5 SEPTEMBER 1896, Page 3

On Wednesday the chief speeches were those of Father Flynn,

who endeavoured to build a golden bridge for the Parnellites' and the Healyites' return to the Irish Parlia- mentary party, which Mr. T. P. O'Connor succeeded in blowing to pieces, by insisting that if they would not accept the verdict of a majority, there could be no more unity, even after concessions had been made, than there is now. Mr. W. Sullivan, of Bradford, said that Father Flynn's amendment "meant delay, and delay spelt damnation," and Father Flynn withdrew his amendment, after which Mr. Dillon, feeling that Mr. O'Connor had carried the Convention for him, declared his willingness to resign if Mr. Redmond and Mr. Healy would do as he did, and let a new leader be chosen to whom they should all pledge them- selves to be loyaL He descanted at length on the wonderful ,ananimity of all "that mighty gathering" as to the supremacy of its own decrees, and seems to have forgotten that he had pledged himself that if Mr. Healy brought up before the Convention his grounds of quarrel with Mr. Dillon, Mr. Healy should be "coughed down" and run out of the Assembly,— not a very promising preliminary assurance for Mr. Healy and his friends to receive. The Convention passed many wordy resolutions, which may be regarded as " supreme " by those who voted for them ; but their " supremacy " will be wholly barren of any kind of practical result. On Thursday the Convention broke up, after speeches of very slight importance.