New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-08-08

duelist, whose argument was inclosed i
cartridge. He bore all this, and MOI
than that, O'Connell met all these hire
lings Of the crown and defenders Of tn
proud and wealthy with an argument,
sarcasm and courage equal to any tina
was ever brought against him. He woul
never give his enemies the advantage c
resisting the laws. He could never b
driven into insurrection, and at last a,
rested and imprisoned under the queen
prosecution, he repressed all armed etfor
in his behalf, served out his time an,
paid his fine, as an evidence that he coul'
! not be driven to oppose the law which b
alone desired to reform. Mitchell, Meaghe
and others criticised this obedience. The,
armed young Ireland with pixies, arraye'
themselves against the British govern
ment, and were arrested and sent int
exile. The Fenians subsequently met tn
same fate. America had, in the time be
tween Emmett and the Fenian raid, laugh
England that the ak, the halter and th'
faggot could never exterminate the faitl
of men determined to be free.
| There are few who at present can real
ize the insults to which Irish member.
of Parliament were subjected from every
quarter. Polite ridicule from the treasury
benches, open invsctive from the floor
the press and the lobby were their daily
aliment. OConnell himself was "the Big
Beggar man." The money contributed by
the poor for the cause of Irish equality
was ridiculed as the ''rint," and he was
charged with putting it in his own pocket.
His constituents were Ignorant. priest.
| ridden bog-trotters. and it was not 're.
spectacle in England to associate with
Irish patriots or to defend the cause Of
Irish liberty.
The Picay1as, in an article upon the
same subject, thus describes the Irish lib.
orator:
The difficulties encountered by OConnell
never had . parallel in the experience of
any statesman. A man with modest claims
of blood, belonging to religion prOsc1 ibed
and tab0oed, rising to defend his country
which recent rebellion had sunk deeper
than ever in the displeasure of it's tyyanni-
cal taskmaster, must have had . rare cOur-
age, will and audacity. He saw himself
face to face with an oligarchy, apparently
impregnable in its position and resources.
but he defied its power and raised up the
disheartened people TO a new and peaceful
assertion of their rights. Tho peasantry
were at this time mere serfs, and the church
laboring under the most OdiOus thraldom.
No Catholic could hold the humblest office
under the crown or occupy a seat in Parlis-
ment, and the amount OF property he was
at liberty to acquire was prescribed by the
statute. Such was the dreadful power
OConnell had to grapple with solitary and
alone.
We digress 10 offer some practical com.
ment upon this just commendation Of this
moral hero. Does not the Picoyetne see any
resemblance between O'Connell and those
who are at present asserting the political
equality under the law Of all with
out regard to race OF past conditions?
can oligarchy apparently impregnable in
its position and resources" "a disheart-
ened people, raised up to new and
peaceful assertion Of their own rights.
The peasantry were at the time mere
serts.' 1.-The church was under the mos:
odious thraldom." 'No Catholic could
hold the humblest Office or occupy seat
in the legislature. while the amour. of
property he was permitted to acquire was
regulated by the statute. Such was, the
dreadful power 0 Connell had to grapple
with solitary and alone"
Is not the same need Of integrity TO be
awarded to men Of the same strong con-
victions. who encounter the same opposi-
ton with the same object Of extending to
the poor and prescribed similar rights of
suffrage. Of representation an d of proper
ty: Not, perhaps, in the opinion Of the
Democrat. No more was such acknowl-
edgment made by the British churchman
or capitalist as to the motives Of O Con-
nell. He was an agitator. a demagogue.
a leveler and a hypocrite. The parallel,
however, between all those who contend
for universal equality of political and
legal rights will always exist. Men will
prefer to sustain the respectable strong
to suffer obloquy with the disreputable
weak. It is more profitable to bark with
the vora cious pack than stand at bay with
the helpless herd. 1t has been so since
the first persecution of faith by power,
and we never expect to fad an exc option.
O'Connell was like Calhoun, repre-
man. Both contended with
similar object, the establishment of GER
tain doctrines which each deemed car
dinal, and which others regarded as
heretical. The defect in the system of
both was that neither contemplated any
thing except political agitation. Nei ther
ever made an effort to utilize the people
in their popular objects. Neither ever
taught the people or employed the people.
During the agitation of O'Connel Ireland
almost decanted herself into the British
army and the American States. Under
The extended agitation of Mr.. Calhoun the
poor people of the South emig rated to the
free States and Territories. they there
met the Irish and together voted the
free soil ticket. and entered the Union
army.
In the one case O'Connell weakened
Ireland by having failed to do what Swift