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Tomahawk (1867-1870), 10th April 1869, Edition 1 of 1, Page unpag, MISPLACBJD MERCY.

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    • MISPLACBJD MERCY.
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      The Tomahawk: A Saturday Journal Of Sati...

      THE TOMAHAWK : A SATURDAY JOURNAL OF SATIRE . 0 "INVITAT CULPAM QUI PECCATUM PRiETERIT . " f

      No. Ior.] London, April 10, 1869. [Price...

      No . ior . ] LONDON , APRIL 10 , 1869 . [ Price Twopence .

      Misplacbjd Mercy.

      MISPLACBJD MERCY .

      The More Independent And Conscientious P...

      The more independent and conscientious portion of the Liberal Press seems unanimously to have come to the conclusion that the release of the Fenian prisoners was , a serious mistake . In this opinion we most heartily concur ; and we trust that this very foolish leniency towards those who are utterly unworthy of itwill not be allowed to form a precedent for the conduct of

      , the present Government towards Ireland . This culpable weakness is the more to be regretted , occurring as it does at a time when England has shown most unmistakeably her resolution to treat the Irish with the utmost liberality . It cannot but tend to shake the confidence of those Irishmen

      who are sincerely anxious for the welfare of their country , when they see the same Government that has treated the Irish Church question with such perfect discretion and fairness , hastily letting loose upon that unfortunate land those mean and cowardly harpies , whose schemes had been defeated by judicious

      firmness , and whose persons had been secured by the vigorous exertions of the law . No one whose moral nature is not completely defcrmed by prejudice can have any sympathy with these soi-disant colonels . The Annals of Insurrection do not afford any examples of more contemptible creatures . Idle

      , dissolute , bragging , mercenary , skulking knaves , who have left their country in the time of her utmost need to fatten on fraud and treachery in the Promised Land of Rowdyism , when they find that their venal maunderings about liberty , and their foulm — o — uthed — ¦— - — - s — la — — — n - ¦ — d — — ¦ ers - ^ r 1 ™ on ^^ - ™ - —~ En ^—^^ w —— —— g ^ p ^^ t lan ^^ ^ v ^ r ^^^^ d ^^» W arenolonger ^^^^ W ^^ ^^^ ^^^™ ^^^ ^^™ ^^^ ^^ m ^^ ^ p ^^ fc " ^ *^™ thoughtworth ^^ ^^ m ^^ w ^ t ^ B ^^ ^^ ¦ ^ " ^ ^^ ^^ purchas ^~^ ^^^™ ^^^ ^^^ " » ~^ r ^^ V ^^ p -

      ing by the lowest riff-raff of America , they sneak across the Ocean to their native land at the expense of honest if mistaken Irishmen , who , never having beheld these heroes of the tongue , fancy that they are the noble patriots destined to avenge the legendary wrongs of Erin . The Fenian colonels land in Ireland , and

      instantly exert their cunning and chicanery in entrapping discontented peasants into their toils—they put forward desperate lads to do whatever work involves danger , while they themselves live comfortably at ease on the plunder wrung from the wretched victims , who are fools enough to believe in their bounce and

      lying clap-trap . It is extraordinary that even those among the Irish who cherish as their only inheritance an unreasoning hatred of the Saxon—unreasoning because it interprets all attempted benefits , by the lurid light of past tyranny—it is incomprehensible to us

      , who , while ready to sympathise with the oppressed , whoever or wherever they be , cannot nor would not shut our eyes to the plain evidence of facts—it is incomprehensible to us that these

      wretched Fenian area-sneaks can be ever looked upon by the most violently " national " Irishman as anything but an insult and disgrace to the people whose kinship they claim . What * are these ardent patriots adorned with the honours of military rank fc bestowed p « r on themselves by ¦ ¦ themselves -w- — - ? Are they - — men

      ^ » m ^ *«^ ^^ a ^ w ^ w w ^^^ tfv ^^ **^ ^^ . ^^ mvn v ^^^ w vr ^ ^ w ^^^ - ^ r ^ ^~ - ~~ - — — — — - — who have suffered wrong at the hands of English landlords ^ ? Are they earnest , zealous Catholics , burning with long suppressed rage at the Protestant ascendancy now about to die a well-deserved death ? Are they enthusiastic lovers of their ¦ ¦ country ^^ p ^^ ^ ^ ^ p ^ p w , m who w w ^*^ m ^^ wish V w ^ B w ^ k ^ H to ^ m ^^ r take ^^ nm ^ mm ^^ a ^ w more !¦¦¦¦¦ ^^ - ^ — ' ^^^ speedy —^ y — — - ~— ^ j course — ~ — than leg ^^^

      islation towards remedying the injustice of the land laws—towards spreading education amongst their ignorant and neglected fellow-countrymen ? Are they sincere but deluded fanatics , goaded into rash rebellion by brooding over the history of their country ! No : theyare nothing but cowardly , hypocritical

      mercenaries naries , who wno would would sell sell themselve themselves s to to the the Saxon Saxon to to--morrow morrow if if they they could , get a good price for their allegiance . They are not Irishmen , but American rapscallions , who have swelled the crowd of vermin which a great civil war always calls into existence , and who , seeing their occupation gone with the restoration of order in Americahope to turn their valuable talent for

      , theft and assassination into account by trading on the political and religious passions of their countrymen . Religion they themselves have none ; they care no more about the Church question than they do about their honour , and they would kneel down before the car of the Goddess of Reason to-morrow ,

      i { the dirt that the wheels splashed in their faces were only rich enough in gold . Such are the men who , because they have not been pampered and flattered when in their proper home , the prison , would make themselves out to be martyrs . Such are the men to whom

      the Government has shown a most mistaken mercy . Such mercy involves cruelty to those who deserve our bounty and our consideration ; such weakness cripples our hands in carrying out the great work of justice to Ireland . In order to pass a measure on Tenant-right , which , while it protects the rights

      of the tenant , shall not place the landlord in the power of idle and worthless squatters , we must treat with the utmost severity these hired advocates of plunder ; we must suppress with a firm and relentless strength all secret societies , under whatever name , whose avowed object is nothing but robbery and reb f

      ellion , unless we are prepared to abandon Ireland to hersel , and relegate to ages of bloody and internecine warfare a country whichfrom the combined forces of tyranny , timidity , and neglec t , has already suffered more than , were we even to credit her bitterest enemies , she ever could have deserved .

  • Citation
    • Tomahawk (1867-1870), April 10, 1869, page unpag, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/t/issues/ttw_10041869/page/1/