New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-06-04
A BLARsTED BRITIsHER'' ON Mr.. STE
PHENs AND THE CRESCENT.

AA4aANA EAAtO AGAE GtNE2OGNAt
The readers of the CRESCENT are invited to the
| perusal of a communication, published in an nd
joining column, in relation to the abilities ana
character of Mr.. Stephens the Fenian chief Were
Mr.. Stephens less known, his motives and conduct
less understood We should hesitate to publish
denunciatiens Of him as an " imposter,' " swind-
ler" and sponge, !" under mn anonymous sig
nature but our rule that al sides may have a
hearing in the CRESCENT, can be adhered to with.
out Injustice to Mr. stephens, orepthets bestowed
upon him, without particle of proof to support
them, will be regarded as the rancorous effusions
of a national antipathy, aggravated by recent
Icauterizaton. When public accuser yituperatps
without proof, and with his visor closed. he can
not expect an impartial people to heed his words
The contents of this communication NAV be
briefly epitomized: An energetic assertion that
MI stephens is greater criminal than Guy
taWkes or Wat Tyler, greater ass than Lord
George Gordon, and greater lznave than John
Law broad travestie of Mr.. stephens's speech
az Jones's Wood, interspersed with inuendoes and
those epithets already referred to; expressions Of
sorrow, so natural in Englshmen, for the followers
OF Mr. Stephens in Ireland; an ungrateful fling at
the memory Of John Brown, that approved dis
ciple Of English abolitionism a most tender solci-
tude for the memory and fame of Cleburne, Finni.
gan, Nolan, Bowling and other Irish worthies of
the Southern army-a solicitude apprehensive that
the names of these men may be improperly asso.
eiated by the CRESCENT and an appeal to the
Judgment the Southern people from our bilious"
and prejudieed 2 estimate Of the England Of to.
day: Thesetare the contents
There 50. aa1o oT
the reputation Of Mr.. Stephens. There are other
! points, however, upon which something may be
said.
We scarcely think it becomes A Barstea
Britisher or any other upholder Of tile British
government to sermonize on political crimes.
Guy Fawkes and Wat Tyler may have been the
worst of men, but in their most wicked imaginings
they could conceive no atrooity Of which English
kings, English parliaments, English soldiers and
English statesmen have not proved themselves
capable. What can surpass the diabolism Of the
burning Of Joan Of Are for her love of country
What can equal the massacre of Glencoe, ordered
by William III ? Has any other nation. since tbe
christian era, been guilty of such deed al the
destruction of the Danish fleet in the harbor of
Copenhagen, and the murder of two Thousand
people IN the streets Of the town, without a
declaration OF war, without a word of warning /?
What savage mas thought of more horrible bar
barism than scattering sepoys in pieces by blow.
ing them from the cannon's mouth9 What
country has been ruled in such demoniae spirit
as ireland has been for seven hundred wears? Mfr
Stephens is neither an assassin, conspirator.
rioter, nor gambling sehemer, but if he were
aceusers must come into court with clean hands,
The military failures of others are not happy
themes for the ridicule of British writers TO-DAY.
" Blarsted Britishern must recollect how aNapier.
2 few years ago, sailed up the Baltic with the
greatest feet ever assembled, told his sailors TO
sharpen their cutlasses," looked at Cronstadt for
many month with his glass, and returned to the
Downs those redoubtable eutlasses as bright and
with an edge as undented as when they left the
grindstone 1t should be remembered that about
the same time, while the tri-color of France was
being planted in triumph on the Maakoff the great
buiwark OF Sebastopol the rampant British lion
was disgracefully flying from the Redan with
couchant tail. Smith 0'Briens attempt in '4s
was an utter failure, but not more shameful than
the retreat Of Napier from Constradt or the fight
Of Raglan from the Redan. Patriotic men of every
age have undergone trials and suffered calumnv
and contempt. The immortal Bruce had his failures
and disappointments, but persevered until he
Erung victory and crown from his English foes,
smith o'Brien's iasco at the cabbage garden was
lot unlike Louis Napoleons essay at Boulogne. vet
1ouis Napoleon to-day is master of Europe. and |
one await his imperial nod more subseryientIv
ian England herself. And so, one Of these days
OF very far Off, when Stephensrnles free Ireland,
ngiand will acknowledge those arguments af
ower, to which no people are more amenable.
English history is fun Of the a1iment on which
eptieism Of human virtue grows Henceitis NOT
rprising to find its students ready to attribpte
worthy motives for every act Among her
ost eminent men have been the basest and most
nal Of mankind. Her parlamentg have been
pght y foreign nations with gold. Her kings !,
We been the secret and greedy pensioners of a
ench menarch. Marlborough, her greatest hero,
lde sisters shame the foundation ofhis fortune
de money by the partiality Of coarty DANES for i
person; betrayed James to William; sought TO !
William to James, and when serving his eoun. :
disclosed alseeret to Louis XIV to secure the a
lighter of thousands Of his countrymen, in which
was successful. But all mankind are not
rupt or treaeherous, and the fact that Marl- u
opgh was base villain does not prove Stephens
7orthy Of confidence. fPat'su potatoe is better /
a that beef
T. 'blarsted Bfidshern appeals to the Southern Il
pie from our opinion of England. We con. g.
ntiously advise him to change the venue. He G
scarcely get verdict from them against us. -
speak squarely, we fancy they share some. if r. r.
all of our notions on the subject They =
lleet that abolitioniEn planted and fostered ~
lis country By England; that when the war A,
sought to provoke came, she prevented the cb
gnition Of Southern Independence that she a.
loneutrality laws against Alabamas or Floradas IA
estroy Federal shipping and make room for Ca
shipping that she had very decided neutrality M
against iron clads intended to do something "a,
J for the South than to help British trade oai
Mr.. Lincoln's emancipation proclamation was soT
uch to appease British demands as to conciliate =
'stic fanaticism; and that when Mason and IN,
Il were released upon the demand of Russell rot
London Times, the great organ of British fra
on, took the pains to assure the Southern peo rao
hat England would have done as much for Ian
negroes" There are other peoples beside the son
Who have reckonings to settle with the hae
- e0'eInlnens, the