Discarding all other
than peaceful means for the accomplishment of his purpose, he placed
himself and his followers beyond the cognizance of unjust and oppressive
laws. Wherever he poured the oil of his eloquence upon the maddened
spirits of his wronged and insulted countrymen, the mercenary soldiery
found no longer an excuse for violence; and calm, firm, and united, the
Catholic Association remained secure in the moral strength of its pure
and peaceful purpose, amid the bayonets of a Tory administration. His
influence was felt in all parts of the island. Wherever an unlawful
association existed, his great legal knowledge enabled him at once to
detect its character, and, by urging its dissolution, to snatch its
deluded members from the ready fangs of their enemies. In his presence
the Catholic and the Protestant shook hands together, and the wild Irish
clansman forgot his feuds. He taught the party in power, and who
trembled at the dangers around them, that security and peace could only
be obtained by justice and kindness.
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