Page:My Life in Two Hemispheres, volume 2.djvu/78

 "God has made your path out of a heavy strait, and made it marked and memorable to all men—you, almost the first Irish Nationalist, who have walked without subterfuge or chicane into the British Parliament."

On all the other charges in the petition I got not only a decision in my favour but costs against the petitioner.

When Mr. Disraeli introduced his Budget it was not Protectionist after all. Some of the Whig wire-pullers became alarmed at this strategy. "Give Dizzy six months," some of them whispered, "and he'll wheedle a majority." To bar such a fearful catastrophe a motion was privately handed about destined to bring down the Government, and the Irish Party were invited to support it. It was sanctioned by Whigs, Peelites, and Free Traders, but the Leaguers answered that the question which interested them was Tenant- Right, and that they had had no assistance of any sort from Free Traders to obtain that concession. At this juncture Sergeant Shee invited Lucas and me to a condential [sic] conference at his chambers in Sergeants' Inn. It was confidential then, but after more than forty years it has become historical. A Cabinet Minister, Mr. Walpole, was authorised to negotiate with the Irish party for their support to the Budget. After deliberation we answered in writing. We were pledged not to vote for any Government which would not accept the leading principles of Crawford's Bill. It was a moderate measure, framed by a great landowner, and introduced into Parliament by a great lawyer. It would go before the Select Committee with Mr. Napier's Bills, and if the Government undertook to accept its leading principles we could promise to bring at least twenty members, who would otherwise vote against it, to support their Budget. Some official who loved his acres better than his party or his office probably betrayed this negotiation to the Irish landlords. A strong deputation was sent to remonstrate with Lord Derby, and Lord Roden asked him in the House of Lords whether if the Select Committee should approve of what were called the principles of Crawford's Bill, the Government were prepared to adopt them. Lord Derby assured his friends that the Goverment [sic] would certainly not adopt them. This was conclusive, we could no longer