SIR JOHN HAYI wish, Sir, to ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to a report which has appeared in the newspapers of the 9th instant, as follows:—
A meeting was held at Limerick on Sunday evening last, under the presidency of the Mayor, to make arrangements for a general collection at all the Roman Catholic Chapels, and at each of the masses, on St. Patrick's Day, in aid of the Fenian Prisoners, by permission of the Roman Catholic Bishop, 'who had expressed his sympathy for the sufferers;' upon which occasion the Rev. Mr. Shanahan, a Roman Catholic Priest, openly avowed himself a sympathizer with the Fenian prisoners, and concluded his speech with the following words:—'I do not exactly know what a Fenian is; but if it means love for Ireland, Ireland for the Irish, and that Irishmen ought to be able to govern themselves, I am a Fenian in my heart; and so is every Priest in Ireland; 'after which the meeting broke up with cheers for a Republic, President Grant, Stephens, and Pigott;and, whether Her Majesty's Government propose to take any notice of these proceedings?
§ MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUESir, no one can regret more deeply than I do that language such as is referred to in this Question has been used at a public meeting in Ireland, and for no other reason more do I regret it than this—that such language, coming from several of the persons concerned at a meeting held for an ostensibly charitable pur- 1350 pose,—namely, for the relief of the families of political prisoners, has, undoubtedly, had the effect, not unnaturally, of producing on the public mind an impression that many parties are favourable to the cause of Fenianism who, I know, are and always have been opposed to it. But with respect to the rev. gentleman, part of whose speech has been quoted in the Question put to me, I must say, on referring to a report which I hold in my hand—that however much to be regretted those words are—there yet are other words in the same speech which very considerably modify their meaning. I take it that the only way to ascertain the meaning of speakers under these circumstances is to compare the few words which have been quoted with the context. The beginning of the sentence that has been quoted is this—"I do not by any means profess myself to be a Fenian;" "but if Fenianism means"—love for Ireland, attachment to my native land, and so on, "then I am a Fenian." And farther on in the same speech the rev. gentleman said—"I hope the day is coming when we may expect just and wise legislation under a British Government." "Rome was not built in a day; and neither can we get all we want at once." "We must wait." "We must wait, and wait patiently. If justice be done to our country, we are satisfied. That is all that we "want," While regretting that intemperate language was used, so evidently open, not only to misconstruction, but to produce mischief, I yet must be permitted to say—on reading the whole of this speech—that it comes rather under the class of what has been called "heedless rhetoric," used on an occasion of excitement, than under the class of language of an intentionally treasonable character. With respect to the Bishop of Limerick, Dr. Butler—who has always been a strong opponent of Fenianism, and who has always used his influence against it—whether he has thought it right to give his permission and sanction to this collection I do not know; but I am glad to see from the newspapers, in respect to Dublin, that a letter has been addressed by his Eminence Cardinal Cullen to his clergy in which he refuses to have anything to do with these so-called charitable collections for the families of these prisoners, and in which he warns his clergy that they are a "stratagem" for the purpose of ob- 1351 taining from the country marks of approbation of the conduct of these persons and of adhesion to the cause in which they have suffered, and he advises the clergy to have nothing to do with it. That seems to me to be advice of very great weight and usefulness.
SIR JOHN HAYsaid, that the right hon. Gentleman had not stated what course Her Majesty's Government intend to take with regard to the Mayor of Limerick.
§ MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUEThe Government are making inquiries of their own authorities into the whole of the circumstances, including the conduct of the Mayor of Limerick.