Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1852-04-24
Letter from Democratic Irisnman.


| MesSrs. Edlt0rs--l am an ishman, and have
always voted ;he Democratic ticket, as the
| large majority OF my cOuntrymen 10 as soon
as they acquire the right. | claim no especial
| fayors on this account from the Democratic K
| party for myself, and | think all nay country
men will agree with me. wish every distinc-
| ton founded on the accident Of birth to be for
gotten and abolished. All that | want is that
, when mans political claims are in question,
it should not matter where he WAS bonn. Nov
| had hoped that both parties intended to lrac-
tce upon this plan. The Whjy party profa>s-
ed to do so, and professed nothing nOte, The
Democratic party PROCESSES to do the same, eX-
cept that it pretends TO have Il higher regard
for lrlshmen than the Wing and is continually
making the most Of that rrctence for the par
pose of securing the votes Of M grateiul couI-
trymen. used to think that i. reilly was the
case, that an Irishman was rated at 4 li'tle
higher value by the Democratic party than by
the Wing. But several instances have occur
red lately under my immediate observation.
that speaks very strongly to the contrary. For
example, at least four worthy lrishmen Of this
city were recommended strongly to the Canal
Board this spring. for canal officers Not 4
single one Of them was appointed! The Wing
Canal Board put and kept il Office the follow
ing four Irishmeu, of this city: Mess-s. Joseph
Cochran, John Jenkinson, John slcCormick
and Patrick J. McNamara and sci up no claims
to our gratitude for either At Tic Dcmocra-
tic City Convention the names Of at least two
Irishmen were urged by their friends for rom
nations, and both Of them were overslaughed
In the 5th Ward Democratic caucus, the name
of an estimable Irish citizen was presented for
Alderman, and he too was whistled oil tie
course. Now, there seems to be lather too
much of this to be accidental, and can't help
turning it over in my mind, and thinking about
it, especially when know that the same con-
trast--warm friendship in words and turning
the cold shoulder in practice-has been mani
tested by the Democrats in many of the cities
of this State.
There is another thing can't help thinking
about. The Democrats support the British
Free Trade policy, by which Euglend has ru-
ined the industry of Ireland, and driven her
sons and daughters into exile since the union
deprived Ireland of the right and the power of
her own domestic industry, bv which |
England is trying to keep the monopoly Of
for the world, of compelling |
them to come to her shops to trade instead Of |
staying at home and trading with one another.
1t is this commercial supremacy of England !
tnat the bcHiociatS uo all tHe( chn 10 uptiOlu,
while the Whig party struggles to pull it
down. and thus destroy the power of England
to force my native land to be nothing but a
potatoe garden, and her sons and daughters to
fly from the hearth-stones of their fathers, to
get that employment they can no longer get at
home. The Democratic party breaches that
we ought TO support English labor for the sake
Of buying in the cheapest market, regardless
Of supporting labor in this country, which we
nave been driven here to seek, because wages
that English policy compelled US to submit to
n the old country, will not keep soul and body
together. In Short the Democratic rolicy
would keep US in subsection to that very Bril-
fish control that we came here to avoid, while
he Wing party would give US fair wages for
fair work.
cannot help thinking of these things, nor
'an help thinking that it is the Wing party
which has projected and carried through ali
he great works of internal improvements, the
seeping of which in operation is question of
bread or no bread for SO many of my country
men on their first arrival in this land
shall keep thinking about it; and if don't
'ct about it, too, mighty soon. then did not
'ome from ERIN.