The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-06-09
President johnson ard the Fenians.


from the World.
The Tribune essails the Presidents proclama-
tion as having been too long deferred; alleging
that the forbearance and presumed connvance
of the Government have entced the Fenians
INTO an enterprise for which they are now to
be punished. That we may do our contempt.
rary no injustice, we copy the substance of its
remarks:-
"But the proclamation comes late. Fenian meet
ings have been held all over the country for many
months One powerful branch of the organization
openly avowed its purpose to attempt the liberation
of Ire and via Canada and to that end raised money
and set Oh foot well-known enterprises without
whisper OF opposition from the GoVernme 1T. 1t
vii. not be strange II the numerous BODY whose
proceedings received in this manner the tacit ap-
prova of the Government, ,shou d nc complain that
they were ured on to their destruction. they will
have some ground Tor asser;leg that they were en-
cOuraeed to expect liberation in every act not
openly hostile to the law aud they Will criticize
the proclamation of yesterday as the late
to srScS its for the
Suppression Of q movement 1T had nuIsed into
Colonel Roberts collected his followers in public
meetings the enterprise must necessarily have been
arrested at the outset, and would never have grown
INTO military organization, nor ever have alarmed
the hOuseholdeIs of Canada bv an lncuI sion across
the border Ihe lives of the men who wele sacrI-
feed an attempt that assumed the indifference OF
the President m Pit have been saved had the mask
OF difference been thrown off earlier
little la.er. Now. 1t need not amaze anybody if the
thousands men who, III this Fenian effort have
put at hazard their lives ana fortunes demand to
know the motive of what will seem TO them an un-
accountable vaclation IN policy and an unexpected
Uncertsinty of Executive purpose"
This censure seems to us i'll considered, for
reasons which we proceed to state. II the
Government had attempted TO suppress this
enterprise while it was mere military air.
castle, it wLuld have groped in darkness at
eveIy step. While no law had, as yet, been
violated, or violated in such guarded way as
to admit of no tangible proofs, there were
only two things the Government could have
done F; one of which would have been self
defeating, and the otner expensive. The
President might, at any time within the last
eight months, have issued a proclamation
but the only effect OF an earlier proclamation
would have been to envelope the whole mo ye.
ment in secresy. The Fenian organization em.
bodies, we suppose, al least hundred thou.
sand able-boded adults; brave, Jealous, and
stung with an intolerable sense OF British
wrong. So long as they. had violated no law,
the Government could have interposed only
by words of warning-a warning which could
have conveyed no information, as The Fenjans
were fully aware that their enterprise was lille
gal. The Fenians would thereU pon have shrouded
all then movements and intentions in darkness
and their enterprise would have been all the
more dangerous from the Imposslbility of esti
mating It's magnitude.
If proclamation had been issued earlier and
the organization had, In consequence, skunk into
concealment, the only preventive measure there
after in the power OF the Government, would
have been TO post a strong military force along
knowing what number of men would be sufi
cient, nor for what length of time they would
be needed, the Government might have been
burdened Tor years with entirely useless precau.
tjons. 1t was therefore better to lei the thing
proceed in open day, and come to a head in q
tangible shape. BY pursuing this method, the
Government has been able to act with intellt
gence, and, With comparatively little expense,
to extnguish the whole enterprise as soon as II
became dangerous.
These are sufficient Teas ms why the Govern
ment should not have interfered earlier; the
Fen'ans will be more inclined to ask why il
should have interfered at all. They need not be
informed that the law they have violated was
passed too LONG ago to have had any particular
reference to them. Nor has 1t been dead letter
duIlng the nearly fifty years it has been in thu
statute book. Thirty years ago. under Mr.. Val
Buren's administration, 1t was called into full
vigor along tine same Canad an border which
has now been disturbed; but, at that time
AGAINST excited citizens of American birth
Among the active sympathiZers with the ,'pa
trlots" were many old soldiers who had serve,
in Canada under General Scott, in the precedni
war with England.
General Scott was sent to the border to re
strain our citizens, and he told the soldiers VIII,
had served under him that they should not @
into Canada without passing over his BODY. Mi
Van Buren issued proclamation as Mr.. Johnso
has now. done; he sent troops TO the frontier
chartered STEAMBOATS, on the lakes, and Gale
npon the State Governors for their active C