The Home Secretary replied to Mr. Sexton in an exceedingly
vigorous speech, in which he described the "Plan of Cam- paign " better than it has been described yet. He quoted Mr. Dillon's suggestion to the campaigners to "close upon the money" intended for the landlords, and "use it for the organisa- tion." By that means, Mr. Dillon had said, you would get the money of any tenant who was disposed to be a traitor to the cause "under lock and key," and if he paid his rent behind the backs of the other tenants, they could confiscate his money for the cause. These were Mr. Dillon's words :—" You make the man lodge his rent with the trustees, and if he betrays you.
you can pin him to the extent of the money be has lodged, and use it to help the men who are evicted." Mr. Matthews then characterised this "Plan of Campaign" as it deserved. "I protest," he said, "against the authors of this 'Plan' being called our political enemies; and I aimed that about these prosecutions against them there is nothing political. These persons are, if I may use popular language, engaged in a ring, in which it was attempted to ' bear ' the land ; they mean to reduce rents, slice by slice, as we were told in the noted quota- tion, which has not been denied; and this is simply, to call it by its proper name, a conspiracy to defraud. Do not let us be told about political opponents. Politics have nothing to do with it. This is simply a question of honesty in common life."
