Year: 1866

courage and unyielding spirit of their oppo
nents, who were tried soldiers of many bat.
ties. fighting, not for pay, but to avenge the
seven hundred years of wrongs to their coun.
try, all ready to die for Irish independence.
Not a man was there who thought once of
retreating from those splendid Looking fell
lows-not one not ready to lay down his life
for the cause.


know many of our Irish friends say we
violated the neutrality laws, and that the
United States could not have done otherwise
than it did, Many think so conscientiously.
But think that the United States was not
bound to let the organization go on for
years, or to sell to leaders of the movement
lots of arms and ammunition. On the
Fourth of July | saw an order from the
ordnance department of the United States at
Washington, directed to the officer in charge
of the Government arsenal at indianapolis,
directing him to sell to man in Kentucky
100000 rounds of cartridges-and that man
is widely known as an efficient and uncom-
promising Fenian leader. 1t must have
been known that these cartridges were not
intended for target practice. No. the gov
ernment has had our hard earned money.
and then seized our purchases-it has acted
towards US in bad faith And who are we !?
what are our antecedents? Let me tell you
nearly every man with me in Canada fought
for the Stars and Stripes, some of them right
at Andy Johnson's home. When this State
was in danger, they volunteered, and rush
ed to the frontier. Yet, in his proclamation,
he has stigmatised us as :" evil doers" =
True, he has said he was the friend of the
Fenians-the friend of Irishmen. Probably
he would say the same to-day. He has ex-
cused himself on the ground that it was his
duty to execute the neutrality law But why
does he construe it against US, and not in
the light of England's perfdy during the
late war? He would to- day turn me over to
Canada, but be dares not do it, The Amer
lean people would not permit it. Some
friends of mine here feared would be given
up to Canada when the Michigan had me
prisoner-.I feared not | knew that
although the administration tried to crush
us, yet the American people were with us.
At every railroad station crowds attested
their sympathy When in jail, we were
serenaded, and we were feted with dinners
end suppers, Everywhere we received good
cheer and promises of assistance At first |
was disposed to attribute the action of the
various District Attorneys and the Marshals
to over efficiency. did not believe the gov
ernment false to US until | saw the orders
from Secretary Seward. Then doubt could
no longer remain on my mind that some
officials at Washington desired to break us
up.


Colonel John NJ. Palmer, a member, of
the Tennessee Legislature was called to the.
chair, and acted as presiding officer of the
meeting aforesaid, and in his Introductory
remarks spoke thus of


PRESIDENT JOHNSON:


My heart is with you on this OCCASION
Next to the preservation of that glorious
Union for which many of you have lately
fought so nobly-that Flag under which you
took shelter from the tyranny of England,
and which you defended against the most in
famous rebellion the world ever saw, and for
which many of you bled, and numbers of
your brethren died next to that flag. say,
my sympathies are with you, with Ireland,
the gem of the ocean. When your invasion
was commenced, | had great expectations
But that unfortunate fire in the rear spoil
ed all. Did gratitude to England for her
kind treatment to us during the rebellion
prompt that? Her conduct in so soon de-
claring the South belligerent? Why was
it at that awful crises the United States found
it necessary to apply the neutrality laws p
Now you know your man-it was he who be-
trayed the South. then the North, then his
party, then the Fenians, and | would not
trust him with the interests of hell-he
would betray them, too"