An Armchair of Dissent by Richard George

Author:Richard George
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Published: 2018-08-30T16:00:00+00:00

"Yours very truly,

“Chas. S. Parnell.”

The following letter purporting to be written by Patrick Egan, treasurer of the Land League, also appeared:

“I have by this post sent M. £200. He will give you what you want.”When will you undertake to get to work and give us value for our money?

"Faithfully yours,

“Patrick Egan.”2

Author’s note: I have highlighted the word ‘hesitancy’. You will understand why very soon.

The sitting had been stormy the previous Friday, 15 April, when Tim Healy had been suspended for calling Colonel Edward James Saunderson, Conservative MP for the newly created constituency of North Armagh, future leader of the Irish Unionist Alliance and grand master of the Orange Order lodge in Belfast, a liar for saying that he, Healy, was a knowing associate of ‘murderers’. Thomas Sexton, feeling himself accused of the same thing, repeated the charge of liar. The debate, therefore, on that Monday, began with Sexton’s defence against Saunderson’s imputation.

Gladstone argued that there was no increase in crime in Ireland, and Balfour argued that there was still a need for sweeping coercive measures. He and Hartington argued that The Times’ articles had proved that the Land League was involved with Fenianism, which provided the foot soldiers for both boycotting and intimidation and murdering and dynamiting. Finally, Parnell got his chance to speak.

On the writing, only the signature of which The Times claimed to be Parnell’s, he was scornful.

But when I saw what purported to be my signature, I saw plainly that it was an audacious and unblushing fabrication. Why, Sir, many Members of this House have seen my signature, and if they will compare it with what purports to be my signature in The Times of this morning, they will see that there are only two letters in the whole name which bear any resemblance to letters in my own signature as I write it. I cannot understand how the conductors of a responsible, and what used to be a respectable, journal could have been so hoodwinked, so hoaxed, so bamboozled, and that is the most charitable interpretation which I can place on it, as to publish such a production as that as my signature.

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