The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1851-07-02
Fromlthe South Carolininn.
The Exilcd Patriots.

placed on the wall. tho pictures Of John
Mitchell and Thomus Francis Mengher.
so recently known to fame MS advocates
.sofIrish liberty, in such position that
'Sthey invariably meet my gaze every
morning as | get oul Of bed. The rri;nra.
ton of which disturbs my morning "ris.
ons, and conveys to my mind serious re.
fiec,ions upon their condition.
Asthere is no doubt ofthose pictures
being faithful representations of tho
originals, the features present every pos.
sibe semblance Of soul aud feeling of
which the human frame is capable :;
they appear also to manifest all the mark
ofcarnest Indignation ut the narrowing
scenes of misery and distress which
caused them to become the denouncers
OF heartless cruelty; and their lofty
and manly bea,ing demonstrate bey.
ond doub, lha, they are OF the first order
Of The. great Cnusasinn race Of human
beings which has swaycd the des,Inics
of the world for many centuries.
While thus gazing on the pictures,
my thoughts wander across the broad
Pacific 10 behold the originals in their
solitude, and cannot help cxcluiming
1t is not surely possible that your coun.
trymen will ever forget you and the
causes which led to your fate. 1t is
not possible that am ono Of race that
will neverrnake an effort to restore YOU
to your friends and country if so, |
would consider it hard case indeed,
and as in others ofa similnr import.
would reconcile myself TO my fate, and
!excleim in sorrow, not my will, but
fhine be done, 0! Thou who art omn,.
potent.
On arresting those suggestions Of my
fears, | Of course Danish such thoughts,
and come 10 the rational conclusion that
such ideas are groundlcss-lha, Irish
feeling has not yet, nor do believe ii
ever will, become mere mass OF inert
matter, rs to suffer indigni,y wi,hou,
rePelling it in becoming Kramer aud
that lrishmen will yet apply lheir good
sense TO make ample amends f,or pas,
deficiencies and that they will vet ,'olse
themselves in behalf Of those brave men
who, sacrificed every tie that made life
endearing. for the sake Of their country
men, liberty, and old Ireland. And in |
this cherished hope have come 10 the
conclusion that in this country alone is
reatered the means of their rclensc,
when properly applied and dircc,cd.
!. nis my .:::m conviction tho. duty
devolves on every Irish society in the
United States to prepare petitions, and
forward them to Congress nt its next sit
ting, praying that honorable body to re.
monsirate with the British Government
upon the inhumanity Of keeping those
gentlemen and their associates any lon.
germ hopeless captivity in This age Of
and refinement.
Congress might well say to the Brit
ish Government that it cannot see any
good cause why those men should be
held any longer in bondage that they
have committed no crime; ,ha, they
only advocated principle of right, ,hu,
Of saving the lives Of their counlrymen
from perishing by famine and because
they dared 10 remind the Government
Of lis duty, they ought not OIL that ac-
count be held, like common eXiles, for.
ever in hopeless exile; and that, if The
British Government does not choose to
let them reside on the British soil, enjoy
ing their liberty, the American Govern
n,cnt will feel happy in offering the pa.
trios home in the United States.
This, Messrs. Editors, in my humble
opinion, is certainly the most feasible
course that can be adopted for the re
lease Of those brave martyrs; and !
have no doubt Congress will chccriuIlv
respond TO 50 universal call OF their
fellow.cllizens, as tha, body is not com.
posed so exclusively Of Saxon blood as
to manifest TOO great n par,iality for En-
glsh tyranny, nor is there so little Of
the Celtic in its composition Us no, to
have some sympathy for Irish patrio.
tism. Iqueslon if there are many
members ofCongress who are no, more
or less connected with the Irish and
consequently, on being reminded OF
performing an act Of humanity, they
would consider and look upon it in the
light of an imperative duty, prompted
by the strongest ties which impcl men
TO action, the cause Of blood and kin.
dred, besides the benefit they would con.
slider and look upon it in the light Of an
imperative duty prompted by the strong
est ties which impel men TO nc,on, tho
cause Of blood and kindred, besides the
benefit they would confer on the cause
Of liberty, of which they are the agents,
advocates, and supporters.
From no portion ofthis country ought
an effort be made sooner than from
the capital Of our chivalrous State.
would earnestly suggest, then, TINT pc.
titon be presented by the Hibernan
Society Of Co!umbia 10 Congress. al its
next sitting, with The names Of others Of
our most distinguished citizens attached
10 1t, and The example would be follow.
ed by every city and town in the Union
that may have similar society nnd
before the sun would roll round twice
on its orbit in the heavens those men
would be restored TO the bosoms Of their
families, and the sympnlhiZng sons Of