the whole
body, and spent the money voted to it by the F. C., without the
knowledge of the home members. By keeping away the one envoy of the
I. R. B., and auditing their own accounts, and speaking in general
terms of the R. D. as if they spoke for the whole body, they hoped
to conceal this fact and secure a continuance of the fraud. We now
begin to see why it became necessary to impose silence, by oath on
the delegates, for the first time in the history of the conventions
of the V. C. The report of the convention issued by the Triangle,
and the tone of circulars since issued, show a deliberate purpose to
prepare the minds of the members of the V. C. for a break with our
brothers at home. Are such men worthy of your confidence?

Fourth--The R. D.--The R. D. is a fundamental law of the V. C.,
protected and ratified by international treaty with the I. R. B. It
cannot be altered or abolished without the consent of the I. R. B.,
and the consent of the D's. It was adopted by the Philadelphia
convention of the V. C., by a unanimous vote in 1876, with the
proviso, that it should become a law only when approved by a
two-thirds majority of the D's. It was submitted to the D's, and
after being discussed at special meetings in every D, was approved
by much more than the necessary majority. It was then submitted to
the S. C., and having been agreed to by them the R. D. was elected,
and by a solemn treaty invested with the supreme authority in all
revolutionary matters.

The R. D. could not be abolished without the consent of both the
contracting parties, nor its functions assumed by a minority of
that body, or their confederate "in flesh," without the consent of
the S. C. or consulting the D's, who created it, and that most
accommodating body called the Boston convention, has empowered the
Triangle to elect an R. D. or not, as they see fit. That is, to
elect the whole body and run a boat of their own, as did the
Flannigans at the Flood, with the assistance of their confederate
"in the flesh."

The R. D. provided the means of adjusting all differences between
the two organizations, of adopting a common policy, of auditing all
expenditures, and made out of previously disjointed fragments, one
united Irish revolutionary body throughout the world. Every