THE MESSRS REDMOND IN AUSTRALIA.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1316, 29 October 1883, Page 2

THE MESSRS REDMOND IN AUSTRALIA.

♦ The Argtn ©f & : » «a d.t says :— - Mr J. E. Redmond,, MJ?.,. and his brother, Mr. W, Redmond, havg beeti delivering a series of lectures inlaid of the funds of the Irish National Land League. Their visit has not been by any means favorably viewed in this Colony. There has been a strong feeling in favour of discountenancing what is regarded as an unnecessary opening np of the bitter Irish question in Victoria. As a consequence of thisfeeling, municipal and other bodies, as well as individuals having the charge of the principal meeting' balls in Melbourne and some of the suburbs, considered that they were justified in declining to let those buildings to the Messrs Redmond. They were, therefore, refused the use of the Melbourne Town Hall and of some of the suburbantown halls. The lectures have been delivered in St Patrick's Hall in. Melbourne, and in suburban and provincial Roman Catholic schoolrooms. Mr J. K Redmond has seen fit toco.nplain bitterly of- the Press for not giving absolutely verbatim r«port»o£ his lectures, which he demanded. Bub the Press throughout the Colonies ha& for the most part discountenanced the "Messrs Redmond's mission in every way, regarding it as a probable causeof class strife and bitter teelings, whioh should be avoided. At their first iueeting at St. Patrick's Hall, Melbourne,, M jssrs Redmond had a crowded audience ; at the second the hall was not half filled. At Richmond there wereabout 600 persons present, at Emerald Hill about 400, at Hotbam about 200, It has been remarked that no Irishman of any standing in the community has countenanced these meetings. No member of the Legislature has taken part in them, and Roman Catholic clergymen have been almost the only occupants of the platforms besides the Messrs Redmond when they have been lecturing. They have made it aruli to charge for admissoin to their lectures* so that no one could be an auditor without contributing to the funds of theNational League. Mr W. Redmond took occasion to condemn as cowardsthe Irish public men who had absented themselves from the lectures, but an explanation of their conduct as well as of the depreciation which this move* ment has met with from the Press and people generally was ventured upon at one of the meetings by Mr F. G. Duffy, a son of the well-known Sir Charles. I Gavan Duffy, who remarked that : — 44 All England, Ireland, and Australia were shocked by the horrible, occurrence in Phoenix Park, and when the exposures in connection with it w^re made public, at that moment Messrs Redmond arrived in the Colonies^ Then said a number of Englishmen and Scotchman to Irishman, *• We have lived together as friends; "bur first duty is to this Colonj. For Heaven's sake don't press your opinions upon us, and so force us to express our*,, because there are statements that sro» to implicate the Land League wjitU these assassinations.' He was saying what English and Scotch friends told him, and what they told othwf Irisbmen, when they said 'These statesmen is are not disproved; for Heaven's sake, as we have lived together SO long" keep away from those persons who are coming to spread sedition amongtas/ He could understand the awful consequences thus foreshadowed, and the loss, the certain loss, to every Irish 1 colonist who joined the movement, of much of the friendship and esteem he enjoyed in the Colony."