Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-02-07
A word TO sur IRISH Adopted eeslosasOsti.
Ems.
NEGRO EQUALITY N MASSACHUSETTS.

From the Memphis Avalanche.
Five years ago the volunteer soldiery Of Massas
chusetts composed of true and patriotic sons of the
Emerald Isle, were stripped of their arms bv a
Black Republican Governor. These trusty soldiers.
who had sworn allegiance to the United States-and
whose only sin was that they came from that
ssIs!e in the ocean, whose sons are as brave
As the heroes OF cid, who told Of in story;
Whose hearts are a free as the Inoaptainopr wave
That heats On its shore in all Of its glory"-
were sought to be degraded by this worthless act
of bigoted Black Republican official The prece-
dents that Montgomery, their eountrvnan had ner-
ished amid the frpsts and storms of Canada in de-
tense of hberes that Shields had shed his blood
ia Mexico; that everywhere the adopted citizens OF
Irish birth had met promptly and fully every exac-
ton of their allegiance to the United States did not
deter the Black Republican power from placing a
brand of contumey upon their brow. The arms
were taken from them, and they were told that
they would longer be trusted as mart of the mill
itary defense of their country The reason for this
was twofold. 1t sprung in part from the Deep
seated antagonism of Black Republican, Massacbr-
sets to the Irish element in the country which had
uniformly opposed Its strength at the polls to the in
sidious doctrines Of that organization, The Irish
soldery had also aided the Federal Government in
recovering at Boston, the fugitive slave, Anthony
Burns. Oae OF their countrymen, Deputy United
States Marshal Baeheder killed BY the fanati.
cal host upon that occasion because of the discharge
| of his sworn duty.
Two years after that fine Black Republican Legis-
ature of that State proposed to make negroes part
of the militia of Massachusetts in other words to
| take the arms they had wrested from the Irish
adopted citizens, and place them in the keeping of
degraded and sePyile race thus exalting tie latter
| over the former. The Governors veto prevented
| the contamination Of this purpose. Again in 1859,
the Legislature adopted this proposition and fixed it
in their revised statutes The Governor again
vetoed it. This Governor, though Of their own
party could not exactly swallow it, AS soon as his
;erm expired, the Republicans nominated and elect
| ed as Governor, John A. Andrews, a proposed ad-
vocate Of negro equality He has just been inaugu-
rated, and we may expect soon to hear of the Black
Republican Legislature adopting, for the third time
the negroes part of the militia of Massachusetts,
end ofits completion by the signature of Governor
elected by them for that purpose Then the exalted
negro will parade the streets of Boston with United
States guns which the people taxed to pay for,
whilst the Irish citizen is ANONYMOUSLY deprived of
the glorious privilege. Then, in time of war,
the negro regiment viii be sent by Massachusetts,
| answer the requsition of the Federal Government,
whilst the brave and valorous Irish citizens whose
hearts painting to show their true devotion to
their country will be told that they are unworthy
to be soldiers in the tented fields
And yet the IRISH ADOPTED CITIZENS of Tennessee
expected by the Sabmssionsts to vote to sustain
the President of party which has thus sought to
DEGRADE them-tO vote against the South-TO AD-
HERE TO A UNION CORRUPTED TO SUCH A DEGRADATION
or THEMSELVES and to desert the standard of the
section in which no blow has ever been struck at
them but which has preserved their State gov
eminent from the Ahiction of any assault upon the
CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF THE IRISH ADOPTED CITIZENS.
VIII they be dragooned into such an exhibition of
selfturpitude? We know their patriotic answer will
be-XEvER! NEVER