelf-grovern»-mrnt. was settled, and, secondly. it was absolutely essential that this announcement should go from the Convention to their race throughout the world.