The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-03-28
A REVIEW OF THE IRISH NATIONAL
QUEsTION.
BY COL. J. J. 0'C0NSoR.

the history objects and present prospects OF the
Irish national question: from the pen of COL ]. j.
| O'Connor, center and organizer Of the Fenian
Brotherhood for the district of Louisiana
The Irish nationalists are divided or composed
| of two bodies proper. viz: the l. R. B., or Irish
Revolutionary Brotherhood-tee invisible army Of
occupation-andt the F. B., or Fenian Brotherhood.
composed of the Irish race wherever scattered,
| and who do combine and confederate under SOL
| emn pledge to aid and assist the Irish Revolu-
tionary Brotherhood to take the field fully armed
| and equipped; and to this end all they asked or
ever demanded was the means to purchase the
| material, which they can do far cheaper and ct
much less risk at home than 1t can be furnished
| from here or elsewhere, and Of which, being In
| the gap Of danger, they are she sole and true
and prudence In that regard are now unfortu-
nstey too well attested In many trials and by innu
mersble proofs otherwise. Well have they
proved true on their part to the declaration sent
them BY the Irish American Nstionalists "Brott-
ers, rely on US. We rely on you." OF their nu-
merical power, strength, cohesiveness, persever-
ance and vitality, 1t Is folly to talk.
From the first time that they were uncovered
10000 strong in Dublin, their contributions to the
Chicago fair, to raise means to buy arms for
themselves, (far exceeding in number the Nation
alists OF the United Ststes) by their solemn and
terrible osfhs enunciated at the Rotunda Rooms
in Dublin, In relation to the Trent affair, when
40000 men swore " By the pale headF the execu-
toner held In his hand in Thomas street: by the
unwritten tombstone in BodeBstown cburchf yard,
If England went to war with the United States,
she could not have Q man from Ireland ~ the
partial ''risings," or more properly, feints In
February and March, 1867; when for the first time
in Irelsnd's history parts Of nine counties sprang
to arms almost simultsneou.ly Again, at
and where 10000 people, despite the protests of
officials, attended-and the Immense funeral cele-
brations for Allen Larkin and O'Brien where
at over $4,000 people participated, then the
army OF accomplishing martyrs going hopeful to
the dungeon and the scaffold-all attest it.
Let every thinking man take up the
Dublin Irishman" newspaper every
week during last year alone and at present,
and see if they have not subscribed 80, if not
$40. for each ard every one they received from,
or more than ever was raised In America by both
branches of the Fenian Brotherhood. only
speak 10 popular parlance when speak of two
branches Of the Fenian Brotherhood in America,
except they contribute the moneys collected in
the name of the "F. B." to the pur-
poses for which the Fenian Brotherhood
was foupded-to supply the Irish RevoIu.
tionary Brotherhood. lis true members of
graduate from and be sworn into the Irish Revo.
lutionary Brotherhood, but this is at their own
peril, and from that moment they cease to be
Fenians. To belong to both is sheer impossi-
bility. The Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood is en-
army legitimstely at war 10 overturn the British
government in Ireland, IS being usurpation of
authority therein and this was admitted by the
highest authority in England not one year ago. in
the British Parliament when the prime minister,
Benjamin Dsrseli, declared in his place that Ire
land never was conquered by England" and to
which solemn declaration In The face of the world
there was not q dssentient voice raised
in the imperial Parliament The leaders
OF this Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood have
shown themselves possessed offarseeing minds,
capable of grasping all the duties of their DO
sition with firm hand. Their patience has been
severely tested for ten long years, and in all that
time they have not permitted the preparation of
a single act in their name tending to impair their
good faith or to forfeit the good opinion of man
kind. Not even during the risings, although un-
fortunately worse than Arctic winter set in,
when the foxes could not live On the mountains.
did they take life unnecessarily, or even a loaf
bread without paying for il. The men compris-
ing the lrish Revolutionary Brotherhood look upon
tas the positive duty Of every Irshman earth to
contribute to the support of their organization and
despise the Irishmsn that would boast of what he
gave, or regret IL; from such they do not wish to
receive q dollar, and to such, being known to
them, they 10 all their poverty and dread neces-
sity. would do without another meal to pay il
back to him. And as consequence no man can
be FenisD ana member OF the Irish Reyo-
lutionary Brotherhood. one being sworn into
the army and subject to orders at any
time-the other being pledged to assist in sup:
porting that army. The Fenian Brotherhood
can exist and pursue its prescribed rights
on neutral territory. The Irish Revolutionary
Brotherhood cannot II otherwise the Fenian
Brotherhood would furnish q harbor Of refuge or
safe retreat for soldiers Of the Irish Revolutionary
Brotherhood to evade their duties and sworn obi
cations by crossing the sea under the specious
pretext of doing good. On the other hand, the
Fenian Brotherhood would act as terrible agency
Of decentralization for the soldiers of the Irish Re-
public. The Fenisn Brotherhood would usurp or
assume to perform the duties incumbent on oath
on the members of the Irish Revolutionary Broth.
erhood 10 perform. Conflict would and did and
= 49, Al
Brotherhood over their members rendering nuga-
tory the positive commands of the Irish Revolu-
tionary Brotherhood. Members OF the Irish Rev
dictionary Brotherhood beyond the reach of the
enforcement OF these positive orders would seize
every Quixotic expedition engineered by smbi-
tious men ostensibly gotten up In the interests of
Ireland as pretext for absolving themselves from
their oaths; in fine, they would be chiefly instru.
mental in setting them on foot. Each would con-
stitute himself his own interpreter OF the obliga.
tons the oath demanded to be carried out. Dis
cplne would be destroyed, and the seeds of de-
moralzation-nay, of civil war-be scattered
throughout the organization. The encroachment
once made, leaders set vigorously to work
Brotherhood their incompetency to perform
the work assigned them, the necessi-
ty of cooperation with their n ovements.
the superiority Of their plan of campaign and thus
the seeds of distrust in that great body which
had withstood so many attacks heretofore, for the
first time The next step Is to send agents amongst
them in the interests of these leaders, to point out
the superiority of their plans If not to the leaders
themselves or officers, at least to members of the
organization. In other words, to persuade. by
convincing with arguments, the individual soldiers
Of Revolutionary army, bound TO obey orders at
the peril of their lives that such ORDERS If not In
coDsoDance with their views or plans, would be
prejudicial. Is not the contem pston of the cal
amitous consequences consequent on such action
fearful to conceive? And yet that is just what
was done and no other organization (revolution-
ary) ever formed could have stood the shock
without being utterly destroyed-an eternal and
everlasting monument to the wisdom Of its found
ders and the pure, heroic. patriotic endurance Of
the members of the Irish Revolutionary Brother. |
hood, inspired alone BY true sentiments and love
OF country. They have exhibited the eenu-
inc moral courage that must succeed, and
psralyzed be the arm and pslsied the
tongue that impede their march to victory
Call of your sleuth hounds You would be leaders
or statesmen-murderers rather-before compass
ing more mischief. OF course the story cannot
now be told, the danger is too terrible, and yet
the proofs are accommodating thick aud fsst-but
woe to your memory, cursed through generations
by generations yet unborn-made, or sought to be
made the victims of your jnsatiate ambition when
the tale is known. But what of the monster who
through an ncsrnste malignity and Unborn vindic.
ffua 90 AZ froI