The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-01-21 00:00:00

THE FENIAN PRISONERS.

The Irishman states that the Government have
given way to the objections raised by the political pri-
noners of Pertland who had refu,ed to subscribe to the
conditions of the "pardon," and that five of them
have sailed with the Woking prisoners on board the
Russia. The following extract from a letter addressed
to his wife by Luby explains the position which he and
his companions have assumed :
moinank Prison, London, Jan 12, 1871.
"My own dearest Letitia,—l wax smiderly brought from
Portland to this prison yesterday, just as I had concluded a
letter to y0u.... To-day I had another interview with
Captain Stoplord, visitleg director of Portland Prison. In
the presence of the Governor of Millbank and Captain
Walls•k, deputy-governor, the director explained to me
that the Government were satisfied with my statement sent
to him, in which I explained that I could not bind myself by
any promise as to my future conduct. My scruples being
thus respected, and it being clearly understood that I gave
no promise or pledge as to my future conduct. I signed a
paper accepting the pardon ' one mdittonally and without
reserve ' With a similar explanation, and on a similar
understanding, the five friends who accompanied me from
Portland signed similar papers. I understand those who
have already left the country did the same. If now I should
violate the conditions if my pardnn I do so at my perd, and
they may call me mad if they like ; but still, in such an event,
however I might forfeit the benefits, such as they ale, of the
pardon, they could not say I had in any respect beckon my
woad of houotr..--T. C. LIAM°
Another of the prii otters, "Captain" M'Cafferty,
obtained an opportunity of writing on the 3rd inst. to
a friend, and took advantage of the privilege to give
utterance to the following sentiments with respect to
the offer of pardon :
I must acknowledge that I am anxious to return to my
friends, home, and native land; but as I have the honour of
being h dii an American end a Christian, such conditions
were necessarily very offensive to my feelings, and, in con-
sequence, I declined to shake hands with my ' Beglish
Cousins: anti, being in an exceedinsly negative mood, I fur-
ther stated that I would make no compromise with Britannia's
distinguished 7-per-Cent. prime Minister and Co. in re-
ference to my discharge from these penal hives. I regard
this movement for our banishment as a sign of national
weakness, and I am forced to conclude therefrom that the
British stateemen must he blind mad, or they would never pr
reed against the Irish political prisoners as they have stud are
doing for, sooner or later, all th'e hypocrisy, vindictive-
ness, and brutal.ty will return to them with compound in-
terest. Yes, as they have sown, so shall they reap—and it
will he with a vengeance ""
The " Exileirrribute," which is in course of collect
tisn for the prisoners, is expected to be very successful.
Ore lady. who has been a prominent contributor tithe
Fenians, has sent a donation of £3O. Large MUM are,
it is said, to be subscribed in America.

The following are the terms of expatriation attend.
ing the liberstion of the pardoned prisoners :—T. F.
Burke, 20 years; M. Cafferty, 20 years; J. O'Leary,
14 years; K Power, 11 years ; W. Kowantree, 5 years;
P. Mohan, 5 years; General W. Halpin, 20 years;
Thomas Clarke Luby, 14 years ; Patrick Lennon, 12
years; Edward St. Clair, 6 years ; B. Dillon, 5 years;
M'Sheehy, 16 yeses; W. Mulcahy, 9 years;
Patrick Walsh, 11 years; D. D. Mulcahy, 5 years;
and G. Browne, 6 years.

The Pall Malt Gazette, in noticing the departure of
the Fouians, satirically remarks :
" In accordance with Instructions given by Government,
each of the Pentane in this batch before leaving Portland and
Woking selected his own travelling and winter outfit; in
fact, each man wassuppliell with "a first rate kit" and £.5
as pocket money, beddes hating a saloon berth selected for
him on board the Russia. oue of the most suparbly fitted up
vouch of the Cunard fleet. The men all appeared very com-
fortable, and seemed in the enjnyment of excellent
health and spirits. It is not stated from what fund
the cost of these outfits and gratuities was paid,
but possibly there In some unexpended balance of the
Fund for the Relief of the Sufferers by the Clerkenwell
Explosion applicable to the purpose. It would be a
gracef at act on the part of Government, in continuation
of these extraordinary proceedings, to allow the remains of
Barrett, who fired the barrel of powder outside Clerkenwell
Prison, and who was banged for the deed under the bar-
barous iedime of lees enlightened days, to be removed from
Newgate Gaol, where they are buried, to Westminster
Abbey. We cannot bring this martyr to life again, but to be
consistent we should at least pay the utmost honour to his
memory. The Slancliester martyrs, who were hanged for
murdering • policr.eonstable, ought also to he remembered,
and their relations have a lair claim to Civil List pensions.
The next step will, of course, be the punishment of the police
who arrested and the unjust judges who condemned these
heroes. '

