Taken from The Life of Charles Stewart Parnell, Vol. 1, by R. Barry O’Brien, published 1899. Originally despatched in October 1878. The cablegram was signed by John Devoy, Dr. William Carroll, John Breslin, General Francis Millin, and Patrick Mahon.
In October 1878 he [John Devoy] despatched a cablegram to Parnell, setting out the terms of alliance between the Revolutionists and the Constitutionalists; the cablegram ran as follows:
The Nationalists here will support you on the following conditions:
First. Abandonment of the Federal demand and substitution of a general declaration in favour of self-government.
Second. Vigorous agitation of the land question on the basis of a peasant proprietary, while accepting concessions tending to abolition of arbitrary eviction.
Third. Exclusion of all sectarian issues from the platform.
Fourth. Irish members to vote together on all Imperial and Home Rule questions, adopt an aggressive policy, and energetically resist coercive legislation.
Fifth. Advocacy of all struggling nationalities in the British Empire and elsewhere.