Wendell Phillips, Theodore C. Pease, Speeches, Lectures and Letters of Wendell Phillips: Volume 2

[404] the press, to plant the seeds of an intelligent and united, as well as hot patriotism. Then, after many years and long toil, waiting for rivals to be just, for prejudice to wear out, and for narrowness to grow wise, using British folly and oppression as his wand, he moulded the enthusiasm of the most excitable of races, the just and inevitable indignation of four millions of Catholics, the hate of plundered poverty, priest, noble, and peasant, into one fierce though harmonious mass. He held it in careful check, with sober moderation, watching every opportunity, attracting ally after ally, never forfeiting any possible friendship, allowing no provocation to stir him to anything that would not help his cause, compelling each hottest and most ignorant of his followers to remember that “he who commits a crime helps the enemy.” At last, when the hour struck, this power was made to achieve justice for itself, and put him in London,--him, this despised Irishman, this hated Catholic, this mere demagogue and man of words, him,--to hold the Tory party in one hand, and the Whig party in the other; all this without shedding a drop of blood, or disturbing for a moment the peace of the empire.

While O'Connell held Ireland in his hand, her people were more orderly, law-abiding, and peaceful than for a century before, or during any year since. The strength of this marvellous control passes comprehension. Out West, I met an Irishman whose father held him up to see O'Connell address the two hundred thousand men at Tara,--literally to see, not to hear him. I said, “But you could not all hear even his voice.” “Oh, no, sir! Only about thirty thousand could hear him; but we all kept as still and silent as if we did.” With magnanimous frankness O'Connell once said, “I never could have held those monster meetings without a crime, without ”