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John Dillon and the Plan of Campaign, 1886–90

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2016

F.S.L. Lyons
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Extract

There is a sense in which the home rule debates of 1886 were less the climax of than a deviation from the logical and predictable development of Irish politics in the Parnellite period. Had home rule been achieved, no doubt all would have been changed, and an autonomous Irish parliament would have addressed itself enthusiastically to solving the country's social and economic problems. But in the absence of home rule these problems immediately resumed the centre of the stage and the chief of them, the settlement of the land question, became again the crucial issue in Anglo-Irish relations. For some people, indeed, it had remained the crucial issue even during the ‘home rule’ winter of 1885–6, when the position on the Clanricarde estates in Galway, already notoriously bad, perceptibly worsened and when pressure was brought to bear both upon the Irish National League and upon the parliamentary party itself to adopt a more warlike posture towards rack-renting and evicting landlords.

Type
Articles
Information
Irish Historical Studies , Volume 14 , Issue 56 , September 1965 , pp. 313 - 347
Copyright
Copyright © Irish Historical Studies Publications Ltd 1965

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References

l O’Brien, C. Cruise, Parnell and his party (Oxford, 1957), pp. 197–9Google Scholar

2 Blunt, W Scawen, The land war in Ireland (London, 1912), pp. 137–8.Google Scholar

3 Report of the royal commission on the Land Law (Ireland) Act, 1881 and the Purchase of Land (Ireland) Act, 1885, [C. 4969], H.G. 1887, xxvi. 9, para. 19.

4 Morley, John, W E. Gladstone (London, 1903), 3. 369.Google Scholar

5 Irish Times, 25 Aug. 1886.

6 For the government’s attitude to Parnell’s bill see Curtis, L.P, Coercion and conciliation in Ireland, 1880–1802 (Princeton, 1963), pp. 142–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

7 G. Cruise O’Brien, op. cit., p. 201.

8 United Ireland, 23 Oct. 1886; O’Brien, William, Evening memories (Dublin, 1920), pp. 158–9.Google Scholar

9 United Ireland, 23 Oct. 1886. Since writing the above, my attention has been drawn by Mr Richard Hawkins to an interesting, if abortive, precedent. On 11 Jan. 1886, C. I. Byrne, D.M. for the Western Division, reported thus to the inspector general about the activities of the Irish National League in east Galway : ‘The committees of each branch took cognizance of the relations between landlord and tenant on almost all large properties in the county and dictated to the latter the terms on which they were to seek a settlement with their landlords and the amount of reductions which they were to demand. In general their demands were so exorbitant that the landlords were not only unwilling but unable to grant them. In all such cases the local committee of the League advised the tenants not to pay at all but to bank the money in the name of trustees, which was to be used in defraying all necessary costs in resisting the legal proceedings to which recourse was necessary in order to enforce the payments due.’ He added that in fact the tenants as a general rule paid their rents, receiving some reduction, but that on the Glanricarde estate little or no rent had been paid, ‘the tenants having demanded an abatement of 50 per cent, which his lordship declined to allow. …’ (S.P.O., Chief Secretary’s Office, Registered Papers 1888, no. 26523.)

10 United Ireland, 23 Oct. 1886.

11 Freemaris Journal, 19 Nov 1886; O’Brien, , Evening memories, pp. 173–4,Google Scholar wrongly gives the rent reduction as 25 per cent; this was the limit to which the agent was empowered to go.

12 United Ireland, 27 Nov., 4, 11 Dec, 1886.

13 Curtis, , Coercion and conciliation, pp. 140–2, 148–9.Google Scholar

14 Lord Ashbourne to Lord Salisbury, 24 Oct, 1886 (Salisbury Papers).

15 Sir Michael Hicks Beach to Lord Salisbury, 30 Nov 1886 (Salisbury Papers). I am indebted for this and the previous reference to Mr Richard Hawkins.

16 Freeman’s Journal, 27 and 29 Nov. 1886.

17 Curtis, op. cit., p. 158.

18 United Ireland, 18 Dec. 1886.

19 O’Brien, , Evening memories, pp. 192–3.Google Scholar

20 United Ireland, 24 Dec. 1886.

21 O’Brien, , Evening memories, pp. 195–202.Google Scholar

22 Hansard, series 3, cccx. 1826–30; Curtis, op. cit., pp. 164–5.

23 Report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the estates of evicted tenants in Ireland, H.C. 1893–4 [c. 6935], xxxi. 422, para. 14791.

24 Curtis, , Coercion and conciliation, pp. 166–8.Google Scholar

25 Morley, , Gladstone, 3. 280.Google Scholar

26 O’Brien, , Evening memories, pp. 178–83Google Scholar; but cf. Parnell’s version, below.

27 John Morley to John Dillon, 9 Dec. 1886 (Dillon Papers); for the Gastlerea speech which gave the offence, see United Ireland, 28 Nov. 1886.

