The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-27
THE FENIAN MOvEMENT-A SKIRMISH
ON THE FRONTIER.
From the N. Y. Herald.

From the NJ Y. Herald
The Fenian movement now agitating the
telegraph wires throughout the State and
country has become somewhat important as q
matter of news about which everybody is
talking If the movement is not very i'm
portant per Sc, it becomes 30 from the fact
that the Government has taken the trouble to
recognize it-has probably obtained some in
formation which gives graver aspect to the
enterprise than the public are disposed to
attach to it, and that the President has issued
proclamation against it, assuming, of course,
that there is something going on which i'm
plies q violation of the neutrality laws. In
adopting this course General Grant has fol-
lowed the example of his predecessor, Andrew
johnson, in 1866, who not only by procama-
ton, but by the action of the United States
troops, utterly wiped out the absurd under
taking of that time, capturing the provision
trains, seizing the ammunition and arresting
the military leaders on the frontier. That
settled the invasion business for that time.
The news from the frontier shows
gathering of men at various towns and a
general movement towards the frontier of
small bodies passing through the different
cities north and east of Albany, as we'll as
| some migration from the West as far as
Detroit and certain parts of Wisconsin. But
the more significant news is that q
force of Fenians, three thousand strong had
assembled at Pigeon Hill, on Canadian soil.
There appears to be no truth in this state
ment and probably not much more truth in
all the other reports. The facts are that
few Fenians, about five hundred strong,
under command of O'Neill, while advancing
from Franklin, VT, towards the Canadian
frontier, were fired upon by some Canadian
militia. The fire was returned, and one
or two men were shot on both Sides After
the skirmish United States Marshal Foster
arrested the Fenian commander, O'Neill, on
the spot, and thrusting him into carriage
drove him off to Burlington q prisoner, leav-
ing-as the kilograms say-his little army so
demoralized that many of them eagerly
turned their faces towards home, and sought
means of transportation from st. Albans
1t is not certain-despite the fizzle of We'd
nesday-that the disturbance is entirely
over, but no doubt the arrival of a few regu-
lar troops under General Meade will disperse
the gTdnde aTHlee of General O'Neill.
Impotent, foolish, and illegal as this move
ment is, and easily put down as it can be by
the United States authorities, adventures of
this kind should be a warning to England.
They are the natural growth of an immense
Irish population, almost every man of whom
hates England and would bring her to ruin or
any portion of her dominions, from Nova
Scotia to New Zealand, if opportunity offered
| There can be no doubt that this is the
| spirit of what is called Fenianism. 1t is the
spirit which enables a body of men, no
matter what their qualifications or status may
be, to get sufficient number of their coun-
trymen to subscribe money and furnish re-
crults for any expedition upon British soil,
| such as the last raid on Canada in 1866, and
the present one. Would it not be wise for the
British government to consider that there is
but an imaginary line between this country and
Canada, and that Canada will always be a
source of irritation, well as weak spot.
for the restless anti English element in this
community? The best thing British states
men could do, under these circumstances.
would be to annex Canada to the United
States; to pay off the Alabama claims. and
then we would hear no more of lawless Fe-
nian raids The sympathy of the American
people would be withdrawn from all move
ments and organizations having such aims as
invasion, whether for conquest or plunder
IfEngland does not act squarely In the matter
of the Alabama CLAIMS, and thus cultivate
some better feeling than now exists, Ameri-
cans may come in time to sympathize more
closely than they do with hostile movements
of this kind; or, indeed. the Irish element,
which becomes stronger every day, may force
us ultimately, against our will, into a war
the last thing at present to be expected,
and certainly an event most of all to be de-
plored
The Fenian .fdscO twice repeated does mol