The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-06-01
THOMAS FRANCIS MEAGHER.
Heart reliant,
Earth defiant
Onward, brother, to thy gaol;
Cheers NAV greet you,
SHEETS my tIiett YOU
needlnp neither. trust your soul |!


Onward, brother, to thy gaoi;
Cheers may greet you,
Sneers may meet you
Needing neither, trust your soul!
There is, or has been, in the general charac-
ter Of our people, one trait peculiarly beautiful,
wnich has. drawn, even from the bi,terest enc
mics OF our country, expressions Of the highest
adnratidn--we mean gratitude! kind word,
charitable donation, sympathizng demon-
stration-anything condoling in our SORROWS,
weeping ia our tears, mnis;erln2 to our wants,
natterins 10 our atfrctions-has always drawn
from Us the strongest and most exuberant exhi-
bitions of gratitude, whilst TO men who have
devoted their lives and properties, their hopes
and interests, their blood and brains, to remove
the mseries over which others but wept, we
have been cruelty ungreatful, it not mercllessly
unjust.
Perhaps to no man, living or dead, has this
mercess injustice been more cruelty practiced
than to Thomas Francis Meagher. We have
been tolerant-to traitors, who sold US before our
faces, MEN hoary i'll years, and ripe in judgment
I'VE have been tolerant TO men whose whole
lives were spent in enmity with us and our
coun,ry-we have been tolerant of insult, of
injustice. of Righteousness but this young
man has found crowds of his countrymen to
track him through life with the feroci.y of tigers,
watching every movement, noting every word,
extracting conclusions from every incident, in
order to murder his reputation, blast his charac-
ter, and heap oblnquy on his name. 1t is truly
distractipg to think how far the barbrity of
faction has carried men in order to SANDER the
purest and most gifted lrishman now living;
and it is truly deplorable to see the depths OF IN
fanny into which filthy gang of political swim
dlers will sink themselves in order to cast their
poisonous saliva on him; ard, forsooth, they do
all this in the name Of religion. "Oh liberty,
what crimes are committed in thy name" ex-
claimed Madame Roland on the scatfold Oh !
religion Of purity, of love, OF charity to all men,
how often thy white robe is suliied by the Sian
derous tongues Of thy DEvoTEEsC)
But Measher can bear all this. Sustained
by the pure recttude OF his life, borne aloft by
the noble motives by which he is directed, ele-
waited above the wretched howl Of corrupt fac
tionists, he is Identifying the character of the
Irish patriot, purifying the hopes and aspirations
which guide them, teaching the world that the
men who would win the independence OF lib
erty for ireland have already won the indepen-
dence of virtue for themselves.
We are not going to answer all the miserable
charges which Of late have been exhumed in
order to get upa cry against Meagher We
would scorn to do so-we scott at them
Mea2her cannot be reached by such contemp,i-
pure in religion, true in politics, noble in char
acter-he is THE lrishman of the day-first
and best-a citizen of Waterford, God be thank
ed!
Perhaps we ought to apologize to our readers
for being thus led away in our indignation
There are men-good and virtuous-in our city,
who are proud OF Meagher; aud the vast major
ity of the people idolize him-and there are
men, too, widely differing from him and US, in
political convictions-honorable men-bo,h con-
servatves and liberals, who entertain feelings OF
the highest esteem for his personal and private
worth. Few men are more highly gifted than
Meagher with those amiable social qualities
which win the affections of assoca,es-and by
these qualities he has won the esteem of the
highest and best of on. fellow citizens. The
wretched SANDERS OF wretched faction have
no influence with these men they know worth,
and they admire it !; they perceive genius, and
they honor it they understand manly indepen-
dence, aud they recognize it, They may con-
denim his policy, but they honor his motives
they can discern between the brawling pedler
and the upright man; they are proud of Meagh.
er because he possesses those virtues which
have ennobled humanity in every age and coun,
try.
We deemed it our duty to say this much
before introducing the topic TO which we mainly
direct the attention of our readers. Meagher's
amiahle AID noble young wife is daily expected
in Waterford-she who, when he out
cast and an exile, left happy home to share
the lonely hut of this solitary suiferer-when a
cloud hung over his fate, and destiny looked
black aud broodng over his exisence-when
his future seemed only an association with the
otfcasts of society-when no home-voce sung
around him the accents of love and sympathy
when every tie was broken that bound him to
hope, she came in that black hour of danger
ministering angel to cheer, to console, and,
finally, like the fettered Apostle. to strike off
bis chains. She will be among US and
aoao away with politics. DO we love Meagher
Do we glory in his genius and gladden. in his
triumphs' Do we remember his warm smile
and his warm heart-our own Meagher. She
who gave him to liberty and to mankind-she
who, under Providence, was the instrument
that called him back to his noble mission-she
has claims upon all the respect which can
bestow- on her. She comes stranger-let US
give her cordial welcome; and let Us bestow
on her some token of the love we bear her noble
husband! Oh how it would cheer his heart
far, far away in his banishment-that heart
scared with sorrow for a suffering country
tina. young devoted heart, that lost all but its
fresh gushing fountain of love, its truth, and its
patriotism -Wartertord Chronicle, ireland.