For once, an Irish agitator has shown himself more moderate
out of Parliament than in it. The regular course for an Irish Member of the ultra kind has been to utter in his county a speech taken to be intended to incite the people to outrage, and then in Parliament to say he meant only to urge constitutional resistance. Mr. Dillon, however, who recently advocated among his constituents the atrocious practice of houghing cattle to annoy their owners, and in Parliament half vindi- cated that counsel, has at home apologised for his advice in the plainest way. Sitting as Chairman of the Land League, at their weekly meeting on Tuesday, he declared that he deeply regretted having at Kildare used an expression open to such an interpretation ; that on every occasion and at every oppor- tunity, he would use his influence with the people to put an end. to that practice ; and that " he would be the last to encourage the infliction of suffering on a dumb animal." That is right, so far ; but how some of the landlords of Ireland must wish they were dumb animals ! If they were only calves, and were shot, even Land-Leaguers in their repentant moods would pity them.
Previous page
