Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1866-03-23
To ITishRen,

, man,-one well known to US and esteeme
, by all who know him
To Iri.hnen.
BeloTed CouHtrymeH:
Though one Of the oldes
Irishmen now amongst you. and hope ca
say, one Of the sincerest in his attachments {
his natire land. L have foreborne to say anything
on the question tha; now so sbsorbs you
thoughts and your hopes.
Could Irishmen feel towards English rule a
scotchmen dol would deem it every way unuis'
to ask separation from England. But, whether
for or against reason, the hate of the Catholic:
Of ireland is not to be softened-csnnot be soft,
eael towards British rule. could show why,
but it would lead me from my present purpose.
That purpose is to say word by way of dissusd-
ing from your attempts to dssever the cOnnec-
tomas l am positive such attempts at present
are hopeless
lst. If the Irish are to become an independent
nstion, it cannot be effected in the present msde.
/ On the grand error Of the American people, in
the earlier stages Of Que civil Tar-giYing pub
heity to their strategy and plans-ihe Fenians
are abunian;ly enlarging. What can we hope
i0r, when not only the causes Of our grievances
are made public, but to the modes Of our redress
We give universal publicity Every reader in
England knows as well what the Fenians intend
TO DO as the Head Centre himself And is
Great Britain the nation to allow these schemes
to be carried out with impunity' CountrYmeu,
Why should you follow men who inform your foe
when and how you are to strike Yet, every
thing is stated, or intimatei, as if publicity was
iaseparable from success. II the world in gen
eral has no special right to know my secrets in
particular. on what ground has the Government
Iwould overthrow. right to be informed when
and by what means shall accon. plish that
work \ chill can sni the nest Of the caek-
ling hen. And will no; cautious and well
armed government Ike Great Britain strike Ia
tally tie raw material collected for its over
threw
The newspaper called the Irish People,"
brought OIL the Fsnians' premature disaster in
this way at home, and as appears from its col
umus in its new ABIDE, It has learned 10 pru-
dence from that disaster. How dares it spread
the purposes Of tie Fenians to the worldg Who
can follow with hope men that win do SO
u. The scheme IS viewed AT home by sll
mn Of solid sagac,ty as Wild and chimerical.
Look, as an example, at the vote in the
British Commons on the suspension Of the
Hijeas C5rIu, in Ireland. In that Body, whore
there are one hundred Irish members, almost
every ore Of whom is q friend to- Y
only SIR protested against that suspension.
Nor they from any hope Of Fenianism for they
were agreed in denouncing that but that such
a measure should not he adopted uuaecompan-
led by one word Of hope for the Irish future.
By this suspension all thoughtful men, in and
out Of Parliament. see no real i'll to Ireland
To all such it speaks but one lAnguage-"eOun-
terwork the schemes Of foreign cnss.ries so free
ly mingiing amongst the Catholic peasants to in
duce them to revolt" And to what would |
such revolt lead' Only to c great destruction |
q property, & useless slaughter Of the Catholic
people and an excuse to the Orangemen to bind |
that people more rigidly FOR time to come under
British misrule. What friend Of ireland wishes !
to see such result7 Ah, my countrymen, let
US not forget the maxim Of our early school-book:
g Z IS better 10 sH ,iiH, than 70 riss up and
r4H."
But, IN ireland, the danger is past. So eI-
pert was the Irish Government that in less
than three days after it was armed with this
power every dangerous foreigner was in prison
or, which was the same to the Government, was
seeking fight Now. II the enterprise in Ire
land IS essentially defeated. to what coed can 1t
be prolonged herel
81 The Catholic clergy are almost all OP-
posed to the movement. Why? Because they
love British rule' Because they, spaniel like,
would fsvn on the infolent Saxon? woald they
not accept an Irish Republic republic where
theirs would be the established rsligion-wh0re
instead Of the miserable stipend on which they
subsist now, the ample tithcs flowing into the
treasury Of the Protestant Church would be re-
appropriated to seir own Why then are they
opposed They see, what evcty sasaeious man
secs, that no dream Of the human Imagination
was ever more oundationless than the Fenian |
And. ike the good mother before
Solomon, they, to save the life Of the child,
would give it up. What but tbs motive can
move the Irish Catholic clergy of the United
States? Couttrymen, they are your friends
In their discussions they would save to your |
own proper use your personal earnings. They |
would save your time for noedful toll; they |
would save your heart from needless distractions |
and, far most Of all, they would save our be- |
loved native land from crushing defeat and |
greatly increased stringency Of Irish misrule.
Elk. |
N,r.b 14tL 1886