New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-04-07
EATURALIzED DEMOCRACY AND COLORBD
REPUBLICANISM,

A large proportion of the Northern De
mocracy Of the United States are foreigR
born. 1t is safe to say that nineteen
twentieths OF this foreign element are
Irish, and that they are Fenians.
Everybody knows that it is as natural
for an Irishman to declare himself Demo
erat as soon as he lands in New York as it
is natural that the lately liberated and en-
francbised freedmen Of the South should de-
clare themselves Republicans. While the
motive is perhaps the same, there is vast
difference in the causes that lead these TIVE
classes to take sAeh extremely opposite
party positions. The people Of ireland
have been ground down by British OPP
preston for centuries. BY the English
they have been considered as nothing
but Irishmen,r created as "hewers Of
wood and drawers Of water " for superior
race, aud with the exception Of an oc-
oasional prodigy good fer nothing else,
Taxed to support a government they hate,
and a church they believe in their hearts
to be Of the devil forced by their En-
glish masters to occupy a position but
little above downright slavery, the people
Of Ireland have had and now have abund-
ant cause to complain and appeal to
tAe civilized world for aid and sym
patty, No people OF earth ever felt
the calling Of their chains with a
keener sense Of the wrong done them
than the Irish. The late Fenian movement
is but repetition of the proofs given Of
their sense Of the oppression heaped upon
them. It is this oppression and their sense
of its injustice that has made Democracy
household word among the Irish at home,
To them it has ever had an immense mean
ing. 1t means ireland free and her people
happy; the concentration OF all their Wis
ions Of liberty in grand reality. Hence
it is that Irishmeu driven from their native
land by oppression, and seeking the bless
ings of liberty in America, ally themselves
to the party bearing the aaae Of their
sweetest household word at home No
matter how corrupt the party, or how an
tagonistic to their every interest as enfran-
ehised citiEens of the United States its pol
icy may be, they are readily caught by the
bait, and cast their vote for their supposed
realization Of pure democratic freedom.
However opposed We may be tothe party up
held by their votes, we fully accord 70 these
hishmen honesty Of purpose and natural
love for free institutions. One of the IN
pleasant things connected with the subject
Of Irish American Democracy is the fact
that, through prejudice and iaiberality, they
are often looked upon with aversion as
class. They are held in contempt by En-
glishmen, detested by Germans, and
haye for their enemies all those who
ranged themselves few years
ago in solid phalanx against them
under the banners Of the Know Nothing
party. In view of this hatred. unwise and
ungenereUs as it is ruinous to pure dem
ocratic or republican government, it is safe
to assert that the only real protection af-
forded the Irish in America is the ballot
scx. Ills This that will make them re-
spectabIe and respected. Its leyeliBg
influences raise them to the dignity Of
American citizenship. equally interested in
the welfare Of the natioa. Experience has
long since demonstrated the fact that race
hatred can not exist for any dangerous
length of time when the elective franchise
i equally the property Of all
me enfranchised freedmen Of The South are
Republican, because that party, driven on
By events ana its convictions Of right. gave
49,, ,gi..... : $50