"My object in all my proceedings has been simply to establish the independence of Ireland for the benefit of all the people of Ireland — noblemen, clergymen, … in politics did I not think it necessary to do all in my power to make an end of the horrible scenes the country presents — the pauperism and the starvation, and the crime and the vice, and the hatred of all classes against each other. I thought that there should be an end to that horrible system which, while it lasted, gave me no peace of mind; for I could not enjoy anything in my country so long as I saw my countrymen forced to be vicious, forced To hate each other, and degraded to the level of paupers and brutes."