The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-08-18

war was waged for no purpose OF conquest OK
subjugation; but that At 10 waged solely Tor
the purpose of restoration Of this Union,
and that when that purpose was accomplish.
ed this war ought to cease, and ithe states
should be readmitted. Now the war has
ceased, and to use aIfamiliar phrase originated
| by my venerable friend, Col. Florence, whom
| I see in the distance "there is not rebel DO.
tween the Potomac and the Rio Grande;"
but those radicals who have just deserted the
marble halls of yonder capitol, would to God
| that most of them would never return y
| [Cheers.l You ought to respond to that SEN
timeut. and though this 10 not class meet.
ing. saw amen. Cries of Amen
They say that this war has not ceased, and
it shall not cease until they have obtained
another lease of power. A voice-"That
| won't be till the Irish help them" Mr.. Mo-
| Nerhany. The Irish never will help them
in this until they have degraded tho Irish
| character.
They say the war has not ended; that in
order to carry out the purposes they have in
| view, they are determined to keep out eleven
| II should say ten, for they have let in one)of
| the former rebsllious states. Whenever their
party's purposes are to be subserved these
states are to be regarded in the Union;
whenever an emancipation proclamation is
required to be ratified these states are in the
Union but whenever constitutionally elected
representatives of the people claim admission
to their seats in congress. they are ooolly told
| that the states they como here to represent
| are not In the Union. And thus the country
is kept in a state of feverish excitement. La
Dor is at q discount, trade is depressed, the
sails of commerce are furled, and we stand
| on the brink for bankruptcy and ruin. And
| while these radicals are carrying on another
war they make up new. but false, political
issue; they have fomented, kept alive, and
perpetuated these struggles, and now they
wish to create division in the ranks of the
National Union Conservative party, with
| which they know the great mass of the Irish
people, are allied, heart and soul. What is
the state of the case? Let US look into this
fenian movement. This fenian organization
I do not intend to tell any of its secrets
| it has been In operation several years-1 do In
tend to tell how many. 1t has grown in pow
Grand it has extended throughout the extent
of our vast territory till it has become great
and mighty power in the land. Unfortunately,
however, the foul spirit of discord has crGpt
into the organization that fool spirit of dis
union, which has been the most prolific of all
the ills of Ireland-that foul spirit takes hold
of the fenian organization and il become d.
vided.
There is Stephens wing and Roberts
wing Contributions have poured into this
fenian organization, and in the course Of
human events it becomes necessary that
something should be done. The great mas
ses, the honest masses, who contributed their
means and were ready to give their lives
these men demand that something shall be
done, and the Roberts wing undertake the
invasion of Canada. | shall not go into de-
tails. The soil is invaded, and the expedi-
ton turns out what, in the language of the
newspapers, is called fiaseo, or tsilure.-
! During several weeks, while these movements
/ were in preparation, and when the fenian
organization, If properly armed, equipped,
and provisioned had time TO seize all the
t prominent points in Canada, and, as my
friend from Missouri has very eloquently
SAID, they had force enough not 10 leave a
grease spot of Canada - Notwithstanding
this. the president of the United States, in
the exercise of what he deemed a high and
, solemn duty, in accordance with the oath he
had taken TO support the constitution and
the laws passed under 1.-THE president, |
say, issued u proclamation tor the preserva-
ton of the neutrality laws.
4 Now, say if he had not issued it, these
very men in congress, who are denouncing
him, would have censured him, would have
undertaken TO impesch him, as we know they
watched for the opportunity to do, because
! he did not enforce the laws upon the statute
books which they altered at the last NOM nt ,
with the expectation Of capturing few Irish
votes. Now, you may say this country
: should maintain her neutrality laws as Eng
land did. In reply, I say, because England
did wrong it would not justify in failing
to do right. We can demand redress for the
wrong England has perpetrated, and we can
insist IN her doing US right. The president
did right, because he did his duty as imposed
upon him by solemn oath. Where is there
right thinking man who will blame him.
snd where is not the radical who would not
have blamed him had he failed to execute the
laws? All the antecedents of Andrew John
son show that he is the true friend and elo
quent champion of the rights and interests
of the Irish people.
, If there is public man upon the face of
this earth, and exclaim in the sincerity of
j my heart-and point to the record to prove
: tiff there be public man in the United
States entitled to the gratitude and lasting
love of the Irish people. that man is Andrew
l johnson. In storm and sunshine. in pros
perity and in adversely, through good aud
D evil report, at all times and under all cir
cuustances he has stood up manfully and
3 bravely in defence of the just claims of tho
Irish citizens, and of every man, of whatev er
nationality, who had sworn allegiance to the
United States.
Do you not remember when, little more
than ten years ago. the standard Of persecu.
ton was raised against a man because his
eyes had opened in another land, or he
chose to worship God in another way? Do
you not remember at that time when this
very man Banks, of Massachusetts, and Will
son, and the radical leaders, who now with
so much hypocritical cant profess to be the
} exclusive friends of the Irish-do you not
remember, say. when these mon were lead
ing on the New England fanatics Do you
not remember that Andrew johnson, of Ten
3 nessee, with Henry A. Wise, of Virginia
(rebel though the latter be, | will give him
+ honor for that stood up like wall of fire,
like wall Of adamant and rolled back this
!, devastating tide of know nottingham, which
sought to enguf and ruin the republic? It
is too late in the day for the latter day saints
of the republican psrty-for these professed
guardian angels OF the Irish ctizens-pretty
angels they are God cave US from all such
! angels IL say it is toe late IN the day for
those people to come forward and attempt to
win the affections of the Irish people from
the great conservative party OF which An
drew johnson ia the founder and glorious
, representative. FChesrs. 1t cannot be done.