The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-03-23
A Distinction DTithout a Difference.

On Saturday the Irish population of New
York celebrated in their usually festive
style their great occasion of st. Patrick 6
Day. At the head of their procession
marched the famous Seth regiment, than
which no more gallant and heroic one
fought on either side during the late war,
and at their annual dinner Gen. w T.
Sherman ~as a welcomed and an honored
guest. Nobody objected to this display of
the military, and nobody had a right TO-
Had Rutherford B. Hayes, who claims to
be commanderin-chi ief Of the armies of the
United States, sent word to the commander
of tue United States military in New York
that he should not allow the Goth regiment
to parade and that the federal troops
should, II necessary, interfere to prevent
any display of :he military in the II ish
parade, it is safe to say that such an order
would have been disobeyed. Indeed, had
it's enforcement been attempted it would
have been resisted. The federal troops
would have speedily been overpowered,
they would have been not only b-aten back
by the gallant veterans who marched in
that parade, but they would have been
held subject to evil process for violation
OF the law and order Of the city New
York city would have asserted its right to
regulate its own internal affairs. New
York state would have sustained it in that
right and if necessary the aid of all the
states would have been extended to her in
defense of her DreIOgative. And had Gen.
Sherman lent himself to the execution of
any such federal order as we have STD
posed, he would have been just as amenable
TO the municipal and state law of New
ork AS the meanest hummer who raised
a row on St. Patrick's Day.
but how was II In another state a month
ago? South Carolina is a sovereign state
like New York her citizens have the same
right to bear arms her militia have the
same right to parade on civic occasions ::
her people cherish the memory of George
Washington as warmly as the Irish cherish
that OF st. Patrick the Washington Light
Guards of Charleston, is ia: older orpaui
cation than the Goth regiment, its founders
were the men who marched with Wash
Ington and Greene, who fought at Cowpeps
and Yorktown. And yet when it was an
nounced that this Washington Light Guard.
of the city of Charleston, of the state of
South Carolina, proposed to parade on
Washington birthday, the United States
m'iHary IN that state were notified by
President Grant, -commander-in- chief Of
the army, to not allow such a parade to
take place and because of such threat
oi interference and to prevent bloodshed
the parade was abandoned and General
sherman, though he in his speech of Satur-
day before the Knights of ST. Patrick in
New York, challenged any man to point to
any act performed wherein the soldiers of
the army of the United States had prevent
ed any man from fulfilling his whole Office
as CITIZEN, found no tongue to denoupce
TINS Instance wherein the soldiers of his
army had been used to prevent the exercise
OF the undeniable right of citizens. He
knew that the act which his silence has de-
tended, if indeed his active sympathy did
not encourage 1T, could not have been men
TONED In the company wherein he then
stood without evoking the execration of
ireemen, and 1T is to be regretted that
when the challenge fell from his lips there
was not some one to demand of him wheth
or or not he approved Of the use to which
the army had been put in Charleston-a
use OF 1t which would not he tolerated for
an instant In Democratic New York or in
republican Philadelphia, and the verv at
tempt at which would overwbelm those
VINO undertook it by the universa storm of
popular Indignation. Lancaster Iatellioen-