The Woodville Republican, and Wilkinson advertiser., 1853-12-27
John Mitchell.

/
San Francisco, Of Jno. Mitchell, tie Irish pa'-
riot, who lately made his escape from his iln-
pisonment at Australia, and in the True Dell
ia we notice his speech to the citizens Of the
/ Pacific Commercial Emporium, on the occa-
sion spoken of above. For true, stirring elo-
quenee, strength and power Of language, we
have rarely. seen it excelIed. Below we give
some extracts by way Of change from the tread
mill of politics, in which, for months past We
have been laboring, After the deafening APP
plause which greeted his appearance among
the assembled thousands had subsided, Mr..
Mitchell spoke as folows;
Gov BIeLER AND CITIZENS OF SAN FRA1-
eIsco.-You will not wonder--you will In
dulge me a little me captive Of Ave years.
after five weary years living death, immured
in dungeons by land and sea, or eating the
bitter bread Of penal exile in the depths of
the forests Of q convict colony--if my senses
are somewhat oyerpowered by the thnnders
of your welcome to free land seem like
one slowly opening his eyes to the light of the
outer world after long painful trance, and
the splendor of this Republican festival dazzles
me-. And perhaps if / had obeved the die
tates of that humility which becomes defeat
ed man and haunted fugtive--if | had tax
en- counsel Of my own quiet disposition, natu-
rally averse from display and ostentation, /
should have asked permission respectfully to
decline the high honor you do me this day.
4 God knows il is in no triumph we Irish
Rebels set foot upon your Shores American
| With the load Of our chains only just shaken
off and the load Of our inglorio1s defeat,
which Is bitterer than chains, and cannot be
shaken of, still heavy on our souls with
\ some Of our dear comrades, still pining in
bondage with the bloodhounds Of the enemy
still questing on our track behind, and wide
world before us where we have no home, no
country--it might be thought happiness enough
for us to fling ourselves exhausted and breath
less upon your soil, and to feel ourselves at
last---at ast--safe under the hosptable shads
ow. of your Eagles wings. But the terms in
i which have been invited to this board leave
me no room for such feelings. ! must not
think of myself when you offer me--ohl
Americans, you offer me, sympathy with my
cause. And Americans, | have heard, are OBJ
servant of what passes in the world You
know well what that is, and what that sym
pathy implies. Here is much more than per,
sonal compliment; here is something that
supercedes and would make ridiculous the af
fectation of personal diffidence. /, indeed,
am nothing; bus liberty is sacred, and Ireland
is dear, Justice is eternal; and iny cause was,
and is, and while live shall be, the cause of
Of Irish freedom against English tyranny
Irish rights against English bayonets--it is
the cause of the independent industry for our
own living, against base pauperism for Eng
lands gain--it is that same old and dear
cause of Irish Reppblicanism to which our
fathers were sworn in '9a, ana for which Tone
abored and lived, and for which Emmett
could but die. Knowing all this, you tender,
not to me, but to my country, on this first
point of American land, | touch, your frank
and manly endorsement of that righteous
cause. And could presume to decline this
Could |, with an impudent modesty, depre-
cate your sympathy with IreIand's wrongs,
your honest Indignation against Irelands enc
mics and oppressors9 No, no, | exult in this
heavy welcome. thank you for it from my
very soul. | take grim delight in it for
well know the warm words Of CHEEKY you
give me tonight will reach the poor hearths
of some of my broken and desponding coun-
trymen. aud kindle in their hearts again some
sparks of the fire Of manhood-the lound echo
of freedoms scorn will ring in the ears Of our
tyrants in their high places, and bid them be-
ware ofthe next earthquake of the nations.
Speaking of the English, he says:
have read of their puny and false mimi
cry Of that English humbug of all nations
Oh | have heard how Ireland is at last 90
{ ing to begin to be ameliorated, for that two
millions and half Of her lawless Cets are fa-
mished to death or driven to seek livelihood
in foreign lands--and how the survivors be-
T gin to live better-and how Lord Lieuten-
ant continues to encourage the manufacture
of tabinet for the vice-regal waistcoat and how
a Crystal Palace stands in Dublin to display
the production of Ireland. oh, moekery
the productions of Ireland but the committee
have not exhibited, as | hear, the real staple
and characteristic productions Of that country
model pauper in squalid rows-ranks Of
humble tenants-at-wil with their hats in their
haids-pyramids of ejectment decrees--ba-
sins of transparent poor-house Cruel, ia great
work of art) leases Of famished corpses, to
show how lean an Irishman can walk before
he dies, while an Englisbman eats his bread
dead children, half knawed by woolfsh
mothers-these were an exposition Of Irish in
dustry for Queen of England to open in
state--these were the true mirror Of the coun-
try's condition. But because this grisy pic
ture is true, it will be carefully turned with its
face to the wall and all manner pf glittering,
fattering lies, viii take its. place. Let that
palace Of falsehood stand while it uny-it is
but glass. Let the poor worshipers Of that
! ohscene nnlden imane which iha Princa Al.