National Republican., 1875-06-16

A large and enthusiastic audience gathered at
Odd Fellows hall last night to listen to the lee
ture of the Irish patriot, Colonel R. O'S. Burke,
The Duty of the Irish in America" The Colonel
has Q hne presence, good voice, and during his
discourse throws the fire and psthOs Of his race
| into his subject He avoided notes, and, while
his extempore remarks caused occasional repeti-
tions they were lost sight Of in the genuine en-
| thusiasm they created. Colonel Burke has q
field peculiarly his own. He travels far outside
the ordinary lecturer on such topics, and pro.
claims in no uncertain words, ringing with patri-
otic fervor, the duty Of his countrymen.- He was
frequently applauded during his discourse, and
at its conclusion held quite IeTee in the hall,
where he was introduced to many Of the ladies
and gentlemen of the audience.
| At O'Clock Colonel Burke was appropriately
introduced by Mr.. James Lackey, and began his
lecture amid applause. ~.
THE LECTURE.
After some appropriate Introductory remarks,
in which Colonel Burke expressed his pleasure in
again meeting the citizens of Washington under
| circumstances brighter and happier than those
connected with his sojOurn here ten years ago
the sad civil war then deeimating the manhood of
the natiOn-he went on to explain the spirit In
6n %aeh ne d.cO6 to g'csis % tne sTpecI Of the
this question in no partisan spirit, in no spirit
that may sympathize with the petty doctrines Of
any class or section of the community, but shall
| take a broader ground than their doctrines, a
broader ground even than that Of isolated ma
tionality. shall approach and treat this subject
as man 10 whom justice, truth and honor are as
dear as life. These principles being the property
of no special people, Of no privileged class but
the Inheritance which mankind has received from
Heaven viii strive to have the inf fence Of these
principles guide my words, and now, as in my
past life give TO them obedience and devotion as
Tree and full-hearted as their
ETERNAL PURITY
deserves. When ! use the words democratic
or republican, without any qualification, AN TO
be understood as meaning the principles express
sive Of the form of government where power is
vested in the true origin Of all power under God
the people; where the basis OF society rests on
these principles, and the general interests form
the perpetual spirit that creates and controls leg
islation. In no case do l introduce these terms
here IN local or party sense;
when l use the word English understand
me to allude TO the government Of that country,
and not to the people, from whom personally
bsye never received anything but kindness, and
with whose interests have the most decided
sympathy. Hitherto 1t has been, and in too many
cases at present It yet is, the custom to pour out
the hiterest Of our invectVe upon the head Of the
tSaXon;' there has been nothing too hot or too
heavy TO attribute to that people; but let
us leave the realm Of unthnking reason, where
am sternaIly reminded Of the folly of the en-
ragged dog who, in his blind fury, pursues the
stone instead Of him who cast il at him: let US
leave that position and its narrow teachings, and
let us see how far this course Of senseless abuse of
people accords with our dignity as Intelligent
men, with our interests as a nation, with our
principles as republicans. II we examine care
AAAiy oAN AhPeLNtaAiJ NAO sAl uCtNEO VI HOuhTCug.
SOCIALLY AND POLITICALLY,
we find that every possible avenue by which
the opinion Of q people may be formed and d.
rected is under the control of the governing
class that their constant aim is to prevent inter-
national sympathy, while they develop assidu-
ously integral friendship and aid; they strive to
keep peoples apart and hostile, and bring kings
into closer bonds of interested communion. The
more isolated the people they rule the more dI.
Vided among themselves they are by local, party,
or religious differences; the more weak are they
for defense against mOnarchical aggre ssion, and
consequently the longer and more certain be-
comes the possession Of regal power. Do not
these facts suggest most foreibly to US the only
true course? Let the liberal spirit of the times,
the promptings OF true policy, liftlus up out of
this or any other misguided course, and holding
forth our hands to the English people let us pro-
claim TO them forgiveness for any injuries they,
as the thoughtless and blinded instruments of a
corrupt power, may have done us in the past. Let
terests ours, that their true enemies are also
ours and that, faithful to the spirit Of fraternity,
II in the developments Of the future our aid may
be Of service to them, they can count upon our
arms then, as they count upon our hearts now.
