The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1866-09-21
The Feuiau CONGRESS

During the past week, the presence of
the various delegations to the Fenian Con-
gress in Troy, KEEP. that usually quiet and
ssald city in state Of excitement not usu-
ally experienced there, IN addition to the
large iuilrx of parties accredited to the
Congress as representatives Of the Broth~
efhood there were many who had come
for the purpose Of gratifying their curiosi
ty with sight OF the leading spirits of the
movement, and to satisfy themselves per-
sonaliy as to the personal and calibre of
the men who are regarded as the types Of
an organization which has given to British
power and prestige on this Continent a
shock more severe than any that either
had suffered since the days Of the Ameri
can Revolution.
The attendance Of delegates was large
and respectable, nearly every State in the
Union being represented. Many of the
delegates present had participated in every
Congress Of the organization held since
that of Chicago. There was also among
them large proportion Of military men
principally officers corrected with the
forces engaged in the recent demonstration
against the British territory. Altogether
the Congress comprised within itself a
larger amount OF intelligence and aptitude
for work Of the kind before it than is gsp>
orally TO be found in bodies whose ele
ments are drawn together from various
distant points, at short notice; while ancth
er distinctive feature about it was the en-
thusiaslic spirit manifested by majority
Of the membe1d q the determination to
which they gaVak{pression on the part of
the mass Of the Brotherhood, to continue
their labors for the fberatictI of Ireland,
to follow up the programme adopted with
redoubled yigor until the end in view was
attained.
There was quite number Of Cana,iirn
and English agents in Troy DUNG the
week, many of the delegates recognizing
the faces Of men who had hung around
Buffalo and Malone during the '.invasion"
panic. But if they were there for the
purpose of obtaining, information, The re-
suit must have been disappointment to
them and their employers, as what they
could pick up must have proved unsatis,
factory both in quality and quantity.
Harmony Hall, in which the sit,ings
Of the Congress were held, is one of the
handsomest public rooms in the city Of
Troy, and is capable of seating some SIX
hundred persons. The ceilings. walls,
chandeliers, aud stage were most beauti
fully and tastefully decorated with w:eaths
of evergreens, and hung with portraits of
distinguished Irish patriots. Around the
walls were displayed shields bearing the
names of the thirty two counties in silver
and green scroll>work, while across the
room were hung the banners of the four
provinces, with protrait of President w &.
r. Roberts, wreathed in everg reens in the
centre. Ia the intervening spaces be
tween the portraits on the walls were
hung cards bearing patriotic notices;
while the banners of the Troy and Au-
burn Circles, and the green flag. and
guidons presented by the ladies to the
Troy Independent Cavalry Battalion, DIS
persed at various points of the hall pro.
duced a very pleasing effect. The stars
and stripes were displayed from the mus
ic gallery over the entrance 20 the nall.
On the rear wall, behind the speakers
chair. was the inscription
''Cead Mile Failthe;1
and at the opposite end Of the hall anoth.
er,
ireland shall be Free"
The decorations were the han9somes.
and most effective we ba7e ever seen Of
the kind, and reflected much credit both
on the taste aud patriotic feeling Of the
Misses Kenny, under whose supe.iatend.
ence the work was executed.
During the session of the Congress, the
"Sunburst'' f1oa,ed from the flagstaff on
top of the building by day, and the Irish
and American flags were strewn 1u unison
across the streets on either side.
The delegates commenced to arrive on
Tuesday morning; and early in the after
noon on that day temporary organiss.
ton was effected, Gen. NJ. G. Murphy,
the Speaker of the House Of Delegates.
calling the Convention TO order. A Com
mitee on Credentials was then appointed
by the delegates. consisting of one from
each State and District represented. The
Committee were occupied ill late hour
that evening, examining the credentials
yHp 80