The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-06-04
GreMiua Teleataph
MONDAY, JUNE 4, 1866.
How the Fenian Invasion Must End

How the Fenian Invasion Must End.
Our contemporaries are filing their columns
with vast display headings on "War," "The New
War" and other bellieerent designations, for
the effort of the Fenians to invade the Canadas.
The public look with interest on every despatch,
and an opinion Is being fastened on the commu
nifty that the attack on Fort Erie is really the
initiation of new contest Through the in
terest excited and the attention paid to the
effort, the popular mind is turned away from
calm contemplation of what must, necessarily,
be the issue of such an abortion as an attempt
to capture the provinces by an unrecognized and
unsustained body OF men banded together as
secret society. Let us not be deluded with the
number of dispatches, the rumored size OF
the invading columns but look dispassiona.ely
at what reason must reveal to be the inevitable
result.
The Brotherhood. if united, would be power
full body of men. If Influenced by single pur-
pose, furnished with funds, arms, ammunition,
and leaders, it would be capable of reaching
Canada and holding Toronto for, say, three
months. But even then their success would
only be as lone-llved as the time occupied in
transporting an army from Great Britain. We
do not say this as a depreciation of Irish
courage for braver race never lived; buttwe
clothing, and keeping IN subordinaton vast
army of men whose very organization
is founded on lawlessness. If the Fenians
succeed in defeating the Canadian forces
in a single engagement, then that all the
British need do Is to stand quietly by and
let them ruin themselves. 1t will be the old
story of Bannockburn over again, and the
victors will once more disperse to despoil, and
I, oa 1,,itI 1,a 81
success will be their ruin. IT. on the other
hand, they meet with a defeat, the result will
be panic, for the invaders do not like VIII.
LIAM of Normandy, burn the vessels in which
they cross, but their insufficient means OF cross
ing the river or lake are carefully preserved in
case of disaster The consequence of defeat will
be general stampede tor the boats. The few
who reach them will escape to the United States;
the many who fail will be shot down, captured,
tried, and probably hung.
Nor can the Fenians themselves feel the least
surprised or have the least ground for indgna-
ton if such be the reward of capture. 1t may
be patriotic for them to deny that Great Britain
has right TO make laws for Ireland, but they
can have no su III ground for such statement in
regard to Canada. In attacking that place they
seek not so much to free their native land as to
revolutionists; if they succeed they are patriots,
if they fail they are felons, and deserve felons
death. And we predict that they win get their
deserts. From this it will be seen that any
Fenian setting out on this excursion 10 Canada
runs great risk, absolves himself from all the
protection of the United States and every other
power, and if he be shot down without trial or
warning there is none that can or will com
OF He Ia W nd
lection; he has no Government; and must either
protect himself or be without defense.
Suppose, tor the sake of a supposition, that the
Fenians defeat the militia, a very likely event,
that they advance on Toronto they capture the
city, and gain the grand object Of their effort.
What then? Do they hope to have Montreal in
their possession, and will they scale the heights
of Abraham and seek to take Quebec? We do
not think that even their daring will essay such
wild assault. If in the semibarbaric age of
the art of war, when the "good Queen Bess" and
the heavy ''blunderbuss" were the arms, and can
non was as likely to explode as be discharged,
the gallant WOLFE was Just able to capture the
city, what hope can the Fenians have when the
American Gibraltar is manned by thousands
fortified with all the impregnability of modern
science, and guarded by the Parrott and Dahl.
They might range the country, turn brigands
and murderers, be shot down singly and de.
clared outlaws but that could be their utmost
hope and that could only last until forces ar.
rT eu from England
The scheme, therefore, is mad one. Con
Ceived in folly it will be executed in daring, and
terminate in destruction. We therefore warn
our irish citizens against participating in this
FOLLY, and having its strokes fall on them. The
STEPHENS wing is led by one whom we believe
10 be a British spy; the SWEENEY wing is Off on
their wild flight; the OMAHoNY branch have
wasted all their funds and died. The whole
Fenian organization is exhausted. is II failure,
anG had better be at once dissolved. Let its
members, instead of wasting their money In
futile attempts to free Ireland, invest it in
Amerca-let them learn a trade, not drill.
Let them make this their home seek to rise in
the social scale send for their relatives in the
old country, and find, in their adopted land, a
peaceful, tree home, which is denied to them in
the Emerald Isle.
Democratic Affection for Our Soldiers.