The Express.
London, England, 1865-09-25 00:00:00

SPEECH OF AN AMERICAN FENIAN.

The Chicago Times publishes a long account of a
picnic held near that city by some 7,C)0 members of the
Fenian Brotherhood. The opestker of the day was a Mr.
A. L. Morrison, a portion of whose speech was as follows :
Mr. Morrison said :—" You must not expect that 1 am
going to unfold to you today the secrete that no true mao
will speak, for although we belong to no secret society, and
have no secret oath to bind us together, yet still we do
know enough, which if England knew, she would give half
the diamonds of her crown to di•corer. (Great applause.)

Yea, gentlemen, among other things they say that this is a
movement without a leader. Let it be so. (Applause and
laughter.) I tell you, gentlemen, that I and some others
here know the name of the man that will unfurl this flag
not in America, but on the hills of old Ireland itself. Yea
gentlemen, we know that man's ram, and England has not
gold enough to bribe us, nor torture enough to tear that
asme from the hearts that conceal it to-day. Gentlemen
and ladies, let me tell you that before the. next summer's
sun sends down Its warm rays upon the wheat fields of
Ireland, this flag will be unfurled, surrounded by a hundred
thousand bayonets. (Tumultuous applause. A voice :
' God grant it.') Now, gentlemen, the privates of this
brotherhood who have gone in this American war, and
their number the Lord only knows, are our earnests, but
when we have such names r Corcoran, and Smith, and
Murphy—lA voice And Mulligan')—that have laid
down their lives battling for this Americas re-
public,. I don't think it is too moeh to ask them
to assist us a little in giving • kindred govern-
ment to Ireland to what they enjoy here today. Now,
gentleniec, about this thing of being prepared. I tell you if
ever • country was prepared to struggle, and straggle
successfully, with the enemy and oppressor, that country I.
Ireland today. (Applause.) Begird has this hour, accord-
ing to her statistics, not more than 150,000 soldier,, and she
has nearly 100,000 ie India ; she has them in New Zealand,
is Cards, is the West Indies, and how many ham she in
Ireland! (Laughter.) I tell you, gentlemen—lad I have
studied thin thing, and I know what I say is true—
England has not • man over 18,000 soldiers within the four
seas of Ireland today. Some people say she has the
militia. So have we. (Moth applause.) I tell you, gentle-
wee, that of that militia three-fourths of them remember
of the Irish revolutionary brotherhood in bellied. (Ap-
plause.) I tell you more, gentlemen, that to-day there
is within • fraction of a quarter of a million of men sworn
beneath the folds of that flag to sustain it or die within
• year. (Great applause.) Gentlemen, the men in Ireland
are prepared ; they are ready. You will say, then, why
don't they goon! I will tell von why. Reeser they are
waiting for you. (A Voice—' We are ready?) Irishmen,
let me tell yon, who stand outside of of this organisation,
who, with arms folded, say, well, we will help Ireland
when she strikes the blow—l tell you, Irishmen, that if
you wait till thee, you can keep your mosey, and I bops
it will do you very little good when you do keep it. (Ai:D-
ebtor and laughter.) I tell you, gentlemen, that within
one month—now mark what I say—within one month the
bonds will be kneed in the mime of the Irish republic
(Applause.) (A Voice—'Greenbacks!') Yee, sir, I expect
they will have green front,. too. Now, gentlemen, the men
in Indeed want 100,110 rifles sod six months' ammunition.
In order to give them that we must raise some two or two
and a half million of dollars in America. (A Voles—' We can
do it ;we have got it?) Can we have it! (Voices—'Yea.')
Well, now, gentlemen, there is nothing I admire more than
enthusiasm, except it is work. Now, gentlemen, I want to
be on even terms with you. I don't care that much (soap-
pis( his fingers) for all the cheers you would yell out from
now to next Patrick's Day. They have been trying to free
Ireland for • hundred years with cheers ; they have been
trying to free her with long speeches and petitions ; but,
gentlemen, in order to free Ireland we have got, if we do
cheer, to hack up our cheers with action. (A
Aud greenback.') You know, gentleman, what
the immortal Davis said—
The patient dint, the powder shock,
Will blast an empire like a rock.'
But, gentlemen, in order that the powder shock should
come, it is necessary that there should be something
to purchase the powder with ; and in order to use that
powder it is necessary to give the men &swathing to
use the powder with. See whet our men fought with
io '9B, tine old Irish pike. (A Voice—'That's no use.')
No; I tell you the pike is very good to read about,
and very good to sing about, bat it is a poor thing to
meet a rifle with. (A Voice—. That's so?) But I will
tell you another thin,. We have in America this weapon
that the boys used to use down against the rebels.
They are called Henry's repeating rifles,' and the rebels
used to say when engaging a body of our boys, that the
Yankees had rifles that they loaded up on Sunday and fired
with all the week. (Laughter.) Now, gentlemen, just as
soon as this fight begins we will have some of these meter-
shooters in Iralan4. I tell you, gentlemen, they will send
a shower of hailstones ironed the heads of these red costs
that will be no child's play. (A. Voice, ' The landlords
too.') I tell you, speaking about landlords, that
my idea is this : I would not open my mouth here to-
day if I did not know, if this resolution is successful,
that it will root the secured race of landlords out of
Ireland for ever. (A Voice, flood.') Gentlemen,
this is no work for the amendment of the Poor Law ; Mite
is no work for abolishing ministers money ; this is no work
for the repeal of the Vision ; but it Is work for a revolu-
tion, thorough and complete, of the whole, satire jurisprn-
dere, law, and customs of the Saxons. We are men who
think that God ordaised us to be free. We believe it is no
more • sin for an Irishman to be free than for au American,
and we believe, gentlemen, that, whether we are able to
govern ourselves or not, we are going to try to do it ; and
If we fail, then let the ooneroanor dread upon us sad
upon our children. But, gentlemen, try it we sea" (Loud
applause.)

The Norfolk Virginia Post states that in conse-
quence of the declining health of Mr. Jefferson Davis, he
has been transferred from the cuemate in which be has
bees confined to a MOM 10 Carroll Ball, Fortress MOlfo3.
The New Yen k Tribune, commenting upon
Mayne Parepa's clebat, lays :—" It is pleasant to record
a success—s genuine success schioved by sheer force of
genius, unaided by adventitious circumstances, such as hosts
of trends, a claque, or the prestige given through elaborate
end pretentious articles in the press. The debdt of Madame
Pamp► was attended by no inch fortuitous eircumetinoes.
and yet she compelled the admiration of her entire
audieoos, and gained a verlict of approval from those whom
judgment is not easily misled. Madame Parepe is of
ample proportions, but she ctrries herself lightly and
eaa►y, and her manner is graceful and engaging. She was
very cordially received, and curtsied first to the audience
sad thee to the orchestra, a mark of respect to which that
intelligent body is sot very much accustomed."