Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1866-08-30
MfNG MIRIAM AND TIE F's;.
MANS.
"a Mo Edlter IN pemocrrt:

70 mo }suiler ~ nc I'CffDgrif:
The late attempt Of Hiram Price TO swim
de the FeuiAu Orsaniza'ioa into support
" h;s "royal policy" il 30 absurd land a.
tic same time So amrs,agl bat Il hardl,
needs attention: yet an expose Of tie ioas
candidates. deliberate ~ sgepre s,n;a,Ioss
may net be out Of place.
Ar. Frlce asserts esther ji'ectly or By
implic.iiouY tlat Andrew Johnson is no.
tie .ricul oi tue iIish posrll that She Red
ica,. ia Congress, are tier it.,nds snd tia
this party attempted to secure such re-
modelling Of the neutrality laws ~ 10 give
essential aid 10 the Fsnlans. lie also pa>
thetically referred 10 his own strong person.
al friendship for the Irish.
l believe il can be shown that one Of two
propositions is true. whether that Mr..
Price told delibsl ate fslseheods, Or that ho
10 incxcusably ignorant of the subjects with
which, a. zone II our ablest Congress
men" % hs has To deal.
The Fenian invasion Of Canada comment
ced q bclicve) carly in June last A strin,
gent neutrality law which had stood upon
our statute books unchanged for almost fifty
years. was yet in force President john.
son, who bad sworn to support the laws aud
zee them faithfully executed, hal no choice
but 20 enforce this one; and keep
ing strictly within the line OF his duty
hs did enforce it in the sigh. manner
At tlis time We find the Radicals with .
twothird majority in Cong css. and little
did thew care about the Odd lrisls." They
had il IN their power, al any time. 10 have
modified the neutrality laws 50 ~ to have
given substantial AID " the fcnians; but
they did nothing On the llth Of June.
1860. Mr.. Ancona, n Democrat Of Psnnsyl
vana, made tho first movement 10 Congress
about fenian matters, and that in . very
practical and substantial msncr, viz: lie
offered resolution with = preamble reel
ting British ou,ragss upon 1rcland.) to in>
struc, tho Committee ON Foreign Affairs to
report bill TO repeal the neutrality Law,
"under tho terms Of which the Presidents
proclamation against the Fenisns was 10.
sued" Some one Of The X ideals moved 10
10y the resolution on the table. bot o,hers
preferred to dodgs the issue; aud after an
amendment bad been moved the whole mat
Ter was referred 70 the Committee on For>
eign Relations, Of which General nsnks was
chairman. Like Ill the committeeA the tina
jority Of this was composed Of Radicals. -
Had they desired 10 afford any aid 70 the
iiish they might have reported . I'LL in
thee days, and enacted . .aw that would
have made the proclamation null; but moth
ing wns heard hom them until more than
siy scs.ks .tiawarjs DULY 46th. u thr
ln,an,isu on The a5,h Of June, Nr. JIogan
lhimseifa member Of Congress and an ish
msn) asked leave 10 offer resolution re-.
qucsting the President III not incompatible
Va He. ts,SA s..f ~
house what steps. if any, bad been taken
by the Government Tor the release Of
The Icnian prisoners in Canada. -
lis Object was u obtain infossnslOu for
the anxious friends and relatives ~ those
prisoners * to their probable fate But thc
RADICALS refused 70 receive the resolution,
nor would they make the inquiry Of the
Pr sidcnt until sc.tral weeks afterwards.
Finally on the 20lh ol July, the Committee
on Foreign Affairs reported ball. not to r.
psH the neutrality laws - Antona had
r,"l'"sod. but making slight modiiicatiels
Of them.
al, lirst section Of the old law. passed
April 20th. 1878. e U. $. s,at. Al Large I
=. 40 prohibited any citizen from exe,.
cis'ng commission within the I'm ted
Siaiss, DC, To serve q forsieR state, Sc
This -cc,on ~ retained ~ the bhl seeortcd
L, hanks. There 10 TO important change
~ the other provision as I, the dutlcs u
citizens towards loreisn governments.
