The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-05-22
NEW YORK HERALD.
New York. wednesday, May ~, ls44.

The Philadelphia Riots-The So Irishr and
the " Native" Organs-EnIightenedP Policy
OF Mayor Harper and the New Common
Council.
The violence of the "lrish' and "Naiiye''
newspapers has considerably subsidized, and they
now begun to talk more calmly and therefore more
Justly, of the Philadelphia riots and their causes
The FfeemGns Journal of this city, is still little
snappsh. its peevshness being constitutional COM
plant, but in long article of Saturday 1t endea-
vors to apologize for its previous interference, and
very properly admits that its great duty Is TO quell
excitement and frankly TO acknowledge with be-
coming contrition the share which the Irish had
in this terrible outbreak. The Volunteer con
tinues 10 declaim good deal about the Irish being
able and ready to defend themselves, but it also
adopts, some extent the apologize tone and Ger
tanlv. with good deal OF truth, endeavors to pal
ate the ou,rages of the Irish party by reference 10
the very great proyocaton which they had receiv.
cd
The Native" organs are also exhibiting more
calm and dispasslonate spirit; and on the minds OF
all we are glad to perceive is gradually settling
the conviction, which we have all along endea-
vored to enforce, and which no unprejudced and
impartial observer could refuse to admit, that both
parnes-both the Natives" and the "Irish"-are
alike guilty in the sight of heaven and all men, in
originating the fearful outrages which have so dis
graced the city Of Philadelphia, and our common
country.
The causes Of the sad state of things which has
had such fearful development in these riots, cannot
be too often stated, the necessary IN
ferences from them too frequently or too forci-
bly, presented. The grand cause Of all this
diseased and distempered state Of feeling
amongst the different classes of the citizens of this
country has undoubtedly been the introduction
Of religious bigotry, prejudice and fanatlcism by
violent, designing, or intolerant dsmagogues, lay
and clerical. These men have stirred up the evil pas
sions Of opposing sects and produced the same state
OF excited and bitter feeling which has tor so long
period made the screen isle " red with the blood
of contending religious factions. Can any one who
calls to his recollection the fierce and unchrisan
tirades-the vehement harangues-the cutting IN
vec,ive-the exciting appeals to prejudice and
passion-which have disgraced the pulpit and the
platform for several years, be astonished at the
results which such incendiary feelings have now
produced7 All along we have predicted that
eventually the violent decamations, the controver.
saI lectures and addresses and pamphlets of Catho-
lie and Protestant bigots, would bring forth such
bitter fruits All such conduct, we need not say,
has been in open and direct violation of the spirit
of our glorious Constitution whose recognition in
the broadcast and fullest of the great principle
oil religious freedom and liberty of conscience,
alone demand for it the highest admiration and re-
sp .ct of mankind. And the time is coming-nay,
it has already come, when the gross and fragrant
violation of this great principle of the Constitution
will be visited with the prompt and crushing indig-
nation Of every true American citizen, and every
iust and enlightened mind.
In investigating the causes of these outbreaks, it
is impossible to overlook the mischievous agency
of that imported spirit Of maignity, agitation, and
civil discord, which is so well described by its ap-
proprate observation-disclosures Selfish, I'M
prlncipled and designing politicians, OF both the
prominent parties OF the day, in order to concate
the Irish citzeus have, this side of the Atlantic
been playing the same game of deception and agi-
tation by which O'Connell has for the last twenty
years embroiled and distracted unhappy Ireland
This it was-this organization Of the Irish as a
ciass-ths constant reference TO their numerical
and physical force, and the sectional uses which
they could and should apply it-which alarmed,
excited, and finally stimulated into opposing dis
tnct organization, large masses of citizens of other
denomlnations--an organization as nmical to the
genius of our institutions as that which it was
tensbly intended to subdue, and for whose sup
preston other and constitutional means had been
provided, and which there was no fear that the
good sense and intelligence of the American peo-
pie would fail to employ.
This practical good and intelligence, we
now see. begin to operate. The violent, proscrp-
tive, and intolerant declarations of the "Nauve
Americans" no longer poured forth in this city.
The true. tenable, and just ground Of the party is
now discerned and occupied by its intelligent and
AL IL. e
Mayor Harper assumes this ground and no other.
The achievement of city reform--a just and rshte-
Gus administration of the laws-fdety in all re.
sp-cts to the Constiuton-these the great
principles which the Common Council de.
clare they intend to act. And this is recsely the
ground on which we have, from the first, endea-
vorei to place the party We have all along re-
buked the ebuilitions of intolerant and bigorted
religious feeling, and anti-American proscriptive
declarations, the part of the ultra leaders and
orators of all parties The justice end propriey of
our course has received the best possible con-
frmation in the message of the Mayor, and the
kindred declarations ofthe members of the Common
Council, who represent the practical good sense
and intelligence OF the American Republican party
As exemnifyng the liberal spirit which will ami
mate Mayor Harper in the discharge of the duties
of the responsible and honorable Office to which
he has been selected by the suffrages of such an
immense number of his fellow citizens, we may
mention an interesting incident which recently
came to our knowledge. 1t seems that amongst
the numerous employees OF Mr.. Harper, there is
respectable female of the Catholic faith. Mr.. Har-
per had received several anonymous communion
tons calling upon him, as "native" and Pro-
testant to discharge this female But Mr. Harper,
who, although Methodist, and strongly attached
10 the Protestant religion, is man of hberaity
and Christian charity, not only treated these bgot
asappeals with mented contempt, but. as if to
n~ * emphatlcaiy his disapprobaton of their spi-
rit he made the situation of the person whose dis