The Portland daily press., 1866-06-19
Fenianism.-An Inside view.-No. 3.
WASHINGTON. June 10. 1866.

"
To the Editor of the Press: |
To continue the sketch of the Fenian move |
ment from the point where 1 left it yesterday
1t is unnecessary to say that when the seces-
sion of the South occurred, the party led by
O'Mahony as well as that of which Roberts
was the leader, acknowledged the supremacy
of James Stephens and professed willingness
to abide by his decision. Col. O'Mahony full
ly appreciated the fact that the unfortunate
division in the ranks of the American Feni-
ans had essentially put veto upon any at
tempt at revolutionary rising in Ireland as
it was fact well understood that Ireland
could furnish but little excepting in men, de-
pending upon America for supplies, he Imme-
ately communicated with Stevens who fully
endorsed his cause and promised as soon as
possible to visit the United States and do
his best to harmonic differences. t-'
$ This promise of Mr.. Stephens was notfulfiill-
ed until May. In the meantime the Sweeny
faction, under the promise to seize one of the
British Provinces and make that base for
the attack of the British power by land and
sea, created very considerable degree of en-
thusiasm among the Irish population who
contributed very large amounts of money to
the Roberts treasury, diminishing the receipts
of the regular organization-alm to the
same extent. Nearly all the enthusiasm
seems to be monopolized by the party in favor
of Canadian invasion, which, as its deluded
friends insisted, was the party of action, while
that of O'Mahony was the waiting party
The great falling off of the contributions TO
the treasury at Union Square, at length be-
gan to alarm the leaders OF the legitimate or
ganization and some of them determined to
flank the Roberts and Sweeny party by Or
ganizing another party ofaction. Col. O'Ma-
hony, aided by Mr.. William Griffin, the Treas
urer, for a time resisted all their attempts and
remained true to the idea that Ireland, and
ireland only must be the battlefield. Gener-
al Mellen, the Secretary of War, resigned as is
supposed because his plan for an armed ex-
petition to some vulnerable point in the
British possessions was rejected Mr.. b. d.
Killian the Financial agent, renamed to effect
finally the entire ruin of the Union Square or
ganization. In a moment of weakness, as Mr..
Stevens says, Col. O'Mahony succumbed to
the persistent opportunities of Killian and
consented to fit out an expedition under the
command of the latter for the capture of the
island of Grand Menan. The expedition was
stupidity planned, stupidity concocted, and
proved farce which failed before the first
scare was over; but it accomplished two OBJ
jects, it reduced the regular organization to
the level of the Roberts faction and served the
purpose of the Confederation party ofaNew
Brunswick, who needed just this to give them
show for success. Thus the Killian expedi-
ton did nobody any material good and only
served to dishearten the friends of the United
States in the threatened province; and it is
widely believed, without positive proof to sup
port the belief, that the men who organized
the Grand Menan expedition were drawn in
to this eggregrious folly by the promises and
encouragement received by leading Cohfeder-
ationists. ga q Gc
Just upon the heels of the Grand Menan
failure, Mr.. Stevens arrived in New York.
and, as may be supposed, found matters in
the direst state of confusion. At his sqgges-
ton Col O'MahOny resigned his Office of Head
Centre; the Union Square organization was
entirely broken up, and nothing remained ex-
cepting the Chief Organizer himself and the
district and local centres scattered over the
country. The Roberts men essentially repu-
dated the authority of Stephens; they had
fon for fo Ind hon bod in,
their intention to invade Canada. Their de-
luded adherents followed their lead, and with
only the shadow of an organization they rush
ed like mob over the border, to confront, not
the slightest prospect of success, but the dam
ger Of leaving their bodies to rot in Canadian
soil. The whole expedition was conducted
without ability, without means. without a
definite purpose, without an effective organ
ization, civil or military; its history is too re-
cent to need recapitulation. 1t proved the
death blow to the Roberts and Sweeney fac
ton, and the entire organization is now in
the hands of Mr.. James Stephens and his
friends, who will be guilty of no breach OF
the Neutrality Laws.
1t is by no means true that the end Of the Fee
MAN movement has been reached. There are
many hundreds of local circles in the country,
comprising many thousands Of members who
adhere to the Stephens policy, and are will
ing to give the Chief Organizer their support
Col. OMahony, the most influential Fenian
in America, still sustains Mr.. Stephens and
possesses his entire confidence; under their
Ioadarcbip M moro rails ,,,,ov, fJ,o
of friendly power can be made; they mean
only to fight in Ireland, and they do not mean
to involve the American Government in the
quarrel. Mr.. Stephens was very kindly re
ceived in Washington, and held many very
satisfactory interviews with ourleading states
men; he is shortly to return to New York,
and from thence, if circumstances will permit,
he will make the tour of the West, where his
friends and supporters are counted by thou
sands.
The Roberts faction having sought and ac-
complished its own destruction, the wide field
is left entirely in the possession of Stephens
and his friends. To sum up the whole mat
ter, the Canadian invasion served only to in
crease the power of the Confederation Party
in the Provinces, and did more real harm to
the United States than to the Canadians. I'll
the leaders of this movement, from Roberts to
Killian, were not acting in conjunction with
the Confedcrationists, they were playing its
game, and their poor ignorant followers, who
gave their money and risked their lives, were
most egregiously cheated by promises which
no sensible man would rely upon, and by the