Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-12-31
THE MERE IRISH OF MEMPHIS.

THE MERE IRISH" OF MEMPHI'
Are the Irish always to be misrepre
senled, always to be the butt for ridicule
and the mark for the jeers Of mankind
Is the finger of scOrn, Of mOckeTy an
sueer always to be pointed at the chill
dren of Ireland? Is the mark whicl
England put upon them when her sol
oilers first encountered them, six hun
dred years ago, always to remain witt
them, as if, indeed, they were the turbu
lent, unappessable element of humanit!
which she then branded them. Warm
hearted, impulsive, generous to a faul
with life and love, are they always to b
abused rs friends and cursed as enc
mics? When will Americans stud,
this race for themselves and speak of
As they find it? Are they ever TO regar
so important an element OF the bod.
polite from the ignorant standpoint o
English prejudice and English hate
are we continually to hear, as we d,
nov ia these days OF "red-hot' polite
and politicians in Memphis, that 9TH
Irish are trescherOus," "The Irish ar
gping back upon US" "The Irisl
are untrue, to Us" and 9TH,
Irish are turbulent, lawless sn'
untrustworthy." What have the Irisl
done that they should thus be stigma
tised? What have they said or intimat
ei as American citizens, as freemen
with the right to speak and the right t.
vote. that they should, on the streets
and elsewhere, be thus iibbeted before
this public and stigmatised out of all re
cognition by those who know then
best? Men assuming to speak for Busby
men wholly and altogether unauthor
lied by that gentleman, or any one dele
gated to speak for him, alsC
assume that because John League is al
Irishman, q man of great influence wid
his race, all the Irish voters of the city
must necessarily vote for him, and forth
with fall to an abuse Of the whole race
accusing them of every crime, brandinl
them as out Of the pale Of civilization
and as in no degree better than thOSt
races whose possible civilization is yet 1
problem with all Christian peoples
We beg the Irish people of Memphis
no. to pay any attention to these men
and t>l remember that they are neither
exponents nor manufacturers of publ,
opinion. We beg to remind our Irisl
friends OF the APPEAL that the maj
whom it nov upholds ss worthy of theil
suffrage ana al the suffrages of al
classes Of the people Of Memphis, dis
countenances and rep1diates these at
-tacks upon them, and will IN no sense
be held responsible for them. Since
Memphis was first called into exist
ence the Irish have formed an in
fiuential portion of her body polite,
and before the late civil war, and since
have stood unninchIngly by the banner
of Democracy. What election has trans
pired since 1865 whereat the Irish have
not stood by the ticket that best repre-
sented the viii and wish Of the major.
ity OF the intelligent voters Of this city.
In that year, when the State, the county,
and the city partially, was in the hand,
.5f the Union party, when the men OF
the Confederate army were without hope
of rescuing the political power from those
who then abused it iu perse-
ccung them, who was it that, with a
hope SImOst fanatical, a tenacity that is
their bsst characteristic, and an endur-
ance for which even their enemies give
them credit, stood in the breach, few IN
numbers, but strong OF purpose, and, by
their labors, made it possible that the
Democratic party should be revived in
Tennessee? The Irish voters Of Mem
lphis. And who was it, when the ne
groes, turned loose upon the world
Of which they were darkly iguo-
rant, Ia the exercise Of an
unresuained freedom would run
riot aud roUgh-shOd over the white
men who could not help themselves a.
the balIot-box, who was it that stood as
breastwork, few in numbers and
staunch Of purpose? The Irish voters
Of Memphis. When the much-tO-be-
deplored riots Of 1866 took place, and
the very life Of the city, as well as its
r.seace, was threatened by a hOwling
me5 of discharged negro soldiers, who
was IL that jeopardised their lives to
maintain that peace aud to teach the
mob the lesson they learned so
welI9 The Irish. Irish police
men were then shot down for
their duty, and yet Irish
civilians volunteered, without money
aud without price, to take their places,
aud at last, sfler weNry days and nights,
succeeded in obtaining peace and quiet
for US that has never since been threat
ened. Granted that the riot was de-
plorahle thing, that horrors were enacted
that shame our civilization; vet it was,
under the then condition Of public feel
ing, an unavoidable thing, something
lhat was an inevitable OutgrOwth of the
antagOnism that grew up between the
iChte and the black races, and not be-
tween the Irish and the negroes, as has
been charged. The Irish have no an
tagonism to the negro that is
greater than that shared by other
branches of the Caucasian race; they,
therefore, had ne particular reason foT
engaging in the riot, and were drawn
into it only because they then happened
TO largely comprise the police force Of
the city, and many Of them held leadiu g
official positions. They were citizens
representing themselves and those who
were disfranchised for their participa-
tion in the war, and responded to q call
to quell a Tiot, in the ineipiency Of
which one Of their eOuntTymen lost
his life for saving q white
boy from the indignity OF a
suffing at the hands Of a
negro boy. He was shot dead like a
A. the victim Of public opinion,
hitch We doubt has been modified by
any poliu,NSl changes since No, no.
NJ frisb an. true to their principles,
and are I,fr ,ss,t. ing ip any intelligent
snnreciation of tbet!1. Often the victims
Of circumstances, which Their iEppglsiye-
ness projects or promotes, ,l.Rey nave meyer
VET been found 10 waver FROM what they
consider their duty. Knowing lnis,
We APPEAL. TO THEM TO-DAY 10 VOTE
FOR BUsBY TOMORROW. We tell them
that the future good Of Memphis de
uends uDon the election of Busby, and