denouncing the wrongs of England towards his own native land '4 His abo litionism has nothing it» do with the wrongs of Ireland, nor with the remedy for them which she and he are alike struggling afier. With all respectto the gentlemen concerned, the demon strations recently made in some of our Southern cities on this point of offence, by dissolving their Repeal Associations, and withdrawing from the movement of Irish Repeal, all their expressions of sympathy and contributions of more practical aid, for the sole and simple reason of Mr. O’Connell‘s sentiments and language on this subject, strike us as absurd in the extreme; and as in
truth far more injurious to ourselves, than to those against whom, as an act of resentment and hostility, they are directed. The American reader needs perhaps to be made to understand rather better than is generally the case, the true meaning and merits of this movement, which have indeed been more obscured than illustrated by the speeches and proceedings of some of the recent meetings held in various parts of the country, by its enthusiastic, but rather hasty and hot-headed friends. On some of these occasions we have heard little else than the language of blood and war, as though it were a revolution of violence which was appealing to our
[August,
idea, as on all occasions declared by its head and representative, is its character of Peacefulness. It is purely a moral agitation. lven while it finds one mode of its expression in the collection of the physical masses, on a scale so stupendous as to be scarcely conceivable even to our American imaginations, familiar as we are with vast popular assemblages, it at the same time emphatically discoun tenances the idea of applying them to any other use, than an intense concen tration of that moral power which asserts its own full ability to effect its whole aim ; together with a sublime exhibition of the force and unanimity of a national sentiment. If a lion is introduced upon the scene of action, it is by a little child that it is led. N0 thing in the nature of rebellion is spoken of, thought of. On the con trary, O’Connell has assumed ground of even extreme Quaker-ism.
He has
declared that could he obtain all that he aims at for his country at the ex pense of a drop of human blood, he would not pay that awful price for it. The military array of the ministry, against the great moral might of a peacefully determined people, he lau hs at as no less absurd than brutal. $0 attempt is made at any kind of organi zation of a similar character on the popular side, such as have not been un familiar to the former history of the sympathies. Donations have been same unhappy country. On the con given for buying “powder and ball,” trary, he is constant in his cautions to and the prospect held out of a “ hun the people to beware of afi‘ording to dred thousand volunteers” ready and their adversaries the slightest pretext eager to follow their pecuniary contri to charge upon them any violation of butions, to take part in the anticipated the law or disturbance of the‘peace. That O’Connell is himself sincere in struggle of civil war,—with the inti mation hinted, that after crossing an this position, is doubted by few, we be ocean it would not be worth while to lieve,even ofthose to whom he and all he stop short at a petty channel,whilc the does are most obnoxious—though whe three million Chartists of England’s ther it will be possible for him to carry own tear-bedewed island await but such out such a system to the end, with all a signal to rise too against their op the inflammable materials with which pression. Against all this, while we he has to deal, is a very different ques_ desire to express the sincere and tion. It is one consistent with his earnest sympathy of American demo declarations and his conduct for many cracy with the cause of Irish emanci years back, anterior to the present pation, we cannot omit to record at the occasion, for which it might otherwise same time its equally sincere and be supposed to have been assumed as a. earnest protest. Indeed those who mask for a different design, like aquaker thus deal with the subject, prove their garb cloaking a cuirass. As a powerful own total and gross misconception of opponent of the punishment of death, the true spirit of the whole movement, he has made strong expressions of his to which their misdirected zeal cannot sense of the sacred value of human life, fail to do much more harm than good. -—which may well, perhaps, have had Its highest, its peculiarly ennobling its origin in the bitter hour when he
