The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-07-21

l ksbosA1oss"s - 10 Aato uAOt-Tue
Political Rsacsiss and The Dangers
which They Do Not Seen % Compre-
head.
Our lrish-American Journals and many Of
our Irish-born citizens are boiling over with
indignation in reference to the course Of Gov
ernor Hoffman and the conduct of the National
Guard and the police, In the protection of the
late Orange procession, to the extremity of
breaking heads and shooting bullets. On
wednesday evening last at Brevoort Hall, for
instance, an Indignation meeting of Irish
American citizens was held, for the purpose of
protesting against the line of action adopted
by the Governor, &c. The leading orator of
the occasion, starting from the warlike inquiry,
''How can we aveuge the blood of the men
which has been shed ?" and following 1t with
such questions as this, ''Shall Orangemen and
Know nottingham rule this city 2" proceeded
to say that women had been made widows
and children orphans for the caprice of one
man in Albany" that Governor Hoffman
should never again receive the votes of Irish
men," and so on. The orator having concluded
bis remarks, series of resolutions were
adopted, among which was one declaring shat
we hold Governor Hoffman responsible for all
the blood shed by his murderous militia on
that day." and shat we will keep him in
memory should he come forward to look for
our suffrage for any Office"
That this feeling of hostility to the Gov
ernor among our Irish Catholic population
widely prevails cannot be doubted; for within
the last few days, at various points IN this
city and Brooklyn, they have been hanging
him in efigy as dead man, ga traitor" "a
Dutchmsn" and ''an Orangeman." Our Irish
American journals, fred with the same spirit,
extend their wrath to oil the defenders of our
patriotic Governor in this business, including
the HERALD with all the other journals advo-
eating the maintenance of the law. American
liberty and constitutional rights. In all these
proceedings Of our Irish adopted citizens there
is manifestly purpose to carry the delicate
and dangerous question involved into our
party politics; and it is upon this perilous
business that we would speak word or two
to the parties concerned touching the political
reaction which they would invite and the
political dangers which they do not seem to
comprehend.
We stand by the constitution and the laws
of our country. We maintain the equal rights
of all men, of all races and all creeds under
the law-the rights of the white man, the red
man and the black man; the rights of the
Catholic and the Protestant, of the Ribbonman
and the Orangeman. We contend notwith
standing all the melancholy killing and maim-
ing of men, women and children on the 18th of
July, that in the action of the Governor, the
local authorities, the military and the police
on that dreadful day the rights of all men
under our laws were indicated, including
the rights of the Irish Catholics, as well as
those of the Irish Orangemen, and that this
vindication Of equal rights and fair play being
it, was cheaply maintained against combina-
tons of rioters on the 18th of July, who were
out in defiance Of the law, and in defiance,
too, of the express instructions and warnings
of Archbishop McCloskey and his clergy from
all the Catholic churches. We refer to those
instructions and warnings given out on the
Sunday which ushered in the week marked by
the insane attempt Of lawless rioters to over
ride the supreme law of the land and the
authorities of the city and the State.
The Catholic Church and all good Catholics |
stand unspotted before the world in reference
to this riot. Had the wholesome and season
able advice Of the Catholic Church been fol-
lowed in this matter there would have been no
riot and no bloodshed. Had the constitutional
authority of the Governor, embodied in his
proclamation, been regarded by all parties
under tie protection of our equal laws there
would have been no riot The responsibilities
and the bloody consequences Of the riot rest
upon those insane and lawless men who, in
defiance Of all law, human and divine, took the
law into their own hands. If these guilty men,
therefore, and their abettors, undertake the
the game Of vengeance in party politics they
may enlarge this little breeze of a politico-
religious excitement into a roaring whirlwind.
Nothing more disastrous to the democratic
| party or to the Catholic Church In the United
| States could be devised than an extensive
political movement of Irishmen aiming at
vengeance" against the Governor and officials
| concerned In the maintenance of the law on
| the 10Th of July.
| There are in the United States, Of all sects
and outside parties, some thirty -four millions
| of Protestants, against some FIVE or six mil
lions of Roman Catholics. The mass of the
Catholics are democrats, and it is the Irish
Catholic vote of this city which has given
Tammany Hall and the democracy the posses
sion Of this city and State. Let 1t be under
stood, then, that we have in this city an Or
ganization of Irish democrats whose main
object is to reverse the decision Of the last
18th of July in our streets in reference to
Oranoauop'a riybta and MO shalI soon have