I have alluded to the perfect way in which the Irish Vote had been organised.  Michael Davitt came into our committee room one day, and it was with intense pride he turned over the leaves of our books to show Mr. Maden, the candidate, how well we were prepared to poll every Irish vote on the election day.  Davitt was a tower of strength to us in this election, not only amongst our own people, but amongst the English factory operatives, who form the majority in Rossendale.  As in other bye-elections which had preceded it, we won the Division by a handsome majority.

I was at once amused and amazed some time ago to hear of a so-called biography of Davitt, the keynote of which was a suggestion that he was, first and foremost, an “Anti-Clerical.”  The idea is an absurd one.  He was an intense lover of right, and one who scorned to be an opportunist.  Consequently, he never hesitated to speak out, no matter who opposed him, priest or layman.  But none knew better than he that there have been times when the priests were the only friends the Irish peasantry had; and no one knew better than he that the influence they have had they have, on the whole, used wisely.  If individual clerics have gone out of their proper sphere of influence it is certain they would have found Davitt in opposition to them where he thought them wrong.  I have been placed in the same unpleasant position myself, but I too have always carefully distinguished between the individual priest who needed remonstrance, and his wiser colleague; and also between the legitimate use of a priest’s influence and its abuse.  So that to classify Davitt as an “Anti-cleric” deserves a strong protest from one who loved him as well and as long as I did.

As I have said, when I asked him to come to Rossendale to help to further the cause of self-government for Ireland, he never refused a request of mine if it lay in his power to grant it, and, in this way, he wrote for me one of the books of my “Irish Library”—­“Ireland’s Appeal to America.”

Michael has gone to his reward, and there are two things I shall always cherish as mementoes of him.  One is a bunch of shamrocks sent to me, with the message: 

“With Michael Davitt’s compliments,
“Richmond Prison, Patrickstide, 1883”

The other is his last letter to me, written not long before his death.  It was dated “St. Justin’s, Dalkey, Co.  Dublin, 7th March, 1906.”  In this he said:  “I hope you are in good health and not growing too old.  I shall be 60! on the 25th inst.!!!” Was this a premonition that his end was near?  He died on May 31st, within three months of the time he wrote the letter.

I have spoken of the necessity for our organisation doing registration work at least as effectually as the Liberals and Tories do.  It is not always men of the highest intellectual attainments who make the best registration agents.  This fact came home to me very forcibly when reading a biography of Thomas Davis.  It was stated that in the Revision Court he was not able to hold his own against the Tory agent.  It is just what I would have imagined, considering the sensitive nature of Davis.  A man with a face of brass, who might be an able man, but who, on the other hand, might be some low ignorant fellow, might easily do better than Thomas Davis with his fine intellect and varied learning.