The Life Of Charles Stewart Parnell Vol - I

30G CIIAJILES STEWART PAR-NELL [1881
ing explanatory telegram to the President of the Land League of America:
' Dublin: Sept. 17, 1881.
'The convention has jxist closed after three days' session. [Resolutions were adopted for national self-government, the unconditional liberation of the land for the people, tenants not to use the rent-fixing clauses of the Land Act, and follow old Land League lines, and rely on the old methods to reach justice. The Executive of the League is empowered to select test cases, in order that tenants in surrounding districts may realise, by the result of cases decided, the hollow-ness of the Act.'
On September 26 Parnell attended a Land League convention at Maryborough, when a number of resolutions were passed endorsing the action of the Dublin convention, and practically advising the tenants to use the Act under the direction of the League.
A private meeting of organisers was held some hours boforo [ho convention assembled to consider the resolutions which wore to be submitted to it. (I well remember/ says one who was present, 'sitting beside Pamoll at this private meeting* Proofs of the resolutions were handed around. There were fifteen resolutions altogether. Parnell fixed his attention at once on No. 11, which ran as follows :
*" That the test cases selected for the Land Commission shall not be the most rack-rented tenants, but rather tenants whose rents hitherto have not been, considered cruel or exorbitant."
* Parnell took out of his pocket a blue-ink pencil, and, having glanced down the proof, turned it over and wrote on the back :