" adds one provision III section 10 40
ioiloAs Ste. 10 Ind IL 4 f.tu. en-
acted. That hothin. IN tins Aet VI any obs
'ef EXISTING law stai, he 90 construed = 10
'prehih't cnikcns ot the unitesi States from
sc mag vcss Is, ships ., steamers, bul,
"itl''n the limits thereof, OF lnas,rlais. ~
n'pns.'o9s OF War. tho grow ia or pscslu,t
''o' the same II the InhMh tsnts of otk<f'
countries, or 10 gosern,nsnta nes nj war
with the United States: Provided, That
".,e operation Of tbs section Of this oct
"shall DC suspended Ly the President with
regard 10 any classes Of purchases, where
IN or wherever the maintenance Of friendly
~ atlons With Any foreign nation may, IN
III. judgment, require il"
la iact ths privileges cunisrr.tl by this sec.
.ion we're not denied 10y the o,d'law. h
commenting upoa this very section, General
banks, Chairman OF tho CONN ittes, laid =
at rs believed by many well-in issm,ed Il Pa
zens, that this right now exists but citi.
zens art prosecuted for its violation. and the
business Of the country 10 greatly impsded
~ this uncertainty, Therefore, 10 remove
all doubt, the committee have reported this
section.
Nv, Hiram Price tried to make his hear.
CTS believe tat this section part uiarly op-
Grated 40 = repeal Of obnoxious pIovisionS
of the n.utr,.i laws laws, gave great all
10 the laish. and Was "lhc glory Of Tho s9th
Congress. In sus,e general features the
reported bill IL III Improvement on the old
law, hut |, would be- ofuo mpre heWciiI 70
the Ecnlan movement. And il any merit
70 claimed for il VI Dsn,octats nost equal
ly sasre il, Tor every member in tho House,
81 both parties, vo,ed for il, except tksGo
who were absent " paired. The S~sats
did not pass the bill, and y u did not b,
come law. To review b,i,Ay,-ws see
that Democrat moved 20 repeal the neu
Mal.ty law entirely - that il was referred 10
Radical committee, that this committee
Radicals did not aid the Fenians at all.
The policy Of allowing armed expeditions
Of any kind TO operate here sgsiast friendly
nations may we'll Be doub ed. but II Il be
right and just. let not shy ssnct,monious
Puritan claim that Radical Congress At
attempted to initiate tho reform
As tc the President course in tho renian
movement, Mr. Price well knew he nisrcprc.
scented his actions and nlotivsa Dispassion.
etc men Of oil parties Recognise that he did
right. Tie musf execute tue laws, and had
he refused 60 do 50. Mr. Price and hs fellow
disunioni~ts would have besa glad enough
for that excuse to impeach him and in the
event Of his having failed to Interfere. -
unpopular Consequences had followed, Who
would more vociIcrously have rsn,ed against
him than King llisaS The President or
dered that these unsuccessful rsnians be
furnished free transportaeiou . sheir homes.
and has disected that al prosecutions against
tho prisoners be dismissed, - much noro
practical way Of showing eyupashy Dim
the radicals adopted. No, NJ. Price. your
Pump Congress had 80 much labor t. psr.
form in raising the pay Of its members, and
drawing II, that they could waste 10 time ON
Fcniana They would not even snske an
preparations TO pay the A,ncrican .oldicrs'
extra bounty, though they arc ent tied to
ths merit Of having made all necessary an
Preparations to feed southern negroes ANA
pay the laRy agents u the Freedncn's Ia.
rcau
the idea that Iii am Price u friend 10
the Irish or Germans either! About ten
years ago he wa, Hi avow.d member VI the
know Nothing party ''Grssd Mosul''
IN Know Nothing" Lodge, aud. Is have
been inform d, then said that his right arm
ohcUld withcr before he would support or
vote for a foreigner. lie dare not dcny his
connection with thai party, ard to-day h.