Year: 1866

W ocVhfinOe lhe people mere thdI ne was
in earnest when he said that he would be
on Irish soil before the close of thi year
to fight for the cause of Ireland. lie
would assure ,hem again to-day that he
meant to abide by what he had said, and
that the Irish flag shall be unfurled in


Ireland over an army of 50,000 men be-
fore the end of the year 1866. Mr. Ste
phens,, then adverted to the division among
the Fenians which had occurred in this
country 1t was most disastrous event,
though he believed it to have been caus-
ed more by excess of zeal than weak
ness or incompetency among the leaders
in America. One year ago England had


lain in the, hands of the Fenians and
could have been crushed like a piece of
paper, and would have been but for the
unhappy condition of Fenan affairs in


America Though the conflict had been


postponed, the Fenians had lost none of
their strength in Ireland If the Amer
lean public could have known what he
did of the present state of affairs in Ire
land, they could never have acted toward
us as they have, without being false to
their republican principles The only
excuse for the American people and the
American press was their deplor'ble ig


norance of the state of ireland. Meth
er did the Irish people themselves under
stand the true condition of affairs there


We have realized, said Mr.. Stephens,
three great triuYphs in ireland, either
one of which might justly be regarded as
great moral revolution. First The
people have been taught what republican
ism means. The Irish Ieople, who had
been pronounced the most Inclined to
aristocracy of any people of the earth,
had been made republican. An army
was indeed necessary but a republic was
necessary also. We wanted to get rid Of
lnndlordism and the influences which the
abominable agrarian laws cf England had
impressed upon tho Irish people. For
eight years we have labored with this end
in view. How could true republicanism
in America depreciate and revile the Fe


nian cause. when it had thus madc itself
the propagandist of republican princi-
pies They were either totally ignorant
of the extent and value of our work, or
they wero recrOant to their principles
Second: We have created an army in a
country where there had been no militia.
ry organization among the people since
1892. This army numbers $4,000, and
the men are as we'll trained, drilled and
equipped, and are as obedient to their
officers as any in the world. All this is
well known, said Mr.. Stephens, to those
in my confidence But it was folly and
worse than folly for New York paper
to send reporter through Ireland with


the pretense of giving trust worthy in
formation concerning the Fcnian army
there. No one can get any information n
concerning those matters except he pos
sesses proper credentials given by mo or
my deputies. Thc'third great object that
had heen effected was the teaching of the
people, The third great point that had
been gained was to have taught the peo-
pie to distinguish between the temporal
and the spiritual. He had seen the evil
effects of the power which the priests had
exercised in 1913. lie had therefore de-
termined that in this new revolution he
would not have the people led to the
right or left, or taken away from himself
by any one flo had taught thom to
lood to thepriests as before for spiritual
direction, but for nothing else. If the
priest teaches the noble old principle Of
resistance to British tyranny give heed
to him, but if he tells you to obey Eng
land do rot listen to him. So have we
struggled in the inculcatiou of these prin-
ciples, not making browliug opposition
but quietly educating the people to our
ends. The priest in this coming conflict
would turn back an Irish officer and his
men when on a patriotic mission. Now
4 what of the present condition of the or
ganization? He had had he said, com


municaticn from every part of Ireland
within the past three months. The ar.
my was as strong, if not stronger, in Ire


land than ever before. There were ad-
vantages Which the enemy had to-day that
they did not have twelve month ago


and on the other hand, the Fenans had
new advantages to counterbalance theil
losses. So the Irish flag would be raised
on Irish soil before New Years day with
as bright prospect as it ever he'd With
regard to the Canada prisoners he was
sure the Provincial authorities would moi
dare to hang Lynch on the 18th of De.
cember. Before that day arrived there


.o,,fl H. s,ob novrs from ireland flra+