O'CONNELL
201
O'CONNELL
(1795) .and the events following showed that no fur-
ther concessions would be given. O'Connell could
not see why Catholics who paid taxes and were obe-
dient to the law should not have a share in the spend-
ing of the taxes and in the making of the laws. He
detested violence as a weapon of reform, respected
religion and the rights of property, and therefore
hated the French Revolution as he did the Rebellion
of 1798. The Union he abhorred because it destroyed
Ireland's separate nationality; and he has recorded his
anger at hearing the ringing of the bells of St. Patrick's
cathedral when the .\et of Union was passed, and his
resolution to tlo something to undo it. He believed
that moderation was the true character of patriotism,
and that the rights of Ireland could be won by peace-
ful agitation, but he had no faith in the efficacy of
agitation such as had been
carried on by the Catholic
body. Leaders like Lords
Trimlcstown and Fingal at-
tracted no enthusiasm, and the
CatholicCommittee, controlled
by such men and meeting to-
gether to present petitions and
make periodic professions of
loyalty, were simply ploughing
the sands. The support of the
ma.sses should be enlisted, there
should be organization and
vigour, and the Catholics
should demand concession not
as a favour but as a right.
O'Connell was the leader for
such a movement ; a man strong
in body and mind, a great ora-
tor, debater, and lawyer, a
master of sarcasm and invec-
tive; a man who could wrinj;
truth from a reluctant witness,
or curb the insolence of a par-
tisan judge, or melt a jury by
his moving appeal. Address-
ing an audience of coreligionists
he was unequalled. The peo-
ple felt proud of such a leader,
and were ready to follow wher-
ever he led.
O'Connell's first appearance on a public platform was in Dubhn (1800), when he de- nounced the contemplated Union, and declared that the Catholics wanted no such Union, and that if a LTnion were to be the alterna- tive to the re-enactment of the penal laws they would prefer the penal laws. In the subsequent years he regularly attended the meetings of the Catholic Committee and infused more v-igour and energy into its proceedings, and by 1810 he had become the most trusted and powerful of the Catholic leaders. In 1810 he sent out a circular from Dublin inviting the people to form local committees in correspondence with the central committee. The Government, afraid of having a national organization to deal with, pro- claimed all such local committee meetings, under the Convention .\ct of 1793; but the magistrates in many cases refused to carry out the proclamations, and when the Dublin committee met, some of the leaders were arrested and prosecuted. But O'Connell suc- cessfully defended the first of the accused, Mr. Sheri- dan.
From 1812 to 1817 the Irish Government was little else than a long-sustained duel between O'Connell and the new chief secretary. Sir Robert Peel. Both were able and determined, and between them began a per- sonal enmity which ended only with their lives. Peel championed privilege and ascendency and attacked
the Catholic leaders. O'Connell retorted by calling
him "Orange Peel". O'Connell turned the Catholic
Committee into the Catholic Board, but Peel pro-
claimed the Board as he had proclaimed the Com-
mittee; and while O'Connell continued to agitate,
Peel continued to pass acts and enforce them. Mean-
time one noted event happened which further en-
deared O'Connell to the people. The Dublin Corpora-
tion had always been reactionary and bigotedj always
the champion of Protestant ascendancy. O'Con-
nell in a public speech in 1815 called it a "beg-
garly corporation". The aldermen and councillors
were enraged and, finding that O'Connell would not
apologize, one of their number, D'Esterre, sent him a
challenge. D'Esterre was a noted duellist and the
hope was that if O'Connell attempted to fight there
would be an end to his career.
To the surprise of all O'Connell
met D'Esterre and shot him
dead. He bitterly regretted
the deed, and to the end of
his days he never missed an
opportunity of assisting the
D'Esterre family. With all
his popularity, the Catholic
cause was not advancing. The
question of the veto was being
agitated, and in consequence
there was division and weak-
ness in the Catholic ranks.
O'Connell, though a fervent
Catholic, opposed the veto,
and declared that while willing
to have his religion from Rome
he must have his politics from
home. In 1821 there was a
gleam of hope, when the new
KingGeorge I\' visited Ireland.
.\s Prince of Wall's lie hud been
the friend of the Lilseral leaders,
and as such it was expected
that he would favour Liberal
measures. But he left Ireland
without saying a word in fa-
vour of Emancipation.
.4t last O'Connell deter- mined to rouse the masses in earnest and, in conjunction with a young lawyer, Mr. Shell, he founded, in 1823, the Catholic Association. The declared object was to win Emancipation "by legal and constitutional means", and in order to evade the Convention Act the .i^ssociation assumed no del- egated or representative character. It was a club, its members meeting weekly and paying an annual subscription. O'Connell worked unceasingly to spread the organization, and though progress was slow success came at last; and by 1825 a vast organization had spread over the land, exercising all the powers of government. In each district, usually under the pres- idency of the clergy, there was a branch of the Cath- olic Association, where local grievances were venti- lated, and subscriptions received and sent to Dublin to the central association, whence came advice in diffi- culties and speakers for local meetings. In 1825 the Government, alarmed at the power of an organization W'hich was a serious rival to the executive, passed a bill suppressing it. But O'Connell, e.xperienced in de- feating Acts of Parliament, changed the name to the New Cathohc Association, and the work of agitation went on. As much as five hundred pounds a week was subscribed, and in 1826 the Association felt strong enough to put up a candidate for Waterford, who succeeded against all the territorial influence of the Beresfords; similar victories were won in Monaghan,
