The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-08-11

on spectaoles.l
Mr.Hogan then read as follows bis remarks
being frequently interrupted by applause:
Now, as to the fenians, the invasion OF Can
ada, and the presidents intsrposltion, wish
to say few words:
The invasion of Canada, at the time an d
under the circumstances, did not, i appre
: bend, meet the hearty concurrence and cordi
al support of all the friends of Irish liberty
and nationality, either in this country or al
home Applause. Indeed many of the
most thoughtful fenians In this country
themselves deemed ID rather ill.adyised and
premature.
But do not wish to enter into this quarrel
| or reopen any scores. l am an freshman the
| friend of ireland and the Irish: l there
] drew nv first breath. My mother lies buried
| beneath its green sod. and there sleep my an
cestors. l feel the sorrows of my native
land. long. az do all, for her freedom from
the thraldom which for hundreds of years,
has crushed her, and caused the repatriation
| of her brave sons and beautiful daughters
until, in all the civilized lands OF the earth,
| the Irish are be found, cultivating the arts,
| enrlchIng the literature, adjoining all the
learned professions, developing the industry,
or working the soils of their adopted ooun.
| tries, and on all proper occasions illustrating
the bravery, the fearless disregard of danger
| the prowess, the dash, the courage, the devo.
tion which has ever characterized the race
from the earliest periods to the present hour.
But. while l feel all this and much more,
| may still question whether the time for this
last stroke had come, whether the place was
| ftly chosen, and the leaders of the movement
| adequate TO the task they had undertaken
But what l now wish chiefly to speak to you
about is the action of the president OF the
United States in the matter, and the use which
| certain persons seek to make of that action
| to inspire lrishmen with prejudice against
| him, and, If passible turn them to tho sup
| port of his opponents.
! Now, these two points desire SO to elabor-
| as that my countrymen here and elsewhere
may properly appreciate the position, and,
acting calmly, dispsssionately, understand
| ly, arrive at proper conclusions. What, then
| has President johnson done in reference to
| the fsnians?
Voice-He refused to let them 90 to Cana
da
Mr.. Hogau-Now, every one of you knows
that if the Irish element had been allowed
TO go to Canada there would not have been u
grease spot left. Laughter and cheers
He issued a proclamation of neutrality"
and forbade the invasion of Canada by armed
forces from the United States. But you may
ask why did he do this. Why did he not let
them 60, and wipe out the British power on
our northern border?
Simply because the law required him to
do so. lie was sworn TO execute the laws
He did not make them. He could not rep val
them. He must enforce them while upon
the statute book, and, my friends, had he
failed to do 1t, the very men who now abuse
him and seek TO get up bad feeling among
the tenlans against him, because of its on
forcement, would have been the first to have
denounced him for the neglect and no doub.
would have tried to Impeach him for failing
. enforce the laws. Applause and cries OF
that's go" We were at peace with Eng.
land No invasion of her soil by hostile
armies from our shores could pe permitted
Wi thout rendering the presidents liable for
failure to prevent such. But besides this,
the time was most inopportune. We have
JUS gone through great war. The course
or England in that struggle has been the oc-
casion Of remark. She too has her neutral
ity laws" yet she failed ID enforce them -
She permitted in her ports, while profsssedly
at peace with US, vessels to be fitted out to
prey upon our commerce. We have a right
10 claim of her reparation for the wrongs she
permitted - be inflicted upon us by reason
of her non enforcement of her laws have
reason to believe our government has de-
manded payment for those damages, and
that demand will be enforced. Now, if,
pending those negotiations, we had ourselves
permitted, or even winked at analogous VIC
latlons of similar laws, how could we enforce
our claims! And this invasion was therefore
Ill advised and inopportune, and for this
reason the president must forbid it. He dare
not at that period sllow the advantages pos
sessed by Us TO be wrested from us by anv
body of men. And / am free 10 say that it
looks little as if some of the prims movers
ia this matter only labored to thwart the
purposes of the president and bring him into
e dilemma for his own injury.
II he failed TO enforce the neutrality
laws" and thus lost the vantage ground we
possessed In our neg citations with and de-
mands upon the English government, then
ais oppon ents would accuse him of great err
ror aud weakness, with dereliction of duty,
maifessancs in office, and failure to enforce
the laws, and then they coaId and would
''impsach" him and remove him from Office
On the other hand, if the fenian leaders
would be induced 20 go on, and ON one pre-
text or another get up furore amongst the
Irish people, ardent, impulsive, as they are
known to be, and the president, then, as soon
ms possible, when the overt act is performed
shall forbid the contamination and stop the
invasion. then they will raise cry against
him beeause he has done this denouuce him
as having no friendship for the Irish, who
IN the main are his supporters and if this
large element can be drawn from the ranks
of the conservatives, where they have here
tofore been found and transferred by iattery
or otherwise in the rapidly depicting columns
of the radicals, it may secure the continued
ascendency of this party and assure them OF
one more victory.
This looks very much to me as if it was
the anlmus of the movement, in the minds
OF some of the chief operators or wire pull
lers, and this idea is greatly streug thened by
the later commin Cling of some OF the chiefs
OF the apparently discordant elements.
But there was another motive which doubt
less actuated the president and induced the
issue of this proclamation-that is human.
ty. He knew well the intrepidity and valor
which characterized the Irish troops in our
late struggle. Well read in history, he was
conversant with this characteristic of our
race on every battle field, either at home or
abroad.
He knew that, under existing circum stan
ces and laws, the men from this side engaged
must fight under great disadvantages that
multitudss must unnecessarily
suffer or be slain /; families would thus be
made to mourn our country, after having
lost SO many, would be still further depleted