The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-07 00:00:00

seem to be gradually losing heart except in the State
of New York. There they anticipate success in the
November election, for the Republican State Con-
vention, although it has met and nominated soldiers
for the principal offices, cannot overcome the great
popularity of General Slocum, who leads the Demo-
cratic ticket. The platform adopted by the New
York Republicans is the stereotyped one—opposing
slavery, giving President Johnson a cold endorse-
ment of part of his policy, and passing by the rest
in silence ; advocating a slow reconstruction, to find
out whether the Southern people are sincere in their
I love for the Union ; and saying nothing upon negro
suffrage. The Democracy ought to be successful in
New York, for they have stolen a march upon their
enemies, and nominated the very candidate the Re-
publicans would have taken ; but in other States
there is such great apathy in the contest that the
party leaders fear renewed Democratic defeats. But
very little interest is taken in the Pennsylvania and
other elections. The interest becomes less every day,
and as both parties in the middle States support John-
son there is really nothing for them to fight about. In
Wisconsin the Radicals, who were converted in their
recent State Convention, have called a Convention
on their own account to endorse the Radical policy
and fight the President at all points. It meets at
Jamesville on Sept. 27, and three parties may after-
wards be expected to contest the field in Wisconsin.
The campaign will not be very lively, however, for
politics are not brisk in any quarter.
During the autumn the Fenian question, in Ame-
rica as well as in England, will attract great atten-
tion. It has already been made a subject of diplo-
matic communication between Sir Frederic Bruce
and Secretary Seward, and the latter has been asked
for an explanation of the various Fenian movements
in all parts of the country. This has led to an in-
vestigation of the subject, and the leading Fenians
say their organisation in America numbers 221,000
men, who are pledged to move whenever required to
assist in the liberation of Ireland. It is also said
that about 50 Irish officers from the Army of the
Potomac have gone to Ireland, and are drilling the
people, and others intend to follow. A tax of $2O
per man has been levied in the United States, and
is nearly paid up, and will produce $4,500,000. It
is also said that 8 per cent. bonds of the " Irish
Republic" are in course of manufacture, and will
soon be put upon the market to raise funds for the
cause, but who is to pay the interest or what security
there is for the principal, is not stated. Yet, not-
withstanding the excitement these people raise—
for by taking advantage of the great love
America has for abusing England, the Fenians
have enlisted many newspapers in their cause—
Americans generally do not regard the move-
ment in this country as of any account. The
Fenians are principally of the lower orders, illite-
rate, and quite poor. The tax of $2O must have
imposed a difficult task upon the great majority of
them, for their purses are never heavy. They are
all Irishmen (no Americans being in the order), and
having all immigrated from Ireland, although they
love the old country well enough to make a great
lament about her real or fancied wrongs, they do not
loveher so well as to return on any crusade, the suc-
cess of which in the best case will be very question-
able. They are too poor to fit out any expedition
to aid Ireland, or to buy any great quantity of mili-
tary stores to send there. Unless clandestinely,
they cannot go themselves or send aid, for the Ame-
rican Government would not permit it. To send any
large force of men or large quantity of stores clan-
destinely to Ireland will be out of the question, for
if they escape the vigilance of American officers they
will not escape English cruisers. The Fenians in
America are too great blusterers to mean anything
very serious. They are a standing joke among our
people ; and being permitted to rant as they please
they do nothing that is more serious. I think I
can safely say that although there are over 200,000
Fenians in America, and they make a great show of
raising money, and are loud in their expressions of
sympathy with their Irish brethren, they would give
very little material aid either of men or means to
any revolutionary movement in Ireland. The diffi-
culties in the way are too great, and, were there no
difficulties, the character of the movement in Ame-
rica, is too fickle, and the men engaged in it too
weak, to accomplish anything.

The indications thicken that the President con-
templates a general amnesty, for of late he has par-
doned many Confederates, who, though not of very

high rank, were quite obnoxious to the North. He

has positively refused to prevent Wade Hampton's
holding a seat in the South Carolina Reconstruction
Convention, although many demands have been
made that he should make an example in Hamp-
ton's case, and thus disfranchise all delegates to
Southern Conventions who have not yet been par-
doned. It is said that he will release Alexander H.
Stephens at an early day, and allow him to return
to his home in Georgia, on parole. John Mitchell,
C. C. Clay, and Stephen R. Mallory, and Judge
Campbell, the former at Fortress Monroe, and the
latter at Fort Pulaski on the Savannah river, will
soon be paroled. The President now has 15,000
applications before him, and says he will act upon
them at once, giving to their consideration all his
time not occupied with the affairs of the Govern-
ment.

General Lee will be formally inaugurated Presi-
dent of Washington College, Virginia, in October
next, and the ceremonies will be attended by many
distinguished men from all parts of the country.
General Joseph E. Johnston, having failed to get
the presidency of the Richmond and Danville rail-
road in Virginia, is now seeking a place on one of
the Alabama roads.

It is presumed that the evidence for the Govern-
ment against Captain Wirtz, of the Andersonville
prison, will close to-morrow (September 23), and
that on September 25 the testimony for the defence
will begin. There is no doubt that Wirtz will be
found guilty and sentenced to be shot or hanged.
The feeling of the country is very strong against
him. He may not live, however, until the execu-

tion of the sentence, for he is now very low, and
when in court has to lie on a sofa and receive medi-

cal attendance.

The work of reconstruction is satisfactorily pro-
gressing, and although the Radicals are quite restive
at the gradual marches the South is making towards
its own government, there has been no interference
with the matter in any State. The contrary is evi-
dent in many cases, for several orders have been

issued by military officers, at the President's request;
forbidding military interference with civil affairs.

The Generals in the South now have a tight rein
kept upon them, and are not allowed to do as they
please. In North Carolina delegates to the State
Convention were chosen on Sept. 21, and before the
election an order was issued from the military head-
quarters forbidding soldiers from visiting the polls
or interfering in any way. The delegates chosen,
as far as known, are all Southern Rights men, but
no doubt will reconstruct the State without any
conflict with the Government. They meet in con-
vention at Raleigh on Oct. 2. In Alabama and

South Carolina the conventions are following the
path marked out in Mississippi. In both States
slavery is abolished, and the ordinance of secession
repealed ; and in South Carolina a law has been
passed providing that Presidential electors and State
officers shall be chosen directly by the people.
Heretofore they were elected by the State Legisla-
ture. In the Alabama convention a petition has
been signed requesting the President to proclaim a
general amnesty, and to pardon Jefferson Davis.
The South Carolina convention has also petitioned
for Mr. Davis's pardon, and similar memorials will
be forwarded from every Southern convention, as
an indication of the unanimous wish of the Southern

people.
In Alabama, a militia system similar to that in
Mississippi has been organised, and the military
officers have been instructed to keep their hands of.
The Alabama election for Governor and other State
officers will be held on Nov. G. There is but one

restriction upon voting—that the voter shall have
taken the President's amnesty oath, and in all the
States thus far the refusal to permit negro suffrage
has been unanimous. If President Johnson clings
to his original intention toallow the Southern States
to decide the question of black voting for them-
selves, the Radicals will be completely thwarted,
for nowhere in the South has it a ghost of a
chance. In Louisiana Governor Wells announced
that he has received his commission as provisional