Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1866-06-28
: Question for the Fsnians.

a Question for the Fsnians.
Nov that the grand invasion OF
c.n.ds hv the aarmies of Ireland"
has vanished away in smoke, and all
is again quiet upon the border, one
inquiry naturally arises, and that is,
wb.t 6as become or the vast sums Of
money, which Enthusiastic Irishmen
everywhere throughout the country
have contributed for this enterprise.
Where are the funds? Instead of
sbusiug the government for perform
ing its obvious and sworn dnty. the
Fenians would show their good sense.
by first calling their own leaders to
strict account fo- the manner in
which they have used the means
placed in their hands for the ibera-
ton of Ireland. For months they
have been pouring their money freely
into the Fenian treasury, until there
should have been a million or two
there, in addition to what has been
foolishly spent in keeping up mag
niicent headquarters for the so called
Irish Republic, in New York City.
Poor Irish laborers and servant girls
all over the country have denied
themselves many comfort, that they
might out Of their hard earnings con-
tribute something towards the re-
demption of Ireland. A very small
portionsof the money thus raised was
forwarded to the representatives of
the Feni2n cause in. ireland, but there
has never been any satisfactory ae-
count given, as to how it was used
and disposed OF after reaching Ire
land. But Whist has become of the
large sums placed in the hands of the
Fenian leaders in this country
Those who so freely and layishly
furnished that money should hold the
leaders to strict account for the
disbursement of it. We imagine
that an insight into the hooks of the
Fenian treasury would show some
strange developments. But where
are the funds? Very little was spent
in the late abortive movement upon
Canada The majority Of their vol
untee-s paid. their own fare to the
border and supported themselves
while there. for the rations furnished
them by the Fenian commissaries
were not sufficient to keep an army
of mice from starvation. At Buffalo
the volunteers were quartered on
their friends at st, AlbaRs the peo-
pie fed great many of the Fenians,
from charity or from hate of the
British, and all the provisions regu-
larry furnished by the leaders of the
expedition would not have fed their
army for single day. 1t is impos-
ible for the leaders to plead that they
had no means to feed their troops.
There was more money collected and
passed over to them, after the move
ment commenced, than all that was
spent in it. They did not even pay
the expenses of the men back to their
homes, but meanly left them to bear
the expenses themselves, or to &C
cept it as charity from the govern
ment whose laws they had just vio-
lated. Could anything be more con-
temptible than this: But what have |
the leaders of the Fenian movement |
done with the immense fund which |
for months they have been accumu-
lating out Of the savings OF the lower |
classes of the Irish throughout the |
country? This is the question that
should be pressed home upon them,
until fair and honest answer is !
given. They who contributed the |
funds, have a right to know what dis |
position has been made of them.
And if those leaders fail to give 4
full statement of the manner in which |
those funds have been used, the fair
presumption Is, that they have both !
betrayed and robbed their too con
fiding followers, and have made use I
of Irishmen's love for Ireland as the I
basis ofa grand swindling operation,
without parallel in any age. Keep
the question moving, what has be-
come of the Fenfan funds?