Il have been thus distinct in my definition Of
understood or misrepreseuted; and here where
have so long enjoyed the happy intercourse of
friends, where my character has been and is we'll
known, tind that even here slHnder has been ut
teTipg its maliRnity upon both my personal char
scter and political faith. To personally notice
the author Of the calumnes would be TO attach too
much Importance to the poor little 6ochtc Dneen,
who, like the tenth inheritOr of a foolish face
goes creeping around in his coWardly way striV-
ing to cast filthy slime
ON HONEST LIVES
slime drawn from the cess.poOl OF his rotten
The Colonel then, in forcIble and distinct Ian
gusge, entered upon the discussion Of his sub
ject. He examined the theory that once an Irish
man becomes a citizen all his political oblIga-
tiOLs should be confined to this country, and re-
highest and hoiiest duties Of the citizen is to sym
pathize with the trampied and oppressed OF all
lands, and especially In the case Of the land
wherein ouch citizen may be born. He showed
how cold and spiritless is the love for America
and her institutions in the heart OF that foreign
born citizen who has no love for the land of his
birth, no desire for her prosperity, no balm for
her wounds, no love for her children, no reVer-
ence for her honor. In presenting Ireland's
claims on the sympathy Of America, the Colonel
briefly reviewed the present condition OF the
He spoke of her dOwry from the Imperial Par.
lament Of arms acts, peace preservation acts
suppression OF crime and outrage acts, protection
Of life and property acts, eorfew acts, and other
legislative machinery for the ruin and extermina-
ti0n Of the Irish people. He condemned in Vlgor-
GUS terms the petty policy pursued by the Eng
lish Government on lhe amnesty question, and
spoke Of the malignant ISLANDERS, the expressions
OF mastery and superiority Of race which can be
found in the
PRESS, PULPIT AND COUNCIL.
In dwelling upon the slandsrs against his com.
paDiOne, the Colonel said
but in no case has sIander been so unsparingIy
and unserupulously used as in the treatment Of
my comrades Of the Irish Republican Brother
quote but briefly from the pages Of one of Ire
lands jealous loyal sons, Isaac Butt. When de-
scrbng the arrests oft statt Of the Irish People
in Dublin and the capture Of several officers in
the city. Butt goes on:
awhile the public mind was agitated by the
suddenness and vigor OF those measures, alarm
was heightened into horror by the statements
which the Irish Government directed their legal
otncials to make at the preliminary investigation
before the magistrates. II was then stated that
conspiracy had been discovered of an atrocity
which cast all the horrors Ofthe French Revolution
plot for the indiscrminate massacre Of the upper
classes, the promiscuous murder Of the Roman
Catholic clergy, and the division Of the property
Of the country among the miscreants who had as
sociated themselves in . league Of plunder and
blood. The public were assured that Of these
TeIS In ne ns0da o ,Ss as sDeS Tsss' S me PssCts
the proper time they would be produced
"Butt continues to shcW how wicked and base
less were these charges, and when speaking Of
the natural reaction in the public mind he dWeIIs
on the character Of the Irish prisoners, and pays
them the mtrlted tribute OF HIS esteem. He says:
The demeanor OF the convicted prisoners did
more, far more, to alter
THE TONE OF PUBLIC FEELING.
Gradually the conviction forced itselTupon every
one that the men whom they saw meet their fate
Of astaEtinG, actuated By base motives, but real
and earnest patriots moved by unselfish thoughts,
and risking all in that which they believed 20 be
their country's cause. The lofty faith In their
principles and their cause, which breathed
through the words Of many OF them, as they
bTaVed the sentence which closed upon them ali
hope, made It impossible Tor any one to dOabt
their sincerity-diticult even for those who most
dIRapproVed Of their enterprise to withhold from
them the tribute of compassion and respect.
/ was placed towards most Of them-but was
the counsel who defended my warm-souIed,
great-heaTted namesake, Gen. Thomas Francis
BOurke-in q relation which gave me some oppor-
tunity Of observing them In circumstances that
try mems souls. Both i and those that were
associated with me in that relation have often
been struck DV their hiR h. minded truthfulnaaa
that shrunk with sensittVeness from subterfu yes,
which few men in their position would have
thought wrong. No mean or selfish Instructions
ever reached u.s. There was not one Of them who
would have purchased his safety by o falsehood,
BY q concession that would have brought dishonor
on his cause, or byR disclosure that would have
compounded the safety OF q companion.
~ have been thus elaborate In quoting from
Isaac Butt" continued the Colonel, ''because,
though the gloom Of the prison sill holds many
ofthOse generous,
eELF-sACRIFICING SPIRITS, ..-..
English ministers are not wanting who mIsrepre-
sent their motives and calumniate their char
acter even in the same breath in which they are
constrained TO admit the justice of their cause"
The Colonel, not Desiring TO weary the aud
ienee by dwelling at greater length on the condi-
tion Of Ireland, spoke Of monarchy as being the
constant cause OF such evils, and made strong and
vivid quotations from CaStellar and Shelley In
support Of his assertions. He introduced Machia-
yelli as the parent Of monarchical policy, and