The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-05-24
The Daily N ews.
THURSDAY MORNING, MAY "a, 1866.
Speech OF aIoad Centre Stephens.

Al the fcnian meeting at Jones' Woods, New
YORK; on the 10Th inst, Mr.. JAMES STEPHEN
spoke to the assemblage in substance as follows :
FRIENDS OF IRELAND Towards the close of De
cember, 1857, young Irishman called at my resi-
denco in Dublin, bringing me letters from Colonc
O'Mahoney and the late Colonel Duheny. He also
to the effect that an organization had been cstab
ta shed ;l IN America, of which Michael Dohony was
organization and direct it in ireland.
AT that tme tho cause of Ireland WAS go low al
home, as we'll as abroad in al! tho world that few
take part in it. They did not know tho people.
Ihe Irish people then, as over, wero sound. Their
neSrts were IN the right place, and they only re-
whom they could have confidence, to go to work
Tor that eternal cause of Ireland, which Is as
1resn as ever In their hearts to-day.
My knowledge of the country was extensiyd. On
my return to Ireland, after seven years OF exile,
the first thing did was to travel throughout the
country, in every direction to know tho people
and see what could bo done. I devoted whole
year to thnt during which year travelled over
tnlrty-hve hundred miles on foot. conscien-
tlously answered the letters Of my friends in
America, and, on certain conditi'rn' undertook to
organize forco of ton thousand mon in three
months in Ireland
Undertook to do moro At that time. Tho con-
ditions were two-fold FIRST, that should have
the absolute direction oi the organization. be-
ieye you know it a conspiracy. believe it
utterly impossible for an oppressed nationality to
organize such power as could effect it's indepen-
dence without conspiracy, and without one man
The second condition that l should bo cup
piled with a certain sum of money, monthly, for
the first three months; after which time, after
having organized ten thousand men, meant to
have made other proposals
sent a trusted friend, who has since beon in an
1gish sna prison. to America On the 18th of March,
III America-only q few devoted men, at tho head
OF whom WAS Michael Doheny, who had held to-
endeavored to keep the Irish people alive and
powerful there. Such as they were then, these
twenty or thirty men accepted my conditions, and
sent me a paper, endorsing, so far as they could
endorse it, my action in Ireland.
On the 18th Of March, then, 1858, began the
organization IN Ire land of conspiracy, rs have
said 1t was. And to be member of that conspira-
cy, it WAS necessary to take oath. You have
heard q great deal on the subject of this oath !;
but perhaps you have not heard my real reason
for making it an essential condition OF member
ship.
had been in the movement in 1913 with Smith
OBrien, and found that when we had one hun
dred, two hundred, or three hunpred men around
ns, il we happened to meet in any place with a
clergyman who happened to be opposed to the
movement, and spoke, against it, he was able to
scatter our forces. This was because the people
had not got the necessary training. 1t was ne.
cessary to make the people, in my mind, dstin-
and clergymen Of all classcs-the temporal and
the spiritual -ani we have invariably inculcated
on our friends the duty of giving obedience love,
devotion !; to their temporal character simply to
look on them as citizens Loud cheers.]
:. Without this training you never could have a
Iorce In Ireland Oh which you could rely. Zap
plause.] We then made the oath a condition of
membership, and we have continued to make it
30, aud it shall never be changed. [Applause1
The first instalment Of money sent mo from Anne
RIGA was ninety pounds, and was received on the
18th OF March, 1885, and the second iuetalment was
to have reached me a month from that, but the
months OF April, May, and June went by without
my having received anything. had to send out
my trusted friend the second timo to state the
case. g.,.
The report he brought of the organization to
York Init
was no organization in America at the time, he
TO- found it very difficult to get the necessary funds
nued TO work K, however, drawing on the resources
OF my friends at home i'll Ireland for this. l want
to make you understand that for every dollar
contributed ten; [Cheers.l
FINDING, by the month Of September, that the
promises made to me remained untitled, and
knowing that had organized more than ten,
times the force had undertaken to do, I felt the
necessity Of coming to America to lay the founda-
Trvsd o3 Of ogT NV work here In September 1855
icules to contend with here, Of which difficulties
do not caro- to speak at present, though, if neces
sary. shall make them all known to you. ["Leps
hear theml"l Not now; have too many other
points to touch on. " .
At length, however, was allowed to go to work
in America, and the irst man enrolled on this
continent was Michael Corcoran.
The speaker then proceeded to mako state
men! mens Regarding financial transactions, and con-
It 80 happened that one Of these delegates,
whilst in Ireland lost certain Documents That
was Mr. Meehan. [Sght disapprobation.
DON'T wish to say one word in disparagement OF
MIR. Meehan to-day, and wish thst no friend of
mine may do 30; but whilst am desirous not to
say ANYTHING against Mr.. Mechan here, it is alb
solutely necessary that the fact should be made
known, that the loss of those documents by him
was the immediate occ aston Of the arrests Of tho
fenian prisoners in Ireland. [Groansl
Not word, gentlemen, bog OF you. It is not
IN that spirit wish to speak to you. I will not
nave anybody here say word against Mr.. Nee
him, but If have wronged him will be very hap
py to make him ample reparation il he will oniy
favor me With a visit. [Cheers.] Ihave sent in
vitations to- all those gentlemen, Gen Sweeney,
Mr hoberts, mr. Meehau and others, to come aud
see me, but am very sorry to say that up to this
time very few OF them have come: The fault has
not been on my side. have mad all the ad-
duty and dignity [Applause
Wen, to return to my narrative, the arrests were
made, and the Government said irum pha antly that
all was over in Ireland. But 80 far from that be.
done in Ireland than after those arrests. I was
free myself, and while free am not used to be
idle. Laughter and cheers.] Shortly after the
government saw tho necessity of proclaminp
every county in ireland, one after another, be,
cause thoy felt that tho work was going on strong
Wy, ana that the only things we wanted, arms and
munitions or war, were coming into tho country
and that they could not prevent them from com,
ing in. VIII
The mon who wero in the service OF the Ir;sl
hepublic we're able to bufe them and get int. the
country whatever they required, and what thoy
wore able to do then they arc able to do to-day
[Great cheering.] There are those who cav that
even IL we had arms VIC could not get them into
Ireland. Do not allow yourselves TO be deceved
IN that way; let II man persll de Won that wa can