Adare, April 25th, 1904 – James J. Naughton, Secretary of the County Organizing Committee, has written a letter to The Limerick Echo, addressing points raised by Mr O’Dwyer in his recent letter published on April 23rd. Naughton aims to clarify the inaccuracies presented by O’Dwyer.
Referring to O’Dwyer’s claim that the press was denied entry to the March 17th meeting at the Mechanics’ Institute, Naughton asserts that such a statement lacks any factual basis. According to Naughton, the press had been invited and requested to attend days prior to the meeting. However, as the press did not appear at the scheduled time, the committee resorted to sending a delegation to the newspaper offices in an attempt to secure their attendance. Unfortunately, no press representative was found, which Naughton suggests could be attributed to the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and the significant procession taking place.
Regarding O’Dwyer’s statement about not supporting Naughton’s co-option on the County Council due to his lack of party affiliation, Naughton clarifies that he did not seek O’Dwyer’s support. Naughton questions why O’Dwyer, who is aligned with a particular party on the council, failed to convince his party members to support the two candidates proposed by the Land and Labour Association for co-option.
Naughton further denies O’Dwyer’s claim that he used the Labour Association against Mr John Coleman’s candidacy for a seat on the County Council. Naughton emphasizes that he neither spoke nor wrote anything against Coleman during that contest, despite engaging in a heated controversy. Naughton suggests that O’Dwyer himself was a member of the Land and Labour Association, which had previously expressed gratitude to Coleman’s successful opponent for his efforts in legalizing direct labour on the roads. Naughton finds it contradictory that O’Dwyer now accuses him of being against the Labour Association.
Refuting O’Dwyer’s allegation that the County Limerick Organizing Committee consists of road contractors, Naughton dismisses it as entirely unfounded. Naughton attributes O’Dwyer’s charge to a tendency to engage in fictional storytelling rather than factual reporting.
Naughton concludes by mentioning O’Dwyer’s intention to protest against a resolution passed during the March 17th meeting but suggests that O’Dwyer may have decided against it due to the potential for heated discussions. Naughton speculates that O’Dwyer may have chosen to wait for a “meeting” in the Hospital, where only eight branches assembled, to meet his friends and make slanderous accusations against the members of the County Organizing Committee and insult the Party Leader through references to the “Long Car Incident” and the “304 business.”
In signing off, Naughton asserts that Owen Ryan of 11 Upper William Street or Mr W. Hickey of Boher might be better suited to provide further information regarding the lost “30s.”
This response from Naughton aims to set the record straight and refute the claims made by O’Dwyer in his earlier letter.
Limerick Echo – Tuesday 03 May 1904