of the country tilled me silth—a sentiment not very far
employed from alarm. I mw, and called the attention of
others to the fact, that there Were in this country numerous
bodies of a military character, but that they all seemed
pulli ig different ways, instead of co-operating in one grand
harmonious whole for the good of the natiou The Minds
had one sot of interests and tie Volunteers another net of
interests, while what Is called the Line, or the regular army,
had also interests of its own, differing in degree or to kind
from those of the other force.. All these bodies. I ob-
served, sprang trete what is called the voluntary princllffe I
that Is to say, there was no fixed point of departure except-
ing the personal option of the individual man forming a
constituent member of one or other of these buttes; and
accordingly, When anything had to he done, these various
bodies were dragged aside by conflicting interests, just
as you will altraye see that half a dozen men In a room a ill
have each their owe we: of looking at the same au` j CCI.
Bat that which is true of individnel men appliee with ten
times greater force when you are dealing with large bodies.
When the option which is exercised by ionised.' menemrs
of. body comes to be multiplied by the Dumber of memn, rs
of witch that body consists, you have at once a greet vital
force affecting the destinies of the country, and capable of
producing the most important or the most fatal results, ac-
cording to the dtrestion which may ber given to It Let me
ask, then, when you bate In ealstenee bodies of armed men,
paid by the country and orgableed ei!th n view of defence.
ileum of them intended for service abroad, setae foe esiecial
duties in this ceuntry, others again, like yourselves, to to
called upon as a last resource in case it alleuld please God
to permit this country ever to be exposed to a state of
things entallirg that *necessity, can there be anything
more fatal, anythieg more erroneous—whether we regard
the matter PA one ot national moment, or as one of expe-
diency, or ne one merely affecting the Parliamentary esti-
mate—than a etate of thing. in e-hich this division and
contrariety between the several bodies together. constituting
what Is caned our military organizatloe, is suffered to exist
and continue? I %enlistees ) Lord E cho bee told us that
the Session of Parliament which is about to commence mast
not close without the grea tquestion of army organization
being settled in a manner satisfactory to the country. I
am not a political man, and I will not venture to nay
whether Mach a result will follow from the labours of the
present Session ; but this I do say, that ills the slaty, not
only of those who are in s Ma), late also of those who are out
of office, to see that the Session does not terminate without
this great subjeet eeing weighed, and ench praCiicsl
at West, attained as shall cause the divisien to which I hale
alluded to cease, and be known henceforth only sea matter
of history. I have said that, according tome apprehension
of the subject, the vital difficulty with which we have to
deal is the COD tiiCt of interests between the different bodies
which make up the military orgabination of England. What
Is it that causes that conflict of interests I It arises Iron
the In A that every one of thews b olin relies for its existence
merely upon the voluntary principle. As regards bodies
such as that which I am now adiireselug, consisting of mon
who stand forward as Volunteers willing to give up to the
State such time as they can spare from the avos ado.
pressing upon them, it would be absurd to expect that any
principle of organisation other than the voluntary principle
could apply to them. Then, as regards what is known as
the Line. From whatever point of view we in England roe),
contemplate what le going on upon the Continent, however
we may be moved by the spectacle of two great military
nations struggling, and with whatever teeth gs we may see
these countries placing their whole population under arms.
not merely embodying them fs r purposes of defence, but
sending them across the frontiers as well. I do not believe
there is any one who would like to see such an organization
adopted and applied to this country. The regular army to
called on to serve in all parts of the world, and frequeutly in
tropical climates. I consider it, therefore, to be absolutely
necks mry that the line should continue to be raised as
heretofore upon the voluntary principle, lint there it a thirst
body, as to which the circumstances are different, and this is
the body that competes with the Line for recruit., as matters
at present stand. The conflicting Interests to which I have
alluded as existing ietween the Militia and the Line can
alone, in my opinion, be reconciled by causing the MINI&
to be raised on that ancient principle of obligation which
always belooged to the Constitution of this country, which
