The New York herald., 1868-02-01

Great Britain has been grievously disturbed
of late by the nightmare Of Fenianism. It's
armies have been in constant motion it's
magistrates have been kept in state of fear
and trembling its coasts have been guarded
by fleets Of gunboats; and arrests Of suspicious
parties and special commissions to try political
offenders have kept the country in ferment
To add to this prisoners have been rescued by
force, jails blown up, men have been hanged
upon political charges for whom hundreds Of
| thousands of British subjects have mourned as
Christian martyrs and are willing to defy and
exalt to the rank of demigods. What does all
this mean? The idea of Fenianism sprung
from mere fancy, but the substance, whether
| called by that name or not, has attained for
midable proportions. Fenianism was intended
to represent the ancient historic grievances
| which Ireland has suffered for centuries from
| the English government The category Of
grievances was long and bloody, and there
was, therefore, ample means upon which to
| construct an organization Of this kind, and Of
course there was no lack Of sympathy in such
an impulsive and sympathetic race as the Irish.
| The idea embodied in the organization was
to them sacred the result promised was such as
every Irish man and woman the world over
would probably make any sacrifice to obtain.
Hence ideal Fenianism gathered about it great
| enthusiasm and many dollars, and 1t fonrished
| upon the cooperation of enthusiastic natures,
stimulated by appeals to traditionary glories
and tradtionary sorrows, both irresistible to
the class appealed to.
But Fenianism has assumed different phase
now. In this country il has dwindled appa-
rently into nothingness. The enthusiasm which
was represented in large contributions has
cooled down, ana the fruits having proved, like
the apples of the Dead Sea, mere ashes to the
lips, produce bitter disappointment. II is not
so, however in Great Britain and Ireland A
feeling of discomfort and hostility to the gov
ernment has spread over the three kingdoms,
and this feeling possesses more extensive sig-
MITIGATION than is involved in the wrongs of
ireland. Il is, in fact, general upheaving of
sentiment among the lower classes in England,
Scotland and Ireland against the whole system
of tho English aristocracy, governmental,
social and feudal, all of which compose the
present state OF affairs in England assimilates
very closely to that of the Jacquere in France,
or the condition Of society that preceded the
French Revolution. Tho same restlessness of
! the working classes, the same hostility 10 tn,
arstocracy, the same dissatisfaction at seeing
the capital and wealth of the country in the
hands Of few which created national assem-
nd Iha .,tfopi
turgid stream, into the streets of Paris, and
furnished Marats and St Justs and ST. S;mons
with materials to work upon, are present to-
day in Great Britain, though operating in a
mllder form. This Is the reason why what is
called Fenianism is spreading.
The poor English are as badly off as the
Irish. There are in England to-day million
OF paupers-men. women and chldren-livng
on public charity. This is the lowest of The
lower class; but there is a class above them who
are not ye! the recipients OF eeemosynary
subsistence, and this class has evidently to a
though they do not call themselves Fenans.
In fact, what Is called Fenianism in Great
Britain. where il has taken practical shape,
is nothing more than a universal hostility TO
the whole system of government which per.
vades the working classes-a hostility enhanced
by jealousy of the few who hold oil the land
and grasp all the wealth and enjoy all the
luxuries Of The country, while the lower classes
barely subsst, even when they labor hardest,
| and million Of them, in England alone, gil
the degrading position Of paupers. This is
the root and branch Of Fenlanism in Great
Britain. Nor will extending the suffrage to .
larger number of voters settle the question.
Reform bills are imperative in stemming the
tide of revolutionary sentiment that now exists
in England. They may probe the wound, but
they cannot heal it. The land system, the
feudal aristocracy, the domination of capital
in the hands of a few famles-these are the
| political sores which must be cured before we
shall cease to hear Of British Fenianism