28 Morley, , Gladstone, 3. 281.Google Scholar

29 Ibid., p. 280.

30 Τ G. Harrington to John Dillon, 23 Mar. 1887 (Dillon Papers).

31 Curtis, Coercion and conciliation, pp. 180–3.

32 Hansard, series 3 cccxvii. 525–39.

33 Curtis, , Coercion and conciliation, pp. 337–43.Google Scholar

34 Report of the commissioners appointed to inquire into the estates of evicted tenants in Ireland, H.C. 1893–4 [c. 6935], xxxi. 422, para. 14791.

35 S.P.O., Fenian Papers, series 2, brown carton no. 50, reports by R. E. Beckerson, 21 July 1887 (Crime Dept. Special Branch 501/6558 w) and 31 Dec. 1887 (Crime Dept. Special Branch 501/7712 w). The geographical distribution of the suppressed branches was as follows Clare, 55, Kerry, 38, Cork, 32, Galway, 13; Wexford, 3.

36 Freemaris Journal, 10 and 11 Sept. 1887; United Ireland, 10 and 17 Sept. 1887.

37 United Ireland, 22 and 29 Oct. and 5 Nov. 1887.

38 Dillon, talking to Wilfrid Blunt at the end of July, had said ‘The greatest success of all we have had has been the way in which we have put down crime. This has been an immense triumph’ ( Blunt, , Land war, pp. 292–3).Google Scholar

39 Ibid., p. 311.

40 Freemaris Journal, 2 Dec. 1887.

41 O’Brien, , Evening memories, pp. 194–200.Google Scholar

42 Police reports indicated that at the end of 1886 in east Galway 25 out of 43 branches of the Irish National League were presided over by priests and in west Galway 31 out of 40 (S.P.O., Fenian Papers, series 2, brown carton no. 50, report ‘Present state of the Irish National League’, R.I.G. Grime Dept., Special Branch, 13 Jan. 1887).

43 Curtis, , Coercion and conciliation, pp. 270–2.Google Scholar

44 Freeman’s Journal, 19 Dec. 1887.

45 For some of these speeches see United Ireland 14 and 28 Jan. and 3 and 24 Mar. 1888.

46 Diary of Elizabeth Mathew, 27 Nov 1887 (Dillon Papers).

47 Ibid., 5 Dec. 1887.

48 S.P.O., Chief Secretary’s Office. Registered Papers, 1888, no. 8259, has the official version of the proceedings at Drogheda and also the reports of Dillon’s speech at the White Horse Hotel by two R.I.C. note-takers; see also United Ireland, 21 Apr. 1888.

49 S.P.O., Chief Secretary’s Office. Registered Papers 1888, no. 8383, police report of Dillon’s speech at Kellystown near Slane on Sunday, 22 Apr. 1888.

50 Freeman’s Journal, 27 Apr. 1888; the Latin text, with a translation, is in Freeman’s Journal, 30 Apr. 1888.

51 O’Brien, C. Cruise, Parnell and his party, pp. 213–25.Google Scholar

52 The point was very fully brought out in the first issue of the weekly Irish Catholic (successor to the old Dublin Weekly News), 5 May 1888.

53 United Ireland, 12 May 1888.

54 Freemaris Journal, 9 May 1888 (C. Cruise O’Brien, op. cit., p. 219).

55 Diary of Elizabeth Mathew, 11 May 1888 (Dillon Papers).

56 C. Cruise O’Brien, op. cit., p. 220, n 2.

57 Ibid., pp. 222–4.

58 Sir J. W. Ridgeway to A. J. Balfour, 3 July and 5 Oct. 1888 Balfour Papers, B.M. Add. MSS 49808, f. 172 and 49809, f. 2).

59 United Ireland, 26 May 1888.

60 United Ireland, 2 and 9 June 1888.

61 United Ireland, 23 June 1888.

62 Curtis, , Coercion and conciliation, p. 229.Google Scholar

63 Balfour to Ridgeway, 28 June and 21 Aug. 1888, cited in Curtis, p. 226.

64 Ridgeway to Balfour, 27 June 1888 (Balfour Papers, B.M. Add. MS 49808, f. 168).

65 Ibid., same to the same, 24 Aug. 1888 (f. 211).

66 Diary of Elizabeth Mathew, 28 Aug. 1888 (Dillon Papers).

67 Dr H. Mac Donnell to V. B. Dillon, 13 and 23 Aug. 1888 (Dillon Papers).

68 John Dillon to V. B, Dillon, 20 Aug. 1888 (Dillon Papers).

69 S.P.O., Green file no. 115.

70 S.P.O., Grime Dept., Special Branch, 501 /8388 w, R. E. Beckerson, ‘Report on state of Irish National League’. In April 1888 there were 1031 branches and a year later there were 975, the decrease being entirely accounted for by suppressions.

