r
than he was willing to lead, and, notwithstanding the appeals made to
him, insisted upon resigning his position. The Convention being
compelled to accept his resignation, Charles Stewart Parnell was elected
President of the organisation in his place. This was an indication of
what was likely to follow, for though Mr. Butt retained the nominal
leadership of the Irish Parliamentary Party up to the time of his death,
Parnell was the real leader, and eventually, after a short interval,
when Mr. Shaw held the office, became the Chairman of the Irish
Parliamentary Party.

John Ferguson was, I think, the first man publicly to indicate Parnell
as the probable successor of Butt. But so great is the dread in our
people of even the semblance of disunion, that many, myself among the
number, expostulated with him for this. Events, however, showed he was
right, and Mr. Butt himself plainly felt that it was inevitable. But at
the Convention, when Butt had distinctly refused to hold the office of
President any longer, nothing could be finer than the tribute paid to
our retiring leader by Mr. John Ferguson in proposing the election of
Mr. Parnell as his successor. As I was asked to take the official
account of that Convention, and have kept a record of it, I here give a
few words of his and some of the other speeches. He said:--

It is my intention to propose Mr. Parnell as the head of the
Confederation. At the same time I feel the greatest possible regret
that our grand old chieftain who, in trying times, raised the Irish
banner, who has so long guided us, and who has been with us in so
many hard fights, is to retire from amongst us. We are grateful to
Issac Butt for leading us so far, but we are going to try a more
determined policy, and Mr. Butt holds views different from those we
are determined to carry out. I hope, though, he will take counsel
with the true and earnest men of the Party, and that, after a time,
he will return to lead us at this side of the water.

Mr. John Barry, Mr. Biggar and others spoke in the same strain.

So also did Mr. Parnell, who, concluding his speech seconding the vote
of thanks to Mr. Butt, said:--

I must confess to not having Mr. Butt's confidence in English
justice and sense of right. It is not too late for him to see a way
to deal with England that will obtain freedom for our country--a
way that will show England that, if s