The Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1852-1853, 1853-12-21
Speech of John Mitchell.

delivered at the banquet given on arrival at San
Francisco, mention OF which was male in onI
California news: 0-t
rI GODsrROr BigLer and ciiizsns Of San Franciseo:
You will not Onder-yOu will indulge me a lit
tie, me, captive of five years, after five weary
years living. nmured in dungeons by and and sea,
or eating the bitter bread of penal exile III The
depths Of the ioIests OF convict colony-if my
senses are somewhat oyerpowered by the thunders
OF your welcome TO a free land. Loud ,cheeTs.I
| seem like Que slowly opening his eyes 10 the
light Of The outer world after a lonr aud painful
trance, and the splundoT of this Republican ieSu.
val dazzeS me. And perhaps II / had obeyed
the dictates of that humility " RIch becomes de-
feated mm and hunted iugitlve-.f had taken
counsel Of my own quiet disposition, naturally
averse from display and ostentatlon. should have
asked permission respectfully to decline the high
honor you do me this DAY. God knows If is in no
triumph we Irish Rebels set foot upon your shores,
Amercans With the had dof our chalnsonly just
shaken oil, and the load oil our inglououS defeat,
which is more bitter than chains, and cannot b..
shaken off, stIl heavy on our SoulS-with some OF
our dear comradeS still plnng in bondage--with
the bloodhounds of the enemy still questng on our
track behind, and a wide world before US where
we have no home, no countIy--it nigh Le thought
happiness enough for us to fling ourselves eS
hauSted and breathesS upon your soil, and TO lIel
ourselves at last--at last--afe under the hoSpla-
Bile shadow of your Eagles wings. lCheeIS.J but
the terms in which, have been invited to- this board
leave me no room for such fee Iings. Here is some
thing that supersedeS and would make Tidlcuous
the affectation of peSonal dthdence. indeed
am nothing; but liberty is sacred, aud lrelaad is
dear, and J?stice is Eterual; and my cause was,
and u.s., and while live, shall be, the cause Of Irish
freedom against English tyranny of Irish rights
against English bayones, it is the cause Of indie
pendent industry for our own living, against base
paIperlsm for Engand'S gain--lt is that same old
and dear Cause of Irish Republicanlsm to which
our fathers were sworn in '9S, aud Iur which Zone
labered aud lived, aud Tor which Emmett died.
[Cheers.l ....s.s .H...r ..... n. .... l..
. 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. Aud could presume to cIns
thisi Could |, with an mpudent lnodeSty, depre-
cate your sympathy with lreand'S wrongs, your
honest indignation against ireland S enemies and
oppresSors? No, no. exuIt in lhs hearty well
come. i thank You for II, from my very soul. |
. take a grim delight in it, for we'll know the warm
words of cheer you give to- might will reach the
poor heaTths of some of my broken and deSpond-
ing countrYmen, and kiHde in their hearts again
some sparks of the fire OF manhood--the loud echo
of freemen'S will ring in the ears of our ty
rants in their high places, and bid them bewareof
the next earthquake of the nations. Loud cheer
ing Who will dare talk to me Of despair! The
The graves, indeed, OF two millions OF our tamlsh-
ed, murdered nation will not give up their dead,
though the graves ale shallow and the dead collin
less. The seven years OF lrelandS sore agony in
. the taoDS of British civilization have been en-
dured--they cannot erased from the caendar--
they cannot be forgotten-they snail not be lolgot-
ton. Nations have no future state, and therefore
national punlshments and clmpensaous come in
this world; and as surely as ''sorrow troubleth
crime' that foul British Empire will be brought TO
strict account-lIeland will yet have her victory
and her revenge. [Cheers.
