The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-02-05
Arrival Of the Five xxilss.

the Cuba from Liverpool, haVipg On ooa
five of the political prisoners iageiy
INJURED as felons in English JAMS da ay
O'Connell, Mcclure, Dewey and Muliaoy.
Their comrades Tor such of them rs are f 70,
leased and banished under the Amnesty ,
are to arrive within o few days in tue Rus
MA and the@Batavia. The Cuba was oo OAR
ed off the Quarantine station ny 1niee
steamers from the city, containing gentie-
men of various organizations, all eager 10
welcome and entertain the exiies. iheie
were the Knights of St. Patrick, ha.lne
also on board their boat a delegation from
the club of officers of Meagher's Irish 6rl-
gade. There was the Antelope, conveying
the Committee OF the iammahy 1trts'
and accompanied by Mr.. Mitchell, pesloes
members of the City Council, on the pal9
of the municipal authorities OF the Guy
and there was revenue cutter' oiinsS
Mr.. Murphy, Collector of the port anu
some other Federal officials. scene VI
owing to this rivalry ON the part OF 80 many
friends to take possession OF tue iong.
patriots but for this CONFUSION
theu were not to blame, as they could not
understand the cause of it. 1t enoeo III
the exiles declining for the present 20 give q
preference to any of the hospltaole palI'ese
who invited them; awaiting the arrival OF
their comrades, SO that they may all take
counsel together before accepting any PUG
lie honors or ACKNOWLEDGEMENT this IL,
perhaps. all for the best. In the meantime
we trust that nothing will be done TO aTag
or bush our liberated friends into 1aise
position, to commit them to the support OF
anv political party, or to embitter by dis
sension the first joy GUS days of their solourn
in free land. These men have suffered
enough, For the present we are dls-
posed to dwell upon what is pleasant IN
the strange incidents of Thursday nlSht;
and especially upon the effect upon Eng
iishmen when they shall read now snd n ieii
cruel, and of the toll and torture OF felon
life for five years, are waited and watched
for, almost fought for, on their arrival IN
this city, all to do them honor; and that not
by Irish citizens alone, but by representa-
tives of great American parties and oy (as
Mr.. Murphy declares) the Government OF
the United States itself. Let them under
stand, over yonder, that what was intended
as an honor to the exiles was intended also
as an insult to their oppressors; anu that
those who offer the insult would far more
gladly give mortal stab. Three steamers
at moments warning darted down our
harbor to greet our friends: but three hun
dred could soon be found to steam out of
that same harbor-if we had a Government
worth its salt-and carry these fngitives to
Ireland again with thirty thousand men to
back them.-Irish CitiSen, 2sth cit.
Certain factions in New York wanted to
take advantage of the arrival of the exiles
and make political capital out Of it: The
Collector Of the port of New York, Mr.
Thomas Murphy, a Kegubii,cann, acting IN
went down the bay il reyenSe cutter,
ties to the exfles. A Committee of the
Tammany Hall General Committee also
proceeded on board, and offered Rosa and
his companions a public reception. But
the struggle that ensued on board the Cuba,
on the part of the Republicans, to get the
exiles to be their guests, and . similar effort
by the Democrats, soon made 1t apparent
that the whole thing was nothing but dis
yet fruitless, attempt on the part
of both parties to bring grist to their poll
teal mills. If real compliment were
intended to the sufferers, why did not both
Democrats and Republicans, irrespective
of party considerations, unite on this occa-
sion. and make the reception worthy of the
country and of the menf The object was
to make these political exiles subservient
to the interest of American factions. In
this dilemma good sense and wise discre-
ton came to the assistance of the exiles.
They took five minutes to consider what
they would do; and having consulted, gave
the following spirited and manly answer to
the political hucksters who had dared to
openly strike bargain with them on the
deck of the Cuba, before they had actually
set foot on American soil, for the sale of
their influence among the Irish to one or
other of the brazen factions guilty of this
most disreputable proceeding:
On BOARD THE CUBA, January 10, 1871.
To tho Gentlemen of the Several Populations for
ceivipg the Irish E1iies
Gent1emen-We thank you for all your invita-
tions, and we will try and accept all, bnt we
are only o few of many. Our fellow prisoners
on the way hither, and We will take no
public step until they arrive. You look upon
us as representing the cause of Ireland for the
interests of which cause we desire that all
Irisbmen should be united. 1t is painful to us
tonight to see much dissension among your
selves. For what Your reception concerns US
as individuals we care little, compared to what
we feel about it in connection with the interest
of Irish independence, and as you have not
united harmoniously to receive us, we will not
decide upon anything till the arrival of our
brothers. We will remain on board the ship
tonight, and we will go to hotel tomorrow.
We remain. gentlemen, yours, very respect
fully, JEREMIAH ODoNovAN Rosa,
CHAs. UNDERWOOD OCoNNEII,
JOHN DEvOY,
JOHN MCCLURE,
lew