334 



FENIAN BROTHERHOOD. 



New Jersey, 5 ; Ohio, 22 ; Oregon, 3 ; Penn- 

 sylvania, 27; Rhode Island, 10; Tennessee, 4; 

 Vermont, 6 ; Wisconsin, 11 ; Army and Navy, 

 15 the Fenians of this latter naval and military 

 class numbered about 14,620. The member ship 

 of the Circles ranged from sixty to nearly five 

 hundred, and that of the order at that time was 

 estimated at 80,000 in good standing. At the 

 session of the Congress in January, standing 

 committees were appointed on Military Affairs, 

 on Foreign Affairs, on Ways and Means, on 

 Government and By-laws, and on Fenians in 

 Ireland. About the same time a Fenian Sister- 

 hood was established, which promises to include 

 large numbers. 



Another Congress of the Brotherhood assem- 

 bled in Philadelphia in September, 1865, at 

 which a new constitution was adopted after the 

 model of the Constitution of the United States. 

 Its design, stated in the preamble, is to secure 

 the blessings of liberty for the Irish race in Ire- 

 land. Its members shall consist of citizens of the 

 United States of Irish birth and lineage, and Irish- 

 men and friends of Ireland living on the Amer- 

 ican continent, and hi the provinces of the British 

 Empire wherever situated. No change is made 

 in the general pledge above mentioned, by which 

 its members are bound together. The Brother- 

 hood is subdivided into State, District, and So- 

 cial Circles as previously. The Congress consists 

 of a Senate and House, composed of one delegate 

 for every hundred members of a Circle, more or 

 less, but none less than ten, and an additional 

 delegate for every fraction above fifty. The 

 Senate consists of fifteen members, nominated 

 by a committee of two from each State and 

 district, elected by the delegates of each State 

 and district in Congress assembled. One of their 

 number must be chosen President of their body ; 

 he then becomes Vice-President of the Brother- 

 hood. The Senate meet in perpetual session 

 while in office, and organize within two days 

 after their election, and adjourn from time to 

 time. 



The Executive power is placed in the hands 

 of a President elected annually by the Congress. 

 He nominates, and the Senate elects, secretaries 

 of Military Affairs, of the Treasury, of Naval 

 Affairs, and of Civil Affairs. In the same man- 

 ner an agent of the Irish Republic and Subscrip- 

 tion agent are appointed. The President and 

 Senate make arrangements and treaties with 

 persons or powers friendly to the objects of the 

 Brotherhood, and appoint envoys and ambassa- 

 dors; and " the President, Vice-President, and all 

 civil officers shall be removed from office and 

 expelled, on impeachment for and conviction 

 of treason, bribery, or other high crimes or mis- 

 demeanors." The details of the organizations 

 under the new constitution are such as have 

 been stated above. 



After the adjournment of the Congress public 

 offices were opened by the officers of the Broth- 

 erhood in New York, and an issue of bonds 

 commenced. A difficulty subsequently ensued 

 between the Senate and President which pro- 



duced an apparent division in the order. It 

 was ultimately healed so far as not to interfere 

 with the great objects in view. 



While the Congress was in session at Phila- 

 delphia, an application was made to the Presi- 

 dent for the release of Mr. John Mitchell, an 

 Irish revolutionist who had been enlisted in the 

 cause of the Confederate States. Col. Roberts, 

 the envoy of the Congress, thus addressed Presi- 

 dent Johnson : 



MR. PRESIDENT; I have the honor of being delegated 

 by the convention of Irish-American citizens, assem- 

 bled in Philadelphia, representing large social classes 

 in thirty States and territories, to wait upon your 

 Excellency and express to you how deeply they feel 

 the act restoring to freedom a man whom they love 

 and venerate for his self-sacrificing devotion to his 

 native land. They remember nothing of John Mitch- 

 el's American career. They can never forget that he 

 risked all a patriot should for Ireland. 1 am sure, 

 your Excellency, the American people will have no 

 cause to regret the sympathy they feel, and the 

 friendship we believe thev entertain for their fellow- 

 citizens of Irish birth. We, sir, are not unconscious 

 of the fact, that we have found in America, liberty, 

 justice,"and an asylum. 



President Johnson replied in substance as 

 follows : 



GENTLEMEN : I am glad to learn that the steps which 

 have been taken in the matter referred to, have met 

 with the approval of the gentlemen who have seut 

 you here. As you, sir, delicately remarked, we could 

 not remember Mr. Mitchel's American career; but 

 we were anxious, as a mark of respect and comnli- 

 ment to the large section of our countrymen with 

 whom Mr. Mitchel was previously identified, to yield 

 to their expressed wishes in that regard. 



The part of the organization existing in Ire- 

 land is known under the initials I. R. B., or Irish 

 Revolutionary Brotherhood. It is, from the 

 necessity of the case, secret and oath-bound, 

 it being treason against the ruling, or British 

 government. Its secrecy is so successfully con- 

 trived as to have defied, thus far, with success, 

 the spies and the gold of the government; 

 and its organization is unshaken in consequence 

 of its inviolable secrecy. Its members in Ire- 

 land are required to be able-bodied men, who 

 are sworn into military service and secretly 

 drilled as soldiers, for which purpose teachers, 

 it is supposed, have been supplied from among 

 the Irish soldiers in the United States. The 

 numerical strength of the Fenians in Ireland is 

 represented as formidable, when compared with 

 the numbers which England and Scotland could 

 add to the British army. The military resources 

 and the strength of numbers must be con- 

 tributed by the Brotherhood in other countries. 

 England's hour of distress is designed to be 

 Ireland's opportunity. Of the organization in 

 Canada, or in the other British possessions, 

 little is publicly known. They have served to 

 awaken apprehension and increased watchful- 

 ness among the local authorities. 



The organization of such an extensive con- 

 spiracy to wrest from the British crown the 

 third member of its kingdom, early excited the 

 apprehensions of the government. During the 

 year soldiers were sent into Ireland, and the con- 



