The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-06-06
Dominion of Canada.
THE LAST SCARE.

AhI LAoI SCARE.
The annual Fenian excitement is again
asitatmg our Canadian neighbors The
whole country is in turmoil. Volunteers
are drilling; troops are being hurried hither
and thither, though nobody seems TO know
where the point of danger lies; newspapers
publish excited calls to the people TO arise
and defend their homes; the air is thick
with rumors; one moment the enemy is said
to be at hand in one direction, the next in
the opposite. The number, the variety, and.
the va9uenesS of these rumors detract VERY
much from their credbility, with any one
whose Judgment is not influenced by his fears.
Many OF them have their origin in the fam
ing reports of certain New York Journals.
which we on this side the line have too often
detected in their tricks of imposition to have
much faith in. But there seems to be a simon
lar obfuscation in the Canadian mind on this
subject. Wien the N. Y. World says Canada'is
'honeycombed" with treason, and "tbousands
of Fenians are living and plotting under the
British flag" they raise a great shout of de-
risiOn at so absurd statement. But when
the same journal declares that thirty thou
sand picked men fresh from the armies of the
Union, are all ready to march into Canada
while hundred thousand more stand ready
to back them if they fail, and that immense
depots of clothing and military stores are es-
tablished all along the frontier, instead of
hndins the story absurd they believe it all.
1t does seem to us that the present state OF
things has lasted quite long enough. The whole
business is absurd, to be sure, but it is also
something worse. We do not believe there is
any trustworthy evidence to prove the exist
ence of any organized plan for the invasion
OF Canada at any point. But if there is, il
there can be found any, foundation for those
reports except the widest rumor, then our
government should put its strong hand on
the whole proceedings and crush them out so
Tar as this country is concerned.
Such, we believe, will be the course of our
authorities whenever there is reason to think
any action necessary. The impudent posi-
tion taken by certain Democratic Journals
that General Grant is candidate for the
Presidency as well as commander-in-chief,
and that therefore he will not issue an order
which will be unpopular among the Irish, is
simply unworthy of the notice of any person
OF sense. ft.8t
30 much for the prospects of Fenianism
in the United States. Fenianism in Canada
may be foolish, but it has IFS excuses. 1t is
useless to attempt to beat reason or sense III
TO the Fenian skull. There is no ro ON there
tor anything but blind hatred of England,
and equally blind though most honest deyo-
ton the green flag of old Erin. 'Tis idle
to talk to these men of the injustice OF pun
'shlng Canada for Enslands SINS The Feni-
an mind is just capable of grasping the fact
that Canada belongs to England. and that
England is vulnerable through her. Every
execution in Great Britain stimulates the
wrath OF the malcontents ON this side. And
Canada has also sinned in that way Her Sc
VerIty-some will insist ON calling it injustice
TO the prisoners taken two years ago was
meant to ''strike terror into the association.
1t has siSnally failed OF that object, as an in
crease OF outrages, reaching to the point of
assassination, too plainly shows. Nobody is
| terrified but the Canadians.
We are not defending Fenianism. 1t is a
brute monster, bad and dangerous-more
dangerous because nreasoning and stupid
but it is the creation OF misrule; and the fact
may as well he faced that it is too strong to
be crushed-it has got to be cured by other
means than force.