has always been recognlzed as the first duty of every member
of the population, but which recently, for a certain number
of years, has been held in suspension. I believe it to be
absolutely necessary that we should revert to that principle
of obligation—that is to say, the, every man, without res-
pect to his rook or to his position in the world, shall be liable
to serve, in his own person In the ranks of the Millie. ( Ap-
plause ) There aay be certain exemptions which it would be
necessary to make, particular persons that ought not to be thus
eat ployed ; but a primary obligation should rest u,,on every man
to serve In person, and no pecuniary sum of any amount should
enable amen, whatever ble rank Cr whatever his position
to save his person by means of Ids purse. (Applause). I
have sometimes heard it said that to revert to this ancient
principle of obligation as a mean, of filling our army
of home defence would be to interfere with the liberty of
the subject. Let that preposition be fairly examined. I
should like to meet a man who would stand before me and
say tha he declined to come forward in defence of his
country because to do this would interfere with his liberty
as an Engltshman People who use such an argument, and
who contend that you should rely entirely num voluntary
service for the purposes of home defeuce—that is to say, that
you should cause men to enter the Militia solely for the
mks of the moderate pay or the petty bounties that are
offered to them—forget that this is a measure which secures
what are called the comfortable classes at the expellee of
those who are not so well eff. (Loud appbmse Addressing
as I duo body of Volunteers who may be taken as represen-
tatives of that great body of 150,C00 men now in arms, I think
I may fairly say that, however much they belong to the
comfortable classes they, at least, have not shirked the uly
which Is incumbent' d
upon every Euglisholan, but have stood
forth when wanted for the defence of the country, at
coDelderable lose of time and comfort, and without pay, or
anything being done for them except some help which may
occaeionally have been given by their commanding deems.
I say, then, do not let us he led away by any argument about
Interference with the Illoerty of the eubject What is re-
quired for as, and what rightly is required from every subject,
is that he should stand forward for the defence of the country
—not according to his individual option, but mooning( to
hie Individual liability—whenever he In called upon by the
natton to do so. And to do this involves no forfeiture, but,
on the contrary, an assertion of the liberty of the subject.
In count mini), twill only thank Non for the high honour you
have conferred in asking me to distribute the prizes to your
corps. It has been a matter of great satisfaction to me to do
so, and I can /enure you Unit I shall look back with great
pleasure to this occasion. (Warm applause.)
Lord Elchn, in the name of the regiment, thanked Sir W.
Mansfield for his atiendatme that eveldug, and for the very
stirring speech he had delivered, in which the queetion of
military orgaeization was put upon its right legs. He hoped
the national and constitutional obligation resting upon every
Englishman to Join in defending the liberties of his country
which the gallant General had asserted would find acceptance
throughout the length and breadth of the country, and would
react upon the convictions of the distinguished men intrus-
ted with the admieistration of affairs in this country. As re-
garded the question of armament, Le- d Elcho believed that
the adoption of the Henry-Marthii rifle was as good as set-
tled, and he Impel soon to hear that large orders had been
given for Its construction, and that these weuld not be de-
layed by the issue of Snider rifles to the Volunteers as a
temporery measure for in these days to send troops armed
with muzzleloadere against troops armed with breechloaders
would be simply celd-blooded murder. The possession in
store of the Snider rifles, alter the Henry-Martini had been
adopted, need not be any source of loss to the Government,
fur if war should continue to exist or break out afresh In
Europe, we need nnly exercise a heaevoleut neutrality similar
to that of the American Government, arid sell these old
Government stores to any nation that might happen at the
tine to want them -laughter), or If no war were going on at
the moment in highly civilized Europe, there were plenty of
semi-barbarous races in Asia or in the eacitic, who, no
doubt, as civilization advanced amoug them, would want to
kill each other in the most modern and highly-approved
fashion (laughter), by destroying the gr Meet number in the
shortest possible space of time, and who would, therefcre,
gladly take these Snider. off our handl, instead of killing
each other, as heretofore, stills clubs; and hews anti ar-
rows.
The proceedings then terminated.