Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1840-03-19

not less than 100000 votes. The ordinary
Irish especially, look TO their priests for both
spiritual and temporal advice, and their word
IS by them generally considered tho law
md the writer has no reason 10 believe but
hat the advice the priests give is generally
he best the case will admit Of as regards the
personal interests aud well being Of the indl-
vduals Of their nocks.-But this does not
vary the results that may be produced Ia
political point of view.
A gentleman perfectly conversant with the
suhIec, Of the internal Improvements IN Penn
sylvania. informed the writer IN Philadelphia
a few years since, that previous to the last
Presidential Election, there was for some
time n great diversity Of opinion among the
thousands of Irish laborers employed on The
canals, rallro ads, aud various public works Of
that State, with regard To which was the best
candidate for the Preside ency, Martin Van
Burrn or Gen. Harrison, there being a large
portion of them IN favor Of the latter candl-
date. lie also stated, that few days before
the choice of Electors, there was a general
movement Of the Priests along the line of
canals and railroads. and that as they passed,
all political discussions were hushed IN their
rear among the workmen, who afterwards
almost to a n,an voted lor Martin Van Bu
ren!
The writer has heard nm anccdote Of some
thing Of this nature. which occurred on the
Stoningion railroad, while II was making, a
few years since, the circumstance OF which
some readers may possibly be acquainted
with. A contractor had. in an unguarded
moment. used some harsh expression TO the
Priest while making his periodical round
The Priest bore The insult passvely,and with
out much f any relnurk-but tho very next
day q large proportion of the contractors
best aborers cit his employ, without assign
ing any cause, and he was unable to prevail
upon them tn resume their work, until he
privately apoogized 10 the Priest. when the
laborers directly after returned. finding the
influence OF The Priest among the laborcrs 10
be 81 great, some time afterwards, when
there was great scarcity OF hands, this same
contractor handed this same Priest ten or n
twenty dollar bill prirateiy and simply re-
mark, d that he should be ( lad to have ten
or twenty more good hands. Nothing was
said in reply, but m day or two, the hands
were supplied at the expense OF the neigh
boring contractors, who probably did not sus-
pect the real cause Of these mems leaving
their employ.
There are many other societies that are
liable to be made use If in very much this
same way, for political purposes, and If the
writer Is not very much mistaken, there Is at
this present time plan organizing at Wash
inglon by Messrs Kendall, Benton, Blair, &
Co. for the purpose Of obtaining the votes OF
a large proportion Of the religious society Of
Methodlsts, to meet the Presidential election
four years hence.
Most men are too apt to think political
movements aud events arc produced by ac
cldcntal causes, when in fact nearly all of
Importance Of late years. have been the re-
suit Of deliberate plans, but little suspected
by the people at large. They have been nr-
ranged md perfected by political men, whose
incomes are derived from their salaries, and
being thus left at leisure, they occupy their
time in turning the whole United States into
a political chess-board, which they place as
1t were before them, and like gambling sharp
crs, secretly play it's diversity of interests and
prejudIces against each other until they as
certain, almost to "a certainty, the leading
moves that will ensure success. In this, the
present men in power are much assisted by
the strict organization of the Executive Office
holders throughout the Unon-and who re-
port every circumstance of Importance to-
their superlors, as often as they occur. To
show To what an extent this system of espion.
age has been carried, 1t is perhaps sufficient
to state, thht the chief officer of q Revenue
Gutter in Newport few years since, as the
writer has been Informed, had after drinking
rather freely, made some allusien to the Pre-
sdent, or some Of his friends, not altogether
spectful-when few days after he recei-
we'd letter from the Secretary of the Treasu.
ry, quoting verbatim, the words the revenue
officer had used, and it was afterwards sup
posed he had been overheard by an cares
dropper who was listening at the window,
and who Immediately reported the convcrsa-
ton to the Secretary at Washington.
The plans Of these men are generally too
deeply laid TO be fully comprehcnded by the
great body of The people who treat as ridcu ,
ous and absurd the remote causes to VIII ich
political results are frequently ascribed, and
from which they really originate. The peo. .
pie cannot conceive, for instance, how the
present bankruptcy Of the country, can have
grown out of General Jackson's simply reno
'lng a sum Of money from one bank to others
they think so great an effect must have
been produced by cause of corresponding
magnitude. reason like the ci,izens of
London, in 1866 who when l3 200 dwelling
houses, covering 436 acres of land, were con.
sumcd, they could not conceive of so great
devastation being caused by fire klndled by
a single spark.
Ii is not unfrcquently the case that the
results produced by these political gamblings
are apparently Of directly n contrary nature
from what an inexperienced person would
suppose would be produced on seeing the
first moves OF the gamblers on the chess board
For instance at the present time it is tho't
strange by many that the executive should
persevere in keeping consul at Havana, who
it is believed by all who have taken pains to
ascertain the facts, is accumulating fortune
by conniping at the African slave trade.-It
IS known that the Slave trade, at the present
time. is carried on to a greater extent on the
coast Of Africa, than 1t has been at any for
ner period, with the exception Of about three
hundred miles Of coast now under the juris-
iction Of the American Colonization Society,
who have by the most praisewortby cxertions
innlhllated the sccursed traffic within the
bounds Of their colonies--the extension Of
which. promises to be tho only sure remedy
Tor this crying evil.)-This trade is mostly
carried on in American vessels, and under
The American flag, fitted out from the Island
of Cuba. From accounts that are to hc relied
,n there has not passed an hour, probably
rot ipeniy consecutire minutes, for the last ,
rear or two, in which the ear Of eternal and
etrbntve Justice, has not heard the last
,ronn of some dvinp Afrlcsn as II has ns.