The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-02-27
FREEDOM FOR IRELAND.
JOHN MrTCHFL's VIEWS ON FENIANIsM-i
MANLY AND POWERFUL LETTER.

Tho last number of the Irish Citizen, pub
lished in New York, contains the following able
and Characteristic letter from its distinguished
editor, John Mitchell:
NEW YORK, February II, 1868
To John Martin, Of Ku6roney:
My DEAR MARTIN: 1t is hard 10 tell where
this letter will find you; probably in Dublin
iail, expiating your "msdemeanor' in leading
q mournful procession to do honor to three
Irishmen strangled in Manchester by the Eng
lish enemy, and then and there, by open and
advised speaking, deliberately declaring that
those three strangled persons were good and
brave men, and martyrs for their country
against the peace OF our Lady the Queen, &c.
But wherever you may be, feel impelled to
write to you about this wonderful phenome-
non of "Fenianism." In the United States
Fenianism is all in confusion and disarray; so
that the force of the great Irish clement here
ia completely neutralized, and for any Irish
purpose utterly unavailable. This is not be-
cause of the disunion, about which so much
lament is made, but because OF the original
vice OF the organization itself 1t was cstab-
lished upon wrong and false basis by that
wretched Stephens, namely-upon the project
Of immediate insurrection IN Ireland while
England is at peace-that insurrectIcn To be
aided by forces ana arms from this country,
contrary to the laws of the United States. The
project was in itself wild, and could only be
made to look feasible by systematic delusion
and imposture. Our people are credulous, eli-
thusiastic, impatient-a tempting material fol
the charlatan.
: Yet what devoted and gallant people No
braver men, no truer Eshmon ever gave theil
| lives for their country, than some of those who
went last year and tho year before to aid an in.
surrection in Ireland, deluded by false preten-
ces. False pretenccs have been the main ma
chinery of the organization from the Grst; peo-
plo in Ireland have been deluded by false re-
presentations OF the power and resources o
the Irish-American 'nation' here; and the
Irish Americans here have been grossly de.
ceived as to the power and resources of the
revolutionary element in Ireland. Yet it would
not be true to say that our countrymen were
deliberately cheating each other from the two
opposite sides OF the Atlantic. No; one mar
cheated them both, and created o system, anc
trained school OF delusion. which is only now
beginning to be completely blown.
| Nine years ago, to my knowledge, young
men, settled in western cities, wound up theil
business, sold everything they had, and start
Ell for Ireland on the faith of assurances thai
the insurrection was to break out that yeqr
And 80 it has been every year since; Mr.
Stephens Fenian army in Ireland was forever
on the point Of fighting the British army, ant
as our bold young men here have naturally
been desirous to be counted in for thnt pro
missed fight, the stream of Irish-Americans
still continued setting towards Ireland, unit
after our great war the stream almost became
a torrent. All these people were deceived b,
systematic falsehoods about the 'men a
home"
And the men at home were carefully taugh
to believe, that here in America was O grea
powerful Irish nation, with unlimited resourc
es, and an army and navy, both willing ant
able to give them important material aid, il
troops and arms, with the connivance, or eyel
in spite Of the United States Government
So they prepared for immediate fight, anc
wondered that the American army was not We
landed. And in all this there was no empt,
brayado, on the part of the deluded people
at either side of the ocean. They were ready
they are always ready and eager-they crave
they thirst and hunger, for but one chance o
fighting that same British army. Thousand
upon thousands Of stalwart men now on thi
continent would give their last dollar freely j
they could but make sure of seeing thcmselve
face to face with Queen Victoria's redcoats