The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1877-02-24
Our New York Letter.
O'NIahOney's Fslneral-A Raid
Upon neutrality-suspicious. i'm
BeneVOfence- Political j La-

| AsCAAcHOACMCC- OAAbAC<tk - 11dAs
bOr, etc.
NEW YORK, February II, 1877
EDITOR CHIEF:
Men go out of sight very soon.
Twelve years ago, Col. John O'Maho-
ney filed the newspapers, which is
the modern trump of fame, and his
name was on the lips of men. He
had been patriot in Ireland, had
bearded the British Lion in his den,
had emigrated to this country and
organized the Fenian movement, and
was its acknowledged head. He had
gorgeous quarters, a I" staff" and all
the ribs of a great warlike enterprise.
He had every thing, in fact, necessary
to conquer the independence of Ire
land, except men and arms, and some
other trifes.. But they had good
time of it, while the servant girls
and laborers contributed, and when
the regular Irish quarrel came, O'Ma-
honey subsided. AS he was an hon
est man who actually believed in the
possibility of military operations
against England, he went out poor,
aud he has lived in poverty and OBJ
scurity ever since. His death last
week was the first that had been
heard of him for some time. The Irish
gave him an immense funeral. All
the societies turned out in regalia,
aud every Irishman in the city got
out bis plug hat from the box where
it had rested since last St. Patrick's
day, and the city was alive with them.
His body is to be taken to Ireland for
| interment.
ODonovan Rossa, who was an Irish
Hero," is also receiving contribu-
tiops of any sums that servant girls
| and s;mple-minded laborers choose to
give, to form g Skirinishing Fund"
He proposes to organize regiment
of skirsnisters to annoy the rear of
the British Lien in Canada, while
other "herues attack him in front
| on the old sod. All this to occur as
| soon as Europe gets into q general
| war, which will take the attention of
England. The average Irishman ia. a
queer institHtien. The race in Amer
ica may be properly divided up into
dupes and dupers. The moment q
speck of war appears upon any hori-
zun, the leaders Immediately issue
proclamation, announcing that Ire
lands opportunity " Is at last here,
and that all that is needed to secure
Irish independence is-money. Any
sum will be received, and from any
source. The servant girls and labOrers
take liberal share from their scant
earnings and give it to the beats, who
collect all that is possible, and then
let the thing die. One would suppose
that after dozen or two such exper-
fences the people would know better,
but they don't. The contributions to
O'Rossa's skirmishiug fund, as absurd
as it is, fills columns in the Irish news
papers.
1t is too bad that one can't give
dollar with any certainty that it will
reach the people intended to be BEN
eftted. The benevolent societies of
the city are undergoing examination,
and vast amount of rottenness has
been developed. One institution for
sheltering distressed women was found
to be purely private speculation Of
two enterprising young men, and had
no shelter or any thing else, and who
were collecting great deal of money
from the charitable. They had the
sublime ilnpudence to appeal to the
authorities for a share of the State
appropriation, and were caught. Other
institutions were found To be organi
zations for the support of parcel of
dead beats. The officers, and there
are an immense number of them, were
all under heavy pay. The collectors
were paid heavy percentage upon
their collections; heavy rents were
paid upon which divvies were
doubtless allowed, and altogether it
was as rotten as Tammany, and |
can't say more than that. Don't sup
pose all the societies are of this class
there are deserving ones, but large
percentage of them are proper sub
iects for close watching.