High words these, SOME men will say The un-
happy being iorgetS, they Will say that lie has
been five years broodng in solitary cells, or buried
in the forests Of the AntpodeS; he lorgetS human
progress and electric telegraphS, and how lar the
species has been Strding ahead while he has been
gnawing his own heart in jail; he forgrtS that the
Irish that he once knew arz mostly dead or fled,
and the remnent contented, or cowed, or bought
and bought cheap enough; and so, they will say,
he begins to rave about the cruel Saxon, and the
rights of Irish natlonhood, that empty sound, the
very echoes Of which have died out IN the wallngS
OF famine, or been waited over the Atlantic, or
dIowned in the peanS OF peace and Joy that hailed
aQueen'S vi it and Crystal Paace-I know
what the slaves and towards will say. | know
their cruel cant. And | say 10 them again, that
had considered all that well and keenly |
feel what gulf yawS between the to day ol Ire
land, and the day when | was carried from my
home with chains upon my limbs, gulf deep as
the grave-back as the smoke Of IoplLt. have
heard of the iJiotic pEetence OF loyalty that the
Irish once more deluded, by British laSehood,
to make before their she tyrant.
| have read of their puny and false mimicry OF
that English humbug of all nations. Oh! l have
heard how Ireland is at last going 10 begin to be
amelioraed, for that two millions and half of her
law'ess Cells are iamshed to death or driven TO
seek livelihood in foreign lands-and how the
survivors begin to live bttter-and how ord
Lieutenant continues to encourage the nanuac.
ture of tabinet for the viceregal walScoat, and
how q Crystal Palace stands in Dutlln to display
the productions OF Ireland Or, mockery! the pro-
ductonS Of Ireland!-- but the committee have not
exhibited, as hear, the real staple and character
istic productions of that country; model pauperS
in Squalid rows-ranks OF humble tenants at will
with their hats in their hands-pyramids of eject
ment decrees--basins OF transparent poor house
Cruel, Ia great work of art)-cases OF furnishing
corpseS, TO show how lean an lTshmAn can walE
before lie dies, while all Engshman eaIs his bread
dead children, half gnawed hy wolf mothers
there were an exposition of Irish industry Tor o
Queen of England 10 open in State--lhere were
the true mirror The countryS condition. (CheerS.)
But because this grSly picture is tue, it will be
carefully turned with its face to the wall, and all
manner Of glttering, latterIng lies, will take ITS
y. place. Let that Palace of falsehood sand while il
may--t is but glass Let the poor worShipperS
of that obscene golden image which the Prince
Albert has set up, wallow and grovel, eat dir
there, and crave the crumbs that fall from theiI
masters tables. / tell them that was ireer mar
IN the Bermuda hulk than the unhappy lrishmen
who sauner and smper in the Dublin CrySta
Palace, and make believe that they are loyal citi
2ens and members OF society. Their souls dwell
81 in hulk. Fiom the brown shades of Fasmanial
D woods i had cleaTer view of The great transac
tions and destnes ol mankind than they in the
centre of their vicious civilization, and amidst the
.0 crushing race of hungry candidates for ten thou
sand offccs--which are Englan brlbes and The
Devils. Loud cheers.l Therefore, you will see
that it is not in ignorance or orgetluness of wha
has been passing these late years, that dare ngair
to utter the creed of Irish nationalty--hat l. hal
your sympathy with irish rebellion. There are
lrishmen here to night-do you, my countrymen
tell me that our cause is lost forever? tCues o
no, mol and cheers. Is the history of Ireland over
then2 Doyou tell me to go back to my island
dungeon, and disturb no more the march OF Anglo.
Saxon civilization, and the Crystal Palace progress
OF the species2 Loud cheers. Forgive me the
question, my countrymen! Do not tour nearts lear
D. up at the very thought of the next European con-
iss RuIsioni Bear with me. have plunged at once
intothevery heart and centre of vabsorbing sub
ject. II has been the passion of my life; 1t has
been the dream of my prison hours by day ant
night. No wonder that rush SO eagerly TO NEE
your offered sympathy, my brother republicans -
And let me remind you that am not republican
becauseI was transported, but was transporter
,i"because was republican,. [Cheers.] No won
No. der gladly hasten 10 realize to myself the tul