THE FENIAN ORGANISATION.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3679, 30 April 1883, Page 4

THE FENIAN ORGANISATION.

(By a Fenian.)

A great deal of rubbish has been written of late about the Fenian organisation. The rcA-elat.ions of the informers in the course of tho proceedings at Dublin luive given occasion to correspondents of the London and Dublin papers—who pretend to knoAv all about it—to enlighten au expectant Avorld as to the objects and organisation of the Fenian Brotherhood. Perhaps you will permit one avlio has been an active Fenian till lately, and avlio is still a. Fenian in principle, to notice some of the fallacies Avhich these people put forward. Murder, it is said, Avas never a Aveapon of the Fenian Brotherhood. I maintain that it Avas and is the only Aveapon of the organisation—that is to say, obedience to its decrees could only be enforced at any time by what is called murder. The Fenian organisation claims to be the legitimate Government of Ireland. But Ireland is in the hands of her conquerors ; and therefore the Fenian (or, more properly speaking, the Irish Republican) Government, having no organised military or j.olice force to compel obedience to its commands and make its influence felt, is forced to have recourse for these purposes to secret assassination. It is quite true that up to the date of the alliance betAA'ecu the Land Leaguers and the Fenians, none save informers or suspected informers Averc murdered (executed, in Fenian phrase) ; but not one without convincing evidence of guilt having been produced to justif3 r the death-sentence. From the date last mentioned doAvn to the present timo the field of Fenian assassination lias been largely extended. It exempts no one that is selectedbj'thcDirectory, AA-'iiiehis iioav constituted of an equal number of Leaguers and Fenians. It is also true that Stephens Avould not permit even knoAvn informers to be put to death in 18G5 ; but that was from political motives. Ho feared to have his plans "blown upon" immaturoly, and therefore discouraged any action Avhich would bo likely to create apprehension in the public mind and set the authorities in 2uotion. In this ho -was -wrong-, .„_ -was afterwards proved Avhen the men avlio Averc more than reasonably suspected of being in the pay of the Government, and aa'lio Averc not put out of the Avay, gave such evidence as led to the disruption of the organisation

and the conviction and imprisonment of its leaders. AVhen this Avas made clear to Stephens by the trials A\ r hich took place during' his imprisonment and subsequent to his escape 'from Richmond prison, he sanctioned the formation of an assassination circle; which Avas placed under the command of John Devoy. This circle has always been maintained in full efficiency from that lime to the present; but it Avas never nieaut, until the evil contagion of constitutional agitation seized it, to Avrcak vengeance on the persecutors of professional patriots (a species of vermin Avhich can be regarded only AA'ith the liveliest aversion by the Avell-regulated Fenian mind) even though they Averc the paid instruments of British tyranny.

Perhaps a short'sketch of the history of the Fenian organisation since the last " rising " may be of some interest at this time. Until the date of tho release of the first batch of Fenian prisoners in ISO!) the organisation may be said to haA-o been extinct, or at least, to haA-o had only feeble existence ; but hardly had the prison doors closed behind these devoted men Avhen they resumed the work their capture and imprisonment by the enemy had interrupted. The "Supreme Council " Avas then funned, and it soon succeeded iv reorganising most of the circles Avhich Averc dissoh-cd iv the city and pretty generally all over the country, and with marked success iv England and Scotland.

This Council consisted of four members

representing the four provinces of Ireland. It was composed of three of the amnestied Fenians (one of whom died recently, another retired into private life, and the other became an agitator) and a I'enian suspect, who is now a member of Parliament. England aud Scotland had representatives also on the Council, but the supreme control rested with the four members, who constistitutcd a sort of superior Court of Appeal, whoso decision on disputed points was final. With them also rested the power of passing death sentences, and the theory was that

they were not responsible in a greater degree for the so-called murders which they ordered

than the British Judges on the Bench for the capital sentences they pronounced on legally convicted criminals. The city branch of the organisation was controlled by a

directory of six centres; and in Cork, Limerick, and Belfast the same rules were observed.

