Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-06-12
THE LEADER LEADS.
rae CampaIgn of pigeon HlIi.

proved a moro ridiculous iasco than the
Fort Erie campaign or the Campo bello
fzzle. The invasion of the township of
St Armand il Lower Canada, and the oc-
cupation of the four corners known by the
title of Slab City and the eminence digni-
fed by the ~euphoneous name of Pigeon
Hill, is a fit sequel to,O'NeiIs insane foray
into Upper Canada and Killian's ridicu-
leus expedition against New Brunswick.
Had the Fenians shown as much address
as they have enthusiasm the movement
against Lower Canada might have been
made g serious affair. 1t is estimated
that Sweeny had, scattered along tine Dor
der from Potsdam Junction and Malone to
ST. Adams, from ten TO fifteen thousand
men. Had these men, instead of being
scattered along a frontof forty miles, been
concentrated at one point, had the rein
forcements which have for a fortnight
filled every northward bound train been
Forwarded before q blow had been struck,
and had the movement been made at the
time that O'Nel captured Fort Erie, the
demonstration would have assumed far
different proportions. Instead of this,
Swseny dispersed his army in bands, with
out morale ordiscipline along the frontiers
Instead of striking promptly, he waited,
when TO wait was ruin-waited until
Canada was fully reused, until
British troops had concentrated against
him to the number of twice his own army,
until the American government was
forced TO take ccgnizance of his move
ment, until the President had issued his
p proclamation, until Meade had arrived on
the frontier, until his ammunition and
muskets had been seized by the govern
ment until all his reinforcements had
been cut of, until he himself had been ar
rested, until his men, discouraged, dis
gusted, leaderless, were scattering off
hnuaamard-A At this mnnnAnt7 whom poe
sible success has been transformed into
inevitable failure, a few hundred Of his
men march two or three milss across the
line, scare away a score of Canadian vol
u~nteers, accupy the hamlets of Slab City
and Pigeon Hill, and then scamper back
again to the protecting agis of the United
States. Is this farcical affair a serious
movement, or is there a swindle at the
bottom of it? 1t certainly looks TO as
very much as though the whole demon
stration had been arranged by its leaders
simply to dupe the Fenians, and to afford
a pretext for the disappearance of the
funds, Just as a villain sometimes burns
down his store or house or office to cover
fraud. 1t certainly looks rs though all
this delay were Intentional, and as though
Sweeny meant to be arrested and have
his announced purposes thwsrted. Had
such been his deliberate intention hecould
not have managed better to carry it out.
The scene of Spears invasion is the
county of Mississiquoi, Lower Canada,
nearly opposite St Adams. In the i'm
mediate vicinity of the latter place, be-
tween it and the border, fourteen miles
distant from it, there have been concen-
trated from two to five thousand Fenians,
which constituted the fright wing of
their army, under Gen. Spear. Not over
two or three hundred, however, were with
that officer in his attack, the rest having
become scattered and d~emoralized. This
handful of men moved from Franklin,
Vermont, two miles south of the border, |
on Friday. and occupied Frelighsburg, or |
Slab City, and Pigeon Hill, driving away
a squad of Canadian troops, Here
they remained inactive til the next
day, waiting for supplies and re- enforce
ments, but, receiving none, they retreated
to ST. Adams, and Spear and staff sur
rendered to the United States authorities.
The st. Albans Fenians are now scatter
ing home as rapidly as possible, and all
trouble in hat quarter is over. AT
Malone there are still a number Of Fenians,
who may make some equally absurd
demonstration but it is not probable. For
al practical purposes the Fenian invasion
is over.
HabeRS Corpus Suspended I'm Canatsa.
Our Canadian neighbors used, during
the late war, to sneer at Che people of
the United States because we found it
necessary, in the crisis of our great life
struggle, tos spend the operations of the
writ Of hd6eGs eorPus. Now, threatened
as they have been by a disorganized mob
of Fenians, they have done precisely the
same thing. The Canadian Parliament
met on Friday, and the bill ~suspending
the writ wa rushed through both its
branches under a suspension of the rules
and by a unanimous vote, and received
the royal assent at four o'clock Friday
afternoon It is an adaptation of the
bin passed by the English parliament in
February last for the suspension of the
corpus act in Ireland. By its
provisions, persons suspected Of commit 5
ting acts of hostility or of c~onspirins !
Her Majesty's Government may i
be detained in safe custody, without bail, 5
until the sth of June 1867, The Bill also
provides that the Governor may, by proc {
LamAtion, suspend its operation at any !
time during the year and again put it in /
operation, if NECESSITY arises. Commit 2
nents recognized by the Bill must be on I
oath, and by two magistrate or military
,fhcers; but if any commitment is not ;
,ountersigned by the Clerk of the Execu- Is
i've Council within fourteen days, the d
Act is not to affect the case. 0
Attorney General Macdonald also gave !
Of a bill applying to Lower Cana Il
the bill passed in 1898 in upper Cana y
for the punishment Of hostile msrau- !,
Iers. ca 80 :,
Hon. WIliamS S. Holman has been nom n