The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-06-21
The Fenians ON the Border.

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We recently published telegraphic de-
spatches from Ogdensburg, Malone and Cha
teaugay positively denouncing as ''pure fab
riostiOns" the reports which have been circu-
LATED in reference to alleged movements Of
Fenian war material and provisions along the
frontier between Ogdepsburg and st. Adams
government officers having ascertained those
reports to be false-and in reference to the
concentration of Fenians, with arms and am
munition, at Malone and Chateaugay.
AT the same time, however, we published
one telegram from Montreal to the effect that
Fenian preparations are in progress in the
neighborhoOd of POtsdam, and that many car
loads of arms were unloaded there; and an
other telegram from Portland, in Maine, giving
an account of the meeting of the State Fenian
Convention at that place, when General ONeil
explained the war movement of which he is the
recognized leader; men and money were
pledged by the delegates and several officers,
graduates of West Point, offered their services.
Our impression is that all these Fenian
movements and rumors of Fenian move
of Presidential campaign, to extract from
somebody's pockets money, ''the sinews of
war" whether war be waged with the aid of
all the modern improved murderous imple-
ments against which the Emperors of Russia
and of the French have jointly protested, or
with baskets of champagne and bottles of
liquor at mysterious pleasure excursions and
picnics, in imitation of General Fritz on his
memorable campaign. The Fenian leaders,
painfully aware that the pockets of poor cham
bermaids have at length been emptied, evil
IDENTIFY cherish designs upon the pockets of the
politicians. But the Fenians should be ad-
vised to put no more trust in politicians than
in princes. The wire-workers of all parties
will need for their own purposes all the green
backs and all the whiskey which they can OBJ
tain. The Fenians must raise their own sup
plies. At present they might as well hope to
get money and whiskey from the rings of Sat-
urn as from any of the political ''rings."
The Proposed American Line of Steamships.
We are in favor of an American line of
steamships to Europe and of American ship
building interests generally; but we protest
against the enormous subsidy job now before
the Senate of the United States. According
to the provisions Of the present bill the gov
eminent appropriates three millions of dollars,
not to build six or seven new American steam
ships-a number that will be required to main
tain daily mail line to Europe-but to buy up
some old vessels that have already proven fail
ures in commercial enterprises. What Ameri-
can commerce and enterprise demand is the
encouragement of Congress in constructing en-
tirely new vessels upon those improved methods
which the inventive genius of the age is con-
stantly producing. fla steamship can be built
more cheaply on the Clyde than on the Della
ware or in New York or Boston, it is princi-
pally owing to the fact that the tariff upon
shipbuilding materials is improperly adjusted.
What Congress should, therefore, do is to re-
duce the tariff 80 that American shipbuilders
can compete with foreigners, thereby not only
encouraging home industry and native talent
for naval architecture, but also protecting the
public treasury from the rapacity Of unscrupu-
lous jobbers. We hope the Senate will put
quietus upon the plundering bill now before
it under the alluring guise of encouraging
American steamship building