Michael Davitt to John O'Leary, Friday night [1888]. IE TCD MS 9377/1055

IE TCD MS 9377/1055: Letter from Michael Davitt, Ballybrack, Co. Dublin, Ireland to John O'Leary, a Friday night in [1888], referencing a letter O'Leary has written to the "Freeman": "I am very sorry to hear that you have written a letter to the Freeman in consequence of something going wrong last night. I did my level best to "steer an even keel" on the occasion. I was bound to recognise that most of those present, were of the parliamentarian rather than of the non-parliamentarian way of thinking, and associating one of that type with yourself in the first toast, was only following out the line indicated by me in my opening remarks. Excepting the curtailment of your brief speech - which curtailment was stupid or shabby - I don't see where there is cause of complaint in the report. When I asked you to respond - that is at the hour I spoke to you on the point - I was under the impression the Freeman would not send a reporter. You may recollect he came in near the end of the eating. I had asked the Freeman to send a man to the dinner, and I received no answer up to the time I requested you to speak to the toast. My references to Parnell last night were, doubtless, such as might possibly cause you to interpret them as a climbing down from my criticism of the Liberal policy at the Wexford meeting. But they were not intended by me to say or mean anything but an extra expression of confidence at a time when the Times and the Tories are resorting to the weapons of moral assassination against him, because he is the leader of the Parliamentary Home Rule Party. I do not like to be always or even casually striking a discordant note. It pleases the common enemy and to this extent, displeases myself. I have to leave for London in the morning and I will not be back before the 30th..."