The New York herald., 1879-10-30
The Catholic Vote.


published yesterday an extended COM
munication, signed IA North American
Catholic" in which the bolt of the John
Kelly party is considered from point of
view worthy of note This writer appears
to hold that "the actual source Of difficulty
State" is Mr.. Kelly's "fancied peculiar
power over the so-called Catholic vote"
and the writer is of opinion that Mr.. Kelly
counts upon the Catholic vote unjustly.
and so far as he controls 1t controls it un-
wisely. .'It is not for Tammany that
he has become so rampant. The secret of
MI. Kelly's course is strictly personal the
bases of his preposterous pretensions are
other than political" The writer holds that
it is of no public consequence whether Mr..
Kelly has fortune, nor whether he has
acquired that fortune as democratic Office
holder-these points are private rather
than public but that it is of consequence
whether q man who is before the Irish
voters as the nephew of Cardinal
McCloskey counts upon the political effect
Of that relationship for his personal power,
and uses that power to defeat the re-elec-
ton Of Senator Herman. He says:-"It is
well known in the inner circles Of demo-
cratic management that the boasted def
ance of John Kelly has no regard to the
miserable, mercenary trollops of Tammany,
but is founded upon his claim to WELD
Catholic vote by the grace of His Eminence
Cardinal John McCloskey and his devoted
priesthood throughout the State. Are we
not to enjoy the blessing of Cardinal with
out the traditional ultramontane CANA
rilla? There has been hesitancy in declar-
ing this fact in the public press, but there
is none in making it in private discussions
the conclusive reason for Kellys personal
strength.
All this, as the Suns correspondent recog-
nizes, treads upon delicate ground-ground
that the newspapers commonly avoid. It
is subject which is usually left out OF the
discussions of a canvass, because expe-
rience has taught our people the wisdom of
confining political differences within politi-
cal limits and leaving all topics of religion
to be agitated or determined in other ways.
But the topic, as presented in the Sun, is only
nominally open to the ordinary objections
to references to mems religion. 1t is not
Protestant who assails O Catholic, nor
Catholic who assails Protestant. Nobody
incriminates the motives of any sect :,
but Catholic, writing in acknowledged
defence of Catholic interests, charges that
another Catholic makes war upon those
interests in his extravagant pursuit of per-
sonal ends-and counts for success upon
Catholic votes, and even presumes upon
his relationship to the first American Car
dinal as one of the elements Of his control
of Catholic suffrages. Catholics are mainly
interested in these things, though of course
it is of moment to the whole public if any
considerable part Of the general vote is
swayed by influences that do not seem to
be valid in political sense. We respect.
and the press generally respects, the
common sentiment against the introduce
tion of religious topics into party conflicts;
but if religious pressure is really exercised
anywhere, at least those in whose pre-
sumed interest this is done may fairly ex-
anime, as the "North American Catholic"
does, whether the Catholic vote is directed
by Mr.. Kelly against Catholic purposes.