Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1878-04-20
now TO FREE IRELAND.
what General James Shields Says on In
AnhInnH.

NAlbINNAs
From a lecture recently delivered in
New York, by General James Shields,
we extract the following, which will be
interesting to lrlshmen, at least Were
| dictator for the Irish race for only
three years | would form all the men of
Irish blood on this side of the Atlantic
into a complete military organization.
This | would do openly and in strict con-
formity to law-nOt for the purpose OF
revolution or violence, but for the pur~
pose of forming a great race into a com,
pact body, and to teach it the habit of
disciplined union. Then. with half a
million of organized men at my back,
and with the sympathy of forty millions
of freemen to support me, | would send
well. chosen delegates to Ireland. Some
of those who ought TO be chosen | could
almost lay my hand upon tonight, and
by those delegates acting in concert
with the leaders of Ireland, Cath~
Ole and Protestant, lay and clerical,
A programme could be agreed
upon which would not fail to ameliorate
the country. The programme ought to
be in perfect accord with the desires
ard aspirations of the Irish people at
home. For us who have abandoned that
country to attempt to dictate any partic-
ular line of policy to the people who re-
main there, would be an arrogant as
sumption, which would prove to the
world that we had gained but little
wisdom by our association with a free
people. No; we must make their pro
gramme ours, and we must support thai
programme with all the moral and mate
rial aid which this transatlantic lrelanC
can possibly furnish, And remembel
that this Ireland has more than double
the number and quadruple the wealth
of the ancient home of the race itself
, This programme, thus agreed upon a
the Joint conference, should be presented
to England and proclaimed to the world
l and in the present condition OF Europe
t Asia and the world generally, Englan'
: could not safely afford to reject it. som
such plan as this, were | temperate,
G dictator, | would commence to prepar
I this present year. / would tolerate n
invasions of Canada, no secret societies
no conspiracies, NJ tomtooleries of an
= kind, for, however well meant, they ar
only frittering away the hopes an
E wasting the energies of a great, gel
erous, too contding people. This
II my plan, and | feel morally certain this
e it would be eminently successful. liz
us not for one moment anticipate tn
Re rejection of an overture so fair in itsel
n and preferred with such an accompan
j, ment of moral force. But should EN-
n land blindly reject it, then l refer yout,
" the historic parallel ! am running t
'e night between the life of Patrick and tt
lie life of the race. Milcho was Patrick
OIL master, but Patrick, instead of seekil
" to avenge the past, wisely and mob
tr sought him out, and did his best to co
IN vert and save him. This friendly owe
III ture Milcho rejected with scOrn. Nc
:, mark the sequel there is a territ
warning in it. Milcho, maddened at t
'h sight of his former slave returning wi
a power and majesty, set fire to his oy
III home, and persisted, a raging maniac,
the flames. This retributive power G
1l lists, and still performs her terrible off
III in the government of this world. AT
the lapse of centuries in the case
lS nations, she strikes i~mplacable balan
She keeps strict account between
ln' pressors and oppressed, and then stril
lie her balance, and when that fatal balar
'u' is struck powerful nations are swept FRI
cl' the earth, like Babylon, in a night, a
- the world that bowed before them knC
NO them no moie. Let all whom this n
~ concern take warning in time"