Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-01-25
ColoaelB. >. Mullen Of the 6l.s Indiana n,

Colonel 3. y Mullen of the 6lstIudiana lshe
I'd Irish addressed his feIlow citizens in the hall
F OF the House Of Representatives on Thursday
night Last he mas effective. eioquent aud pat
rotc. lie demonstrated the duty % Iri-hmen
especially. in vindicaiion Of their traditiouary
and national courage which had been mpeachei
in some qisrters, to volunteer 10 tiis vsr- We
su9oin brief abstract OF ne Coioneps remarks
which received with applause throughout:
Colonel Mullen. introduced by Major Prosser.
said. he had been honored by the Executive OF
the State with the authority to raise and com
mand the ID regiment ofthe-lrish brigade of In
diana, and he here for the purpose of appeal
ing 10 his patriotic Irish fellow citizens TO aid and
: assist him in the enterprise. Although it was
late in the day. still he believed there patriot
ism enough among the lrIshmen OF Indiana 10
tl up rapidly the ranks of the 6lst. This il the
day and the hour for lrishmen become sol
diers-Irishmen who everywhere yearned for
liberty and who everywhere would fight and die
for liberty. THIS was the day and the hour
for them, 10 order TO strike at their old enemy
Great Britain. Some, he said. had charged him
with abandoing the Democratic party by entering
the service of the country
He frankly confessed that he had been Dem
Democrat. The principles of Democracy were
the same Yesterday, to-day and forever-eternal
and lmmutable These very principles taught us
TO be faithful to the Constitution, the Union and
the laws. 1t was this which prompted him to step
forward now in behalf of his bleeding country
He was one OF the ~. 900 Democrats in Indi-
ana who voted for John c. Breckinridge He did
not vote tor Breckenridge because he MAS Brock
nridge, or because he hailed from the gallant old
State of Kentucky. but because tue platform on
which he was nominated commanded bis admira
ton and support. He then and WAS now will
ling 20 give TO the South all the rights claimed for
her under the Constitution that Constitution
had been expounded 10y the courts of the country.
He did not vote for Mr. Lincoln or for Governor
Morton, but while these gentlemen carried in their
hands the beautiful tag OF his country he would
follow it to the death Southern politicians had
hattered Northern Democrats saving that they
had always been faithful to the rights oft the South
but now that the scepter OF power had departed
from them they asked US to become traitors-to
turn our backs upon the Institutions of fathers
He said not one inch would he 90 in that drec-
ton. He appealed to his young native American
citizens to rally in the support OF the Government
their fathers Tad made for them-a Government
where every man was sovereign. He appealed
to all citizens. native adopted. to rally in this
holy cause.
He spoke briefly of the arrest of Mason and Sill
volved in the controversy. He only knew of Eng
land deep reachery, and saia that of all the treat
les England had ever made, it was a notorious
fact that she had violated every one whenever her
own interests demanded IT, He pointed to tie
seige of the old city of Limerick. where England
with all her boosted power and courage failed to
subdue the gallant Irishmen behisd its walls
She entered into treaty with them. Irishmen
laid down their arms but England kept faithful
not one article other compact. "A gray old stone,
standing to day without the walls of Limerick, is
monument at once of the courage aud gallant
~ of lrishmen and the treachery and per6dy of
England.
He spoke of the courage of Irishmen every
where. He said that history was redolent with
the record of Irish gallantry Fontenoy to Lexng
ton. This courage only required discipline and
cultivation to make it effective, and he thought
that the time for Irishmen to enter the
ranks of the army of their adopted country and
cultivate that courage, vndicate the historic re-
nown of their glorious ancestry, and contribute
TO the preservation of the only free Government
in the world.
Colonel Mullen, continuing, spoke of RoberI
Emmett glorious name, dear and sacred to alt
Irishmen; one who held the hearts OF Irishmen
in his hand When arraigned before the courts
of England for treason, charged with being an
emiSsary of France, he was denied the poor priv-
lege of counsel to defend him. Emmet said as
eptaph until his own dear Ireland took her stand
among the nations of the earth. Emmett to-
night sleeps the sleep of death without stone to
mark his resting place; but the time is at hand
when the Irishmen of America will, with bright
bayonets in their hands, contribute TO restore the
nationality of their native country and write the
epitaph of Robert Emmett.
Col. Mullen, speaking of revolution, said he
freely admitted the right of revolution to every
oppressed people 1t was the only means to rid
down trodden people of an oppressive govern
ment but here where "ballots" should take the
! place of "bullets," he denied the right of any
! dsafected party to appeal to the latter. Jetfer-
son had said that revolutions were necessary to
purify the political atmosphere. Jefferson evident
~ meant the revolutions of the ballot-box. And
he. Col. Mullen, denounced severely the men en-
gagged in any attempt to redress their wrongs by
the cartridge box, when the peaceful alternative
of the ballot box open TO them. He was for
peace, If the rebels laid down their arms and dc
nnndedit, but il they preferred war; he was for
war to the knife. Under no circumstances would
he submit TO disunion-better revolution and
blood, and when baptized in blood. we would
come out purer, and with more wisdom for the
future.
The eloquent gentleman, whose remarks
throughout were received with approval and APP
pau>e by his audience, concluded, passing a high
eulogy on Governor Morton. Governor Morton
had treated him with great kindness and encour-
agement in the enterprise in which he was en-
gagged. and for this he thanked him. and he. Gov
Morton, deserved the thanks of every Irishman
in Indiana.