The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1876-11-09
The Irish Address.
New York Evening Telegram.

One of the most remarkable instances
of heaping up mass of words in vain
effort to conceal the point of SUBJECTS is
contained in the correspondence, just
published, of our Secretary of States
Office with Messrs. Parnell and Power,
the two Irish members of the British
Parliament, who have been staying here
and in Washington for several weeks
past. These gentlemen have in charge
an address in behalf of the peo-
pie of Ireland, congratulating the
people of the United States ON getting
independence hundred years ago, and
keeping it TO the present day. Upon the
occasion of recent visit of President
Grant to this city they held pleasant
social interview with him, and he ap-
pointed day to receive the address for
mally at the White House. 1t was de-
veloped at this interview that somebody
in close connection with the President is
trying to "head them off" and had in
tercepted and suppressed letter which
they had previously sent to him.
When they arrived at Washing
ton they encountered another and
fatal instance of this adverse influence.
The subject of the address, of course, is
very suggestive one, in view of the
grievances which Ireland has suffered
from England, and it occurred to the
officers of our State Department that the
official reception of it by the President
might be offensive to the British Minister.
Accordingly, all the diplomatic formal
tiles were vigorously enforced to avert its
presentment. Mr.. Parnell and Mr..
Power were informed that. notwithstand-
ing their special appointment with the
President himself, they must conform to
an asserted usage of consulting the
British Minister and ascertainiDg that
their proceedings were acceptable to
him. The result of the submission to
Sir Edward Thornton was not doubtful.
He, of course, disapproyed the contents
of the address, and it therefore remains
unpresented; and in the final communica-
tion from our State Department to Messrs.
Parnell and Power they are snubbed with
the information that the cause of all
their trouble consists in their going at
the President directly when he was here,
instead of adopting "the usual channels of
communication " through the Circumlo-
cution Office. Mr.. Fish was conveniently
absent during this correspondence, as he
was at the time of the South Carolina
proclamation, and the letters from the
department were signed by an "acting !"
secretary who has no "political future"
to be affected by the transaction.
| 1t cannot fail to occur to the Amerl-
can people that their Federal Govern
ment has not always displayed such ten
der considerations for the feeling of for
eign Ministers at Washington. To take
an instance within the memory of a
greater part of the present generation,
we are not aware of any delicate respect
shown by President Fillmore's admlnis-
tration toward the Austrian Minister or
his home government in the matter of
| the official invitation of Kossuth to visit
this country in 1851. Yet Daniel Web
ster, who then was Secretary of State,
probably was the equal of Mr. John Cad
wallader, the present acting" Secre-
tary, in his knowledge of the correct
measure of courtesy to foreign
powers. We negotiated with Tur-
key for the release of Kossuth
from restraint in Asia Minor.
We brought him to America as the ma
tion's guest, in vessel of our navy. We
received him on his arrival at Washing
ton by committee of Congress, headed
by Senators Cass, Seward, and Shields.
The Secretary of State paid his respects
to him Immediately on his arrival, and
formally presented him to the President,
who treated him with the highest official
as well as personal distinction. Then,
early in January, 1852: Congress, by res
olution, invited him to the Capitol-an
honor never before bestowed on anybody
but Lafayette, though since shared by
the King of the Sandwich Islands-and
all the officers of our government ap-
plauded his speech there. in which he
returned thanks for his welcome as an
"honor to his country" thereby alluding
to Hungary in distinction from the do.
minien of the Austrian Emperor al
Vienna.
If it was proper for our State Depart
ment twenty-five years ago to assist in
these honors to an unsuccessful rebel
solely because of his rebellion, surely il
is supersensitive now 10 head off" the
presentment to the President of brie
address from friendly people, merely
because it suggests facts from which 6
student of history might justly infer
that Ireland's causes of grievance against
Great Britain are equal to what those
of Hungary ever were against Austria
If Johnny Cadwallader is right now
Daniel Webster was wrong then.