Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-08-12

The movement of Trishmen towsrd the re-
publican party is growing witt great rapidi'y-
The letters whic.. bound them to the demo-
cratic party are being severed. Ihev are
organizing climbs in the large cities ana oo'ne
a great deal of missionary work. At one OF
their meetings i New York the other even
ing. q crowd Of Intelligent Irishmen was 40
dressed by A. s Morrison of Chicago chair
man Of the National Committee OF the irish'
American Assocstion as follows;
..Son. neonle NAV ask. and with good
-saso, why il ia that the Irishmen organize
themselves into a republican club, instead OF
;oiniug one of the many organizations no" III
ax;s,ancs9 The answer Is, that they nave
b,.an so thoroughly identified with the demo-
cr,ts for wears. that new. when they make
change. they want the people to kno" ~.
Emil ycry recently the democratic leauefs
had only to know how many freshmen i've"
IN certain di.tr...t TO know what the demo-
crs,;, majority would be. The leaders looh
mon ,be Irish as 50 many cattle. and AN
snrrr 10 saw I was one of them until 1t De-
came intolerable: we obeyed their orders as
if we were so many cattle. BY being thus
under the absolute control of the democracy
we have lost all position we might nave Mite
As freshmen: for thirty years they nave zone
with US as they pleased. But IL shonid MOI
he So No nation has a greater love for Tree.
dom than Irishmen: they have struggled
AGAINST Great Britain's efforts to crush out
their manhood. vet the moment they come to
This country they lose all manhood and con-
meet themselves with party that Is Their
enemy more than any other. and friend OF
ENGLAND Irishrnen are almost Americans
when they arrive here. for every freshman Is
a born abolitionist, and yet strange as II may
SEEM almost every one OF them as soon as ne
arrives here joins the party that boasts OF ITS
responsibility for having maintained In TINS
country for wears the burden and curse Of
human slavery. | remember when we came
home from Mexico, and my heart was full of
America. her greatness and her freedom for
all. as we marched through New Orleans a
sign over a stockade attracted my attention.
on which was painted in big letters, Slaves
for sale" Twas shocked 1t seemed to cool
all nv courage. Such sign could not be
found anywhere else. ant! vet | continued to
vote the democratic ticket.
Thank God, We have no slavery now, but
very many of the men who held the slaves
are still alive, and were it not for the repub-
lean party the slaves would be theirs again
Did YOU ever see rebel who was not dem
ocrat? You have heard of war democrats"
because the democrats were undecided
amongst themselves, and more than half of
them were in their hearts in favor of the
South and slavery but you never heard of Il
war republican; there was need of the
name When you had said that man was a
republican You had said all for he was always
loyal to the government. have heard Irish
men say, and am sorry to sayit, Iwould vote
for the devil, if he was nominated on the dem
ocratic ticket, and believe they would and
that in many cases they have not come far
from It. The principles of the republican
party are those that our forefathers fought
for in the Revolution. and have handed down
to us. 1t is said that there are no Irishmen
outside of the republican party. but we have
organized here to show that this is not SO.
We will prove that there are Irishmen who
will not bow down to the democratic idol nor
worship it The democratic party favors the
law of free trade, the law that made ireland
poor. The English adopted it and it was
death to Irish industry What has Irish in
dustry amounted to since 1921? Free trade
will bring goods not only from England and
France, but from Belgium, where working
men can live on ) and cents day; and if
that happens what will become of the work
ing Irishmen in America"