Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-03-29
MICHAEL BoYNToN's ARREST.
THE DYNAMITE PARTY REGULATED.
THE HEAD-CENTER's VIEWS ON IRISH POLICY
AND ON ASSASSINATION.

THE HEAD-CENTER's VIEWS ON IRISH POLICY
AND ON ASSASSINATION.
The London Standards Paris correspondent
writes as follows:
The name of james Stephen, we'll known
az the founder OF the Fenisu Society and the
central organizer OF the Icish Republican
Brotherhood, has so frequently been men-
toned since the revelations concerning the
Phoenix Park narders thatfhs record of 40
interview l had with him few days ago
may be OF interest. 1t il alleged that a sort
of diary was discovered by tbs police in the
house OF one of the men at present charged
with completely in the murders, and that in
il there " as an esary mentioning Stephens,
who Wac spoken of as living in Americs, and
who was to be consulted as to the forms tion
of the "Iav.ncible" organic alton. This, l
may say at once, he declares TO be altogether
| without foundation; and, indeed, az a m after
of fact, it ia we'll known th-s- for sew
eraf years past he hiss lived in qaiet seclusien
in neighboring country, and 1t was there, in
a modest suit OF rooms, plainly furnished the
chief evidences of his taste being books lat
Mr.. Stephens received me. The e1- head.
! center is broad-shouldered, firmly knit and
| rather under the miuate higtit, lie doeii saot
| look his age, which must be some three
| score. He has a high forehead, blue-gray
| eyes, a straight, thin nose, fair mustache
and heavy beard, tinged with tell-tale gray.
| His voice is low, distinct and musical, and
| he speaks with certain delibsrateness.
Having talked for a few minutes on in III
| ferent subjects, gradually approached that
| upon which l was anxious to elicit the
\ opinion of Stephens, asking him if he were
well supplied with English or rather with
Irish, papers. He replied that he was not
that he chiefly devoted his leisure to litera-
| ture; but that, OF course, he was not ina.ten.
| tive to passing events in the British empire;
only he derived his Information about them
| as it came 10 him filtered through foreign
channels. Naturally, in any case, he read
the reports of his compatriots in st.
Stephens in eztenso! No; he did not take
pins interest in the doiugs OF the Irish Par
liamentary party. He had no particular
affection for the oratory or statcsm anship
with ironic emphasis on the latter
word) which coquetted with Irish nationality
and pledged public and solemn Ieslty 10 the
| British crown. They might be right, bat
he did not think Sc; they might do good,
| but he declined to believe it. Whatever 10
| the way of Improvement or reform they
| might think they achieved was due not 10
their eoquence, or ingenuity, or h1mor--of
| which he was told they did not poss 70 much
| but TO the consciousness of the sullen phys
l icsl force behind in ireland and in the
| greater Ireland beyond the seas. H., Jas.
| Stephens, h ID to the opinion he started
| with, to which he was consistent, aud in
which he hoped to die-that nothing would
| save Ireland but utter separation, and ia at
| could be won neither by poetry nor rhetoric,
| nor yet by the craft of the Hobbies, keeping a
close ear 10 the division. bell, or heroic wake
| fulness on the we'll stuffed cushions of ST.
Stephens. "Then," L ventured, "you sill
believe in the doctrine of Fenianism?" He
| did; but he had outlived MS strength, al.
1 IL - NJ 81
lsugh) he had not, unhappily, survived his
illusions How could he do otherwise, see
ing that Ireland was still mendicant at the
gate of Dives, with the wallet periodically
hung out for doles. His aspiration, like
Thomas Francis Meagher's-ahi there
were giants in those dsys-was 10 lift the
island up and make her benefactor to hu-
mainly, instead q thu msanasi beggar on the
face of creation.t "Bu!," / urged, "Irels nd
alone would be an insignificant speck, and
could no, stand against neighboring power
which was rich and strong, had navy and
colonies" He had his answer. Yes, it
Gould, as an ally, on perfect equality OF part
n.rship. Besides, those colonies, as mere
| geographical in vitability, must fall away
| asd beCUme Independent IN name, as they
are now virtually independent. "Would not
| an Ireland with autonomy" / argued, "be
! torn with internal religious dissension,?"
| Delusion, he answered; Fenianism helped 10
put down sectarian bigotry, if it did naught
else. The late Cardinal Cullin, a we'll
| meaning man, wise in his own conceit; arro-
CANT, like too many ecclesiastics, and reared
in the Roman cioisters, was lis 6ercest enemy.
What the Fenians aimed at was an Ireland
| which would be peopled and administered by
| kindly Irish of the Irish, neither Saxon nor
Italian" And then 1 put it to him point
blank-had this Fenianism with which
he was connected any sympathy, or
did it lend its sanction to, assassination?
| No, he replied; thousand timci no; and
he added that he would feel thankful if that
were made SIS public as possible. There
| were violent political leaders who appealed
| TO the examples of Moses and the Atheuians,
Harmodius and Aristogeitop, to justify MUIR
der; he did not-no just cause was ever
| served by villainy. When he had control
| OF the Fenian organization there was ne YER
| an assassination by one of it, members; he
would not permit it, and if he had N in
Ireland on a recent occasion, and the notion
had entered any fanatics mind, it would have
been peremptorily stamped out. / was now
| emboldened to ask him what he thought of
the horrid affair in the Phe lix Park but
| had batter give his answer, as nearly az
| can, in his own language.
sit was one of the basest and blacklist
crimes that was ever psrpetrated. II was
more than crime; in Touches words, il
was political fault. look upon it with
utter and thorough adherence. The only
bright spot which one can rest on in the
whole appalling transaction is the benign
and tender letter Of that brave, good WON sn,
the wife of Lord Frederick Cavendish
They say was applied 10 in America by
some of the lunatic miscrean in this affair
mind, l PREJUDICE nobody, but repeat what
1 have heard-to give them patronage. 1t
ia lie. l was thousands of miles away
from America at the date marked in tn at
conveniently discovered diary. No; 1 am
no apostle Of assassination by transfxoD,
knife, or by dsgger, lspis-lszuli handled or
otherwise, or by any weapon. No true Fe-
MAN Is"
Ia justice to the consistency of the GEN.
trail organizer of the Irish Republic, it
should be stated that he granted that hum an
life had been sacrificed by Fenisns inten-
tionally, but never under such circumstances
as those in Phoenix Park. False brothers,
who had betrayed the secrets OF the con-
rederacy had been slain; but that was "exe-
cution," not assassination. Prisoners of i'm