71 For Dillon’s speech giving figures of evictions, actual and potential, see United Ireland, 29 Sept. 1888.

72 O’Brien, , Evening memories, pp. 327–36Google Scholar; Curtis, , Coercion and conciliation, pp. 223–7.Google Scholar

73 T. G. Harrington to John Dillon, 14 Jan. 1888 (Dillon Papers).

74 Diary of John Dillon, 12 Oct. 1888 (Dillon Papers).

75 Ibid., 23 Oct. 1888. After dining with him that evening, Elizabeth Mathew wrote as follows : ‘He looks very ill, though, and it was easy to see that he was so, and not at all equal to the dreary work of a parliamentary winter’ (Diary of Elizabeth Matthew, 9 Nov. 1888).

76 Diary of John Dillon, 26 Oct. 1888 (Dillon Papers).

77 Ibid., 15 Dec. 1888.

78 Ibid., 5 Nov. 1888.

79 Ibid., 23. 24 and 27 Dec. 1888.

80 John Dillon to G. S. Parnell, 14 Jan. 1889 (Dillon Papers).

81 Parnell to John Dillon, 26 Jan. 1889 (Dillon Papers).

82 Wm. O’Brien to John Dillon, undated but the context indicates Feb. 1889 (Dillon Papers).

83 This was his own estimate, given at a banquet on his return (United Ireland, 17 June 1890).

84 United Ireland, 25 May 1889, speech of April 15.

85 United Ireland, 15 June I889.

86 United Ireland, 11 Jan. 1890.

87 For these developments see Curtis, , Coercion and conciliation, pp. 239–52.Google Scholar

88 United Ireland, 13 July 1889.

89 Wm, O’Brien to John Dillon, 14 July 1889 (Dillon Papers).

90 Alexander Blane, a notoriously incompetent member of the party.

91 Wm. O’Brien to John Dillon, 14 Aug. I889 (Dillon Papers).

92 United Ireland, 12 Oct. 1889.

93 Curtis, , Coercion and conciliation, pp. 252–4.Google Scholar

94 United Ireland, 14 Dec. 1889; O’Brien, , Evening memories, pp. 431–6.Google Scholar

95 United Ireland, 31 May 1890.

96 Cited in Curtis, op. cit., p. 269.

97 Hansard, series 3, cccxliii. 1369–70.

98 Annual Register, 1890, p. 227.

99 Hansard, series 3, cccxlvi. 1497–8.

100 Freemaris Journal, 14 July 1890.

101 Diary of John Dillon, 14 July 1890 (Dillon Papers).

102 Fr B. Kennedy to John Dillon, 20 Aug. and 1 Sept. 1890, Fr D. Humphreys to John Dillon, 21 Aug. [1890] ; Fr B. Mahony to John Dillon, 24 Aug. 1890 (Dillon Papers)

103 Freemaris Journal, 25 Aug. 1890.

104 Freemaris Journal, 11 and 12 Mar. 1891

105 United Ireland, 1 Nov. 1890.

106 S.P.O., Chief Secretary’s Office, no. 4208, report by Beckerson, R.E., ‘Support of the Plan of Campaign tenants — their present position and prospects’, 27 Nov. 1891.Google Scholar

107 Curtis, , Coercion and conciliation, p. 253.Google Scholar

108 John Dillon to John Fitzgerald, president of the Irish National League of America, (copy in Dillon’s hand), 21 May 1890 (Dillon Papers).

109 John Dillon to John Fitzgerald, 21 May 1890; O’Brien, G. Gruise, Parnell and his party, p. 231 n 3.Google Scholar

110 Hansard, series 3, cccxlvi. 316–20.

111 Diary of John Dillon (wrongly dated), 10 July 1890 (Dillon Papers).

112 Ibid., 16 July 1890.

113 S.P.O., Registered Papers, no. 17063, case for prosecution presented for legal opinion, 4 Sept. 1890.

114 S.P.O., Chief Secretary’s Office (unnumbered) 22 Sept. 1890.

115 United Ireland, 11, 18, 25 Oct. and 1 Nov 1890.

116 Curtis, , Coercion and conciliation, p. 254.Google Scholar

117 Evicted tenants commission, Appendix V, pp. 95–6. The unsettled estates were of course the hard core of the problem and included the Clanricarde, Lansdowne, Massereene, Olphert, Ponsonby and Smith-Barry properties.

118 Ibid., evidence of John Dillon, p. 421, para. 14955.

119 Ibid., p. 23, Table D.

120 This, of course, is not the impression conveyed by William O’Brien’s Evening memories, but by the time O’Brien published that book he had become Dillon’s inveterate enemy and this bias has constantly to be kept in mind.