Page:The Parnellites on England and the English.djvu/3

 Mr. WILLIAM O'BRIEN, M.P.

[At Letterkenny, Co. Donegal.]

"If England's difficulty is Ireland's opportunity, as it is (cheers), England's difficulties are at this moment crowding pretty thick upon her. (Cheers) (A voice, 'The Mahdi is the boy for her.') Her trade is bad at home, and, as a voice behind me reminds me, her armies are not doing a bit too satisfactorily out in the country of that black gentleman, the Mahdi. (A voice, 'Three cheers for the Mahdi.')"—United Ireland, February 21st, 1885.

[At Letterkenny.] "The time has come when the Irish people may occupy the same position between England and her foes as the Irish party occupy every night between the rival English parties in the House of Commons."—United Ireland, March 7th, 1885.

Under the head of "Speed the Mahdi," Mr. O'Brien published a leading article in United Ireland, to the following effect:—

"We trust that our next news may be that Gordon, who is advancing loaded with specie towards Khartoum, has met the same fate as Baker, and nothing would give us greater satisfaction than to chronicle the complete triumph of the Mahdi in the Soudan and his victorious arrival before the walls of Cairo. The English probably will now have to send out fresh troops, who will have their work cut out for them, to hold their own in Egypt proper. That the hand of Providence should fall heavily on the British for their unrighteous war and occupation, must make every honest heart in Europe rejoice."—[Leading Article, February 9th, 1884.] [291