The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-02-22
GRANT IN IRELAND.
CHARGES OF OWEN LEWIS NJ. p, AGAINST THE
Ex-PREsIDENT-AMERICAN AFFAIRS DISCUSSED
BY FOREIGNER.

CHARGES OF OWEN LEWIS, NJ. p, AGAINST THE
Ex-PREsIDENT-AMERIcAN AFFAIRS DISCUSSED
BY FOREIGNER.
DUBLIN, Feb. s. 1879.
In the course of political speech delivered in Car
low last Saturday, Mr.. Owen Lewis NJ. p, made an
attack General Grant and it is interesting in con-
nection with the ex- Presidents visit to Ireland He
said
Turning to very different character, we have this
year been honored by visit from General Grant In
my opinion the people or Cork behaved WIN asn.y
milton to man who, when in power, had done his
best to stir up wsnton and unprovosed war OF ex,
termination against Cathohcity in America could
as easily understand Prince Bismarck being well
coined as q visitor on Irish SOIL
This attack stirred up an "Irish-American," who
addressed card to the Freemdns Journal. asking Mr..
Lewis how and when General Grant chad done his best
to stir up q wanton and unprovoked of extermi-
nation against Catholicty in America" To this Mr..
Lewis made the following reply in the columns Of
the Freeman Journal -
SHEIBoURNE HOTEL, Feb L. 1879.
SIR shall have much pleasure in supplying IAN
Irish American" with the Information which he
desires, though / should have thought he would
have been well acquainted with recent American
affairs myself. In order to make my speech
Carlow Ineligible to our correspondent 1t will be
necessary first to refer to the condition of edu-
cational matters in the United States The common
schools" which supported by the government at
the public expense, IN CQaf-
acter and working religious instruction being
permitted. OF course, it is impossible for
any Catholics who practice their religion to
make OF them although Ill some places
Chicago, if mistake not, among others), the
proportion which they are compelled to contribute is
as much as three eighths of the whole cost Under
these circumstances it occ urred to some Catholic cit
zens that they might not unreasonaby ask that a
portion of the funds which they were forced to
tribute should be devoted to the maintenance of
their own UNCONVENTIONAL schools, instead of having
to pay twice over-once for the support of school
which was to them, and again for the sup
port of the school where their children were being
educated. In New York, by the way, the majority Of
poor children in reformatories and orphanages are
Catholics At this time General Grant was stump
ing the country in the republican interest with q
view to reelection for third time as Pres-
dent Most American Catholics democrats,
and were consequently his political opponents
Under these circumstances he conceived the dia
bolical idea of raising religious cry against the
Irish, and representing them as anxious to estab
lish the InquIsition. and hand over the entire
common school system Of the States to the
Jes1ts' Accordingly, Des MOes sth Iowa. ne
or July 1s76-'f we are to have another
contest in the future of national existence
predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and
Dixons, but between patriotism and intelligence on
the one side and superstition, ambition and igno-
rance on the other. Now, in this centennial year of
our national existence believe it to be good time
to begin the work of strengthening the foundation
of the house by our patriotic forefathers
100 years ago at Concord and Lexington" Now, in
the mouth Of INSCRIPTIONS man, who had lately
extinguished in blood the great Southern movement
States by brute force these words could only
have OF two meanings. Either he desired to in
troduce legal CuiturkdmIf In America. else to
vive the Know Nothing agitation which was tanta-
mount to civil against Catholics. This was
the view taken of them by all Americans at
the time, and it also that of the London
Times and of all the anti-Catholc journals on
the Continent, by whom they rapturously
hailed - . noble declaration of against ultra
montanism. General Grant did not succeed either in
prolongng his dictatorship in arousng whir-
wind Of religious persecution thanks to the good
sense Of the American people. who saw through his
infamous designs and refused to be parties to them
Possibly, also, the knowledge that American
Catholics were determined and resolute men,
with whom it might prove dangerous to NEEDLE,
had something to do with the non-success of the
movement The Know Nothing agitation of Ave and
twenty years ago eliminated in the burning Of
churches sacking Of converts ll-using priests and
nuns &C. Possibly "Irish- American might be will
ing to admit that such not unlike "a war OF
termination and that General Grant conduct III try
ing to 1t open to the charge of being
ton and wicked" Unless the ex-President intended
this, aiming at introduction of the Cnitur-
kampf his words had Meanings charge which
have never before heard brought against him. may
also refer your correspondent to the Nation of Jan
AIRY IS, in which he will find sundry instances Of the
uniform courtesy Of treatment and refined language
to which everything and every one Catholic SUBJ
jected to at the hands Of General Grant The diction
is choice and classical that an rish-American
must kindly excuse my quoting it. OWEN LEWIS.