The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-04-26
The Fenfans i'm Trouble--yyhat are They
Going to Dol

The Fentans I'm Trouble--What are They
Going to Dot
There is great deal of bubble, bubble, toll
and trouble just at present among the ferociOus
Fenians. They are getting into an exceedingly
tight place. People who have subscribed libe-
rally for the liberation of Ireland are begin
ming to want their money back. Ten millions
of dollars have been collected by the O'Robers
and OMahony factions; but there is nothing to
show for it. Everything has been promised,
but nothing has been done. We have had no
Fenian expeditions no Fenian privateers, no
Fenian invasion of Canada. There has been
plenty Of talking, but no fighting. The few
dozen Fenians sent to the Canada border are
hardly enough to provoke sneer. The exploit
Of capturing q revenue flag on an island where
there was nobody to defend it sheds no glory
upon the Fenian arms The firing Of pistol at
. Canadian sentinel was more oowardly than
courageous. From the very commencement
Of the excitement the Fenians have been
as peaceable as lambs or calves or DON
keys. They quarrelled among themselves;
but even then there was not head
broken nor an eye blackened. They seem more
fond of exchanging hard words than hard
blows but this does not satisfy the subscribers
to their funds. To say that we are surprised
at all this does not adequately express our
feelings. The Fenians are mostly Irishmen,
and Irishmen are nothing if not combative,
and yet there have been no scrimmages. This
must be the fault of the leaders; for the great
body of the Fenians appear to be sturdy, ear
nest, determined fellows ready for anything or
anybody. To the leaders, therefore, we ad-
dress this warning. If they do not carry out
their projects within very few days Secretary
Seward will be after them with sharp stick.
He has just settled the Mexican question, and
now he is prepared to grapple with the Fenian
question. He is just recovering from an an
noying illness; his temper is now none of the
best, and we pity the Fenian leaders if they
chance to fall into his hands
In this dilemma, with the Scylla OF Secretary
Seward on the one side and the Charybdis of
popular disappointment and Indignation on
the other, what are the Fenan leaders going to
do? Three courses Of conduct are open to
them. Having plenty Of money, plenty of
arms and plenty Of men, they can strike bold
blow some time this week and so get ahead of
the Secretary of State. Perhaps they may
capture Canada; perhaps they can pick up a
loose island or two, like Bermuda or New
lonhdland; but at any rate they can do some-
thing if they have the inclination, which many
sensible people exceedingly doubt Whether
the capture of Canada or of any other place will
assist Ireland in any way is. another question.
The Fenian leaders have declared that ii will
and we hold them to their word. To so and
fight somebody; to win victory or get nobly
whipped; to fulfil their promises or die game
that is one course which the Fenian leaders
may pursue. If they do not like this pro.
gramme and have q not unnatural objection to
becoming martyrs, there is another plan which
may be more to their taste. During the last
Irish rebellion, in 1848, considerable sum of
money, amounting perhaps to two hundred
thousand dollars, was collected. When the
affair had reached its limits, about twenty
thousand dollars was devoted to the
getting up of sort of sham raid upon
Canada, and the balance, safely invested an
railroad and other stocks, has supported some
Of the agitators in peace and plenty ever
since. This game can hardly be played 80
well with such an immense sum as ten millions;
but still it might be tried. Information as TO
.ho details could probably be obtained of Mr..
Horace Greeley, one OF the trustees OF tue
Slievegammon fund. The Juror raised by some
Of the Fenians at Eastport suggests that the
leaders have already adopted this mode Of
fizzling out; but still the operation is very
delicate one, and Is calculated to arouse very
bitter feelings among people who will think
themselves swindled. Before deciding upon it.
therefore. We advise the Fenian leaders to con-
suit with Mr.. Greeley, who has passed through
one such crisis and can give them many useful
hints.
The third course is not so very dissimilar
to the second. When Kossuth was here he
made great speeches, thought that he knew
more than Washington, declared that Louis
Napoleon would not remain in power more
than a month"; and so managed to scrspo
together great deal OF money Then he pur-
chased lot of saddles and brides for
mythical horses, and quietly departed for
parts unknown under the strange cognomen
of John Smith. Fortunately there are cog
nomens of this description for all the
Fenian leaders. O'Mahony may be John
Smith, ORoberts may be John Jones, d. Doran
Kilian may disguise himself rs John Brown.
and there are Robinson and oIhor such names 10
spare. Here, then, are the three horns of the
Fenian dilemma: the leaders may fight, or they
may fund the money, or they may run away
with It, We do not advise them what to do,
but we warn them to do something forthwith,
or Secretary Seward will arrest every one of
the Alabama damages or to loan to Juarez. In
his present humor he will stand no trihing.
He who has triumphed over Napoleon and