The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-10-16

great injustice to speak of the Irish population
there as IL they contributed only so much
crude muscle to our labor, aud were specially
ignorant and degraded people; there is a
handsome percentage of skilled labor and of
intelligent and enlightened mind in the Irish
emigration, and many who arrive on our
shores rude, untaught, and without ambi-
ton, develop almost at once the American
spirit of enterprise and thrift and become
valuable citizens. There is one ciyilizing in
huence over the whole race, (Which fingers too
much in our great cities produced by the
almost universal employment of Irish
women in our domestic service. The
American kitchen is the true school
room of the Irish peasant girl. The
rapid improvement in manners, dress, and
character which Irish women experience in
contact with refined households, and under
the example and influence of American mothers
and daughters, is marvellous to behold. OF
course the Irish women cannot fail to carry
up with them the Irish men of their own class,
and there is, therefore, steady tendency to
improvement in the whole emigration. OF that
portion who settle in the newer States, upon
farms, ninety per cent, doubt not, are good
citizens; and Of the whole body it may be said
that if not on par with the American ma
tive population, their children, enjoying all
the advantages of popular education, become
fully Americanized, and enter as an almost
homogeneous element into our national life.
"But, while speaking thus favorably of the
Irish people, it must not be concealed that in
our cities they still furnish the least enlight-
ened portion Of our Democracy, and that por-
tion which is practised on most successfully
by demagogues. Being all Of the Romish
taith-the exceptions are too few to enume-
rate-they are gregarious, sympathetic with
each other, and subject to common excite
ments. They are readily banded and man
aged by their leaders, who are either priests
or politicians, or both in one. The priests,
who barter their influence for legislative
grants to Irish and Catholic institu-
tions; the lawyers of their own ma
tionality, who cultivate political power by
flattering the prejudices or irritating the sores
of the masses-these two sorts Of leaders
always have 1t in their power to control to an
important extent the Irish vote, and to sell it
out under safe and indirect forms to the party
that will most favor the Irish hopes or hates.
This Irish vote is of decisive weight in many
elections. 1t often settles the gubernatorial
election to carry the Irish vote of the
city of New York. There are over one hun
dred thousand Irish-perhaps twenty-five
thousand Irish voters-in that city; they
commonly vote solidly, and they obey we'll
known leaders.
Snow, if hatred of England is very popu-
lar sentiment with them, you can easily ap-
preciate the temptation of not over-scrupulous
politicians to tiatter that hatred, to SOW it
among native voters, and to adopt it as part of
the policy of the party. 1t is, then, the sober
truth that Irish wrongs are rapidly and extern
sively echoed by American sympathizers who
wish the Irish vote, and that hatred of England
is well-established policy among considera-
bic and, fear, a growing body of the demo
cracy of both political parties, who will one
day bid against each other for the prize of
being the oldest and boldest haters of proud
England.
81 do not say that you can by any measures
you may employ wholly exercise the ill-will
of Irish emigrants towards England, or pre-
vent American politicians from trading in this
perilous animosity; but l am very sure that
every act of justice to Ireland diminishes the
amount of this ill-will and makes the work of
unprincipled politicians more difficult. l am
sure that the disestablishment and the disen-
dowmsnt of the Irish Church will have a most
important effect in stopping the mouth OF
Irish emigrants, aud deprive them of one OF
their main weapons OF otfense and their chief
brands of inflammation; and it would GER
tainly supply the lovers of peace between
England and America in my own country with
a signal argument in their ceaseless but un-
equal controversy with the vulgar politicians
who are careless of embroiling these two ma
tions il only their own petty ends of place and
profit are secured.
81 don't know what you may think about
II, but think that the reflective influence oi
Irish discomfort upon America is the most
serious and threatening aspect of that discon
tent, and know no peril to the peace of the
two countries 80 potent and alarming as the
ceaseess irritation of the Irish emigrants com
muncatipg itself to our Democracy. By dis
establishing the Irish Church you commence
q series of reforms which will tend to restore
the love of your alienated sister kingdom,
and with it the goodwill of her chill
dren who have emigrated to America
If by this or any other honest
way the peace of these two countries
can be preserved for a quarter of a century
longer, believe Irish emigration will be over
and American excitement from that sourc,
impossible. If we can have peace together fol
twenty five years we may avoid for century
a shock from which neither country would
recover in many generations, and which woult
put back Christian civilization for ages. Coo
in His providence avert such calamity in ou
day or our children's
every faithfully yours,
"Liverpool. HENRY W. BELLOWS.
|