"You're right!--No!--they are not respected--even by their very employers. Your political sweep and shoe-black is no more respected than he who cleans our chimneys or cleans our shoes. The honourable gentleman who has addressed you last confesses he is a stranger amongst you; and is _he_, a stranger, to be your representative? You may be civil to a stranger--it is a pleasing duty,--but he is not the man to whom you would give your confidence. You might share a hearty glass with a stranger, but you would not enter into a joint lease of a farm without knowing a little more of him; and if you would not trust a single farm with a stranger, will you give a whole county into his hands? When a stranger comes to these parts, I'm sure he'll get a civil answer from every man I see here,--he will get a civil 'yes' or a civil 'no' to his questions; and if he seeks his way, you will show him his road. As to the honourable gentleman who has done you the favour to come and ask you civilly, will you give him the county, you as civilly may answer 'No,' and _show him his road home again_. ('So we will.') As for the gentleman who proposed him, he has chosen to make certain strictures upon my views, and opinions, and conduct. As for views--there was a certain heathen god the Romans worshipped, called Janus; he was a fellow with two heads--and by-the-bye, boys, he would have been just the fellow to live amongst us; for when one of his heads was broken he would have had the other for use. Well, this Janus was called 'double-face,' and could see before and behind him. Now, _I'm no double-face_, boys; and as for seeing before and behind me, I can look back on the past and forward to the future, and _both_ the roads are _straight ones_. (Cheers.) I wish every one could say as much. As for my opinions, all I shall say is, _I_ never changed _mine_; Mr. O'Grady can't say as much." "Sure there's a weathercock in the family," said the voice in the crowd. A loud laugh followed this sally, for the old dowager's eccentricity was not _quite_ a secret. O'Grady looked as if he could have eaten the whole crowd at a mouthful. "Much has been said," continued Egan, "about gentlemen chalking out lines for themselves;--now, the plain English of this determined chalking of _their own_ line is _rubbing out every other man's line_. (Bravo.) Some of these chalking gentlemen have lines chalked up against them, and might find it difficult to pay the score if they were called to account. To such, rubbing out other men's lines, and their own too, may be convenient; but I don't like the practice. Boys, I have no more to say than this, _We know and can trust each other!_" Egan's address was received with acclamation, and when silence was restored, the sheriff demanded a show of hands; and a very fine show of hands there was, _and every hand had a stick in it_.