mittee  now  became  the  motive  power  of  the  organi-
sation. It  had  proved  its  capacity  by  valuable  reports
on  the  fiscal  relations  between  Ireland  and  England,
on  the  parliamentary  and  municipal  franchise,  on
foreign  tarifis,  English  aggression  in  India,  and  other
questions  of  public  polity,  and  it  was  about  to  further
prove  its  capacity  by  fertility  of  resources  and  ^tness
for  action  as  a  popular  executive.
One  of  the  first  measures  taken  was  to  summon  the
Bepeal  members  to  attend  Conciliation  Hall  instead  of
the  House  of  Commons,  and  during  the  imprisonment
the  chair  was  every  day  taken  by  a  member  of  Parlia-
ment, unless  when  preference  was  given  to  some  more
conspicuous  adherent.  Mr.  Tierney  for  example,  who
had  been  prosecuted  for  attending  a  single  meeting,
took  the  chair  and  renewed  his  adhesion  to  the  policy
and  purpose  of  the  movement.  Mr.  Arabin  who  was
nominated  to  be  Lord  Mayor  of  Dublin,  immediately
took  the  chair  and  identified  himself  with  the  national
party.  The  weekly  attendance  was  in  excess  of  the
ample  accommodation  of  the  new  Hall,  and  the  weekly
rent  exceeded  the  amount  received  during  the  flush  of
the  monster  meetings.
It  was  determined  to  contest  every  representative
office  from  that  of  Town  Commissioner  upwards,  and
that  it  might  be  done  effectually  the  registry  was
ordered  to  be  revised,  and  a  staff  of  barristers  and
attorneys  volunteered  to  superintend  this  work.  The
state  of  the  parliamentary  representation  at  that  time
was  a  public  scandal.     No  general  election  had  taken


70UNG  IBELAM)  m  OONGILIATION  HALL.         479

place  since  the  country  was  organised,  and  while  more
than  seven-eighths  of  the  people  had  declared  for  Repeal,
less  than  a  fifth  of  the  Irish  members  were  Repealers.
