The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-03-21
Advice TO Irishmen mt Home and
Abroad.

| hOhsa atteHlpt 10 lecture III IOroHto W
Monday last points the soundness of the
advice so frequently offered by the HERALD
| to the Irish in America to leave behind
them on their native soil those irritating
! questions which, however much they may
distract Ireland, ought to have no place in
the United States. 1t would of course be
absurd to suppose that men who have lived
for lifetime in the turmoil of exciting po-
litical issues, and who have from their ear
lest days formed decided opinions and i'm
bibed strong prejudices on subjects OF
immediate concern to their race, could in a
moment, by any exercise of will, forget the
past and look complacently on all they have
been educated to dislike and condemn. An
Irish Catholic Would not be expected to
whistle ''Boyne Water" as soon as
| he set foot on American soil, nor
would any one look to find an Orange.
man taking his first walk up Broadway
with green ribbon in his buttonhole.
But when men of Irish nationality adopt
America as their home they should deter
mine to lay aside all public demonstration
| of the political sentiments in which they
have been reared, and which have no con-
nection with public affairs or issues in the
| United States. When an Irishman by birth
becomes citizen of the Republic he adopts
with that character the duties as well as the
privileges of citizenship, and as one OF the
fundamental principles Of Americanism is
to avoid entangling alliances with foreign
nations he is as much bound to respect
that principle as born American. When
foreigner comes to the United States for the
purpose Of fomenting here the quarrels
which have been curse to Europe and in
which Americans have no interest, or Of in
citing the use of hostile force against
country with which we are at peace, he
violates the laws of hospitality and does an
act of injustice to nation whose doors are
open to the people of all lands.
Great stress is laid on the freedom Of
opinion and Of speech under our govern
ment whenever objections are urged to such
public demonstrations as those of st. Pat
rick's Day snd the 18th of July, or to such
discourses as that which Rosa attempted
to deliver at Toronto this week. 1t might
justly be retorted that the persons who are
the authors of the demonstrations and
speeches for which they claim these in
herent privileges are themselves the enc
mics of free opinion and free speech. The
Orangeman who demands protection in his
rights on the Boyne anniversary is the one
who turks in the streets on st, Patrick's
Day to break up procession or stone a
Tha T,ic No<h holt NH
insists upon being allowed to do and say
what he pleases on the anniversary of his
national saint brings out his shillelah
on the 18th of July to cudgel Orange
men on parade, and howls down all
Protestant orators. The "Young Brltons,"
who conducted themselves like ruffians at
the Rosa meeting and who were eager to
assassinate him ct his hotel afterward,
would be blatant about their rights if they
should be interfered with by Irish patriots
when celebrating their Queens birthday.
Hence the transplanting Of these foreign
issues in American soil, which the HERALD
SO much deprecates, brings forth the very
intolerance of free opinion and free speech
of which Orangemen and Catholics in turn
complain. There can be no question Of the
legal right of adopted or native American
citizens to hold meetings and to make pub
lie demonstrations in the shape Of pro-
cessions within the limit of the police
regulations The question is not one
of right, but of expediency and
good citizenship. A good citizen will
do nothing voluntarily to offend his
neighbors or to imperil the public peace
and innocent lives. O'Donovan Rosa had
an absolute right, in legal point OF view,
to 90 to Toronto and lecture. But was it
wise to exercise this right? Was he morally
justified, because he kept within the law,
in undertaking to do an act which could
not be productive of good and which was
almost certain to lead to riot and blood.
shed? A person has an absolute legal right
to kindle a fire in his own CRATE; but if it be
almost certain that some of the sparks will
reach load Of gunpowder stored in his
neighbours cellar and destroy many lives he
would be criminal or insane to exercise the
right 1t was out of reason to suppose that
Rosa could 60 into a loyal English city,
with the avowed purpose of infaming the
passions of England's enemies and OF rails
ing money for the butchery OF Englishmen
and the burning of English towns, without
causing excitement among all the inhabitants
and dangerously infaming the passions
of the more ignorant and reckless classes.
No disinterested person will approve of
Rossa's action. Nevertheless the conduct
of the Toronto rabble was entirely unjustif-
able and disgraceful to the city. 1t was
meeting incendiary but innocuous words
with incendiary and murderous acts 1t
stamped the city authorities with inefi-
cheney or criminal neglect in not having
taken precautionary measures to enforce