Two of the members of the Supremo Council were sent to America in 1870 to endeavor to procure the affiliation of the American to the Home organisation. The American body was somewhat disorganised, aud split up into parties—as was indeed to some extent the organisation at Home, Mr James Stephens having a small section under his control.; but the ambassadors of the Supremo Council succeeding in effecting a union with the most influential and powerful of them—the U. 8., or United Brotherhood, which was understood to have long had a large reserve of money and arms in store. Tho organisation then auspiciously reconstructed is maintained in undiminished' strength to the present day, though its career has not been unchequei-edorunovent- | ful. But I must confess that for revolutionary purposes it has not been of much account. Somehow it has always been its fate to be used by professional agitators to further their own particular aim. Some of these gentlemen, indeed, managed to attain at times to membership of the Supreme Council, which they held until they were found out, and then they were ignominiously deposed. I have myself personal cognisance of the fact that on the Supreme Council, at intervals subsequent to the resignation or deposition of the first three of its members, were a Laud League official—one of the most prominent of the League Parliamentary Party—and another not so prominent; while most of tho other o.lico-holders from time to time were men who have since become conspicuous in the Land League movement. Indeed, the only real revolutionary AVork performed all these years was the collection of arms. The first jmblic a-jitation with which the Fenians co - operated was that for the amnesty I

of the Fenian prisoners. They organised two monster meetings of that period, Avhich Averc more imposing and numerous than those of the last feAV years held in support of the land agitation. Isaac Butt Avas the hero of this agitation, and we had a great admiration for that really '' grand old man.'' Another of our men, John Nolan (I may mention his name, since he is now safe in tho United States), Aveut into this amnesty movement Avith a aat.ll, and labored night and day to make it irresistible. He Avas a man of particularly enterprising and ingenious spirit. He made the Lord Lieutenant of the time I mention and of the present —Earl Spencer that is—the victim of an audacious "sell." He hired the Exhibition Palace aud advertised a holiday fete for the special delectation of the working classes. A most tempting programme Avas published and the charges for admission were put at a very loav figure. Moreover, ho procured the patronage and promised presence of the Lord Lieutenant. I forget A\diether His Excellency actually attended or not: but the affair Avas a marvellous success. The Palace Avas filled to overfioAving and the receipts Avcre enormous. The cream of the joke is, however, that the thing Avas got up by Nolan to "raise the Avind" for the Fenian organisation —to procure funds for the purchase of arms ; and the result Avas that the Fenian treasury, Avhich Avas all but empty, Avas tilled again.

The Fenians also gaA-c valuable support to the Homo Rule moA-cmcnt, and it Avas Avhen it Avas rather on the Avanc that the Government spy Talbot Avas "spotted" and assassinated. Mr Butt, avlio led the Home Rule movement, made so splendid a defence for Kelly, Avho shot Talbot—and succeeded in procuring his acquittal on the capital charge—that the Home Rule cause came to be favored to a greater extent by tho Fenians than oa*cu Avas that of amnesty. They were without doubt the backbone of tho movement so long as it lasted.

All this time the collection of arms Avas on and still continues. But there Avill bo no "rising" in our time ; of that there can be no doubt.'

Devoy came to Ireland from Ncav York in IS7'J, commissioned ostensibly by the U.B. to inspect the Irish organisation. His real object Avas to enlist the support and active co-operation of the Fenians of Ireland and Great Britain fora new-fangled scheme, concocted by himself and Michael Davitt, for a land agitation, parliamentary and public. He had lots of money, and on behalf of the U.B. promised wonders in the w;iy of material support for the Irish organisation. AYe received him Avith open arms, gave cordial assent to all his proposals, and adopted his plans. AYe elected two of the Leaguers on our Council, and organised a circle —the inner circle of Avhich so much aa'.'is heard lately iv the Dublin Police Court—for the purpose of making reprisals—" skirmishing" avc called it — i.e., burning and blowing up public buildings, and, as a last resource, murdering prominent GoA'crnment officials. In fact, I may say our entire organisation Avent over to the League bodily. They kept our money chest full, moreover; and avc found the excitement of public meetings allsufficient to satisfy our conscience that Aye were discharging our duties as patriots.

But -when Parncll was arrested and the no-rent manifesto was j.ublished, orders were issued to our picked men to bold themselves in readiness to supplement the murders iv tbe country by Moonlighters (who arc also our men) by similar crimes in the city. Tho shooting of the Chief Secretary, tbe Under-Secretary, the Crown Solicitor, ;md other Government, officials, •was ordered ; and a good many of us, myself amongst the number, declined to have anything more to do with the Fenian business. AYe did not particularly object to the killing of the Government officials, but we were averse from bearing any responsibility for such deeds as were contemplated merely because well paid, aud in many cases dishonest, agitators were put in prison, and in order to afford an excuse to dishonest tenants to refuse to pay their rents. AYe left the organisation severely alone from that day to this ; and mean to continue to do so until it shakes off the League incubus, which weighs it down and will finally lead to its destruction. —St. James' Gazette.