The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-11-17 00:00:00

Ely *toarlyibot 0./scrim

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1866.

FENIANISM, AMERICA, AND THE
BRITISH GOVERNMENT.

The sentence to death of Lynch and Mr.
M`Mahon, two American subjects, for high trea-
son against the British Crown, has created great
interest both in this country, and in America
and Canada, the latter having been the scene of
the exploits of these Fenian rebels. Immedi-
ately on the result being known in America there
were indignation meetings in New York, Boston,
Buffalo, Cincinnati, and several of the large
towns, The men were spoken of as patriots and
martyrs, and committees were appointed to wait
on the President to protest against the execu-
tion of these men. Various influences were
brought to bear upon the Washington Govern-
ment, and the result has been a letter addressed
by Secretary Seward to Sir Frederick Brace, our
representative in Canada. In this letter Mr.
Seward says that as these men have been sen-
tenced to death, the United States Government
is required, by the highest considerations of na-
tional dignity, duty. and honour, to inquire into
the legality, justice, and regularity of the pro-
ceedings by which these citizens of the United
States have been condemned; and Mr. Seward
then proceeds to intercede for the lives of the
prisoners. "The President," he continues,
"directs me to assure you of his confident hope
that her Majesty's Government will not only
cheerfully comply with the request I have made,
but that they will think it proper also to examine
the judicial proceedings, with a careful regard
to the rights of the United States, and to the
maintenance of good relations between the two
countries."

The wretched conspiracy of these two men,
members of that ridiculously wild and savage
fraternity, the so-called Fenian Brotherhood, has
thus become a subject of international dispute,
and at the present moment there is no saying
where it may end. Mr. Seward, among other
arguments, says, "I deem it proper to say that
the offences involved in these trials are in their
nature eminently political," and he advocates
tenderness, amnesty, and forgiveness in such
cases." Mr. Seward then proceeds to draw a
parallel between these Fenian crimes and the
secession of the South—a parallel which is ima-
ginery and untenable. But though we do not
conceive Mr. Seward's grounds for leniency am
safe and sound, we cannot but think that leniency
will after all be the best course, and we await
with some anxiety the course which the British
Government will instruct Sir Frederick Bruce
to take. We do not consider it will be wko to

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put these wild Irishmen to death ; they will thus
be elc% ated.to heroes and martyrs. Theirlives,
at all events, should be spared, whatever punish-
nient may be awarded them. There 11 sonic.
tiling like a precedent in the case of Smith
O'Brien and his followers, who were tmosported
and whose sentence was afterwards commuted.
Englund, we think. in such a matter, can afford
to be magnanimous. By displaying the quality
of mercy—mercy, we may add, tempered with
judgment, if wa may so reverse the old idea—
she will du much towards establishing desirable
friendly relations with the United States Go-
vernment, and her comparative leniency may
touch the hearts even of the Ft:nines.