The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-08-06
IRISH AMERICAN REPUBLICANS.
Adde'S" Z" .hs I., q. w, Voters Of the

Address to the Irish Voters Of the
United Statess
Seventeen stltes were represented in
the Irish Republican convention; held in
indianapolis recently, and letters from
representative 1rishmen in every state
were read. The convention adopted the
following:
| TO the Irish UOters of he United States:
FELLOw-coUSfRYMEs--W a high sense of
necessity of placing before the world IN their tho
true light and the motives which actt1ats M IN
avowing our support Of and cooperation with
the principles Of the Republican party by dis
tinct organization, under the title OF Irish
| American Republicans, we feel called upon to
state briefly the reasons which prompt us there
| to. For many years in this country tho support
Of tho Irish for any cause or party was sought
Through the channels Of prejudice or affection.
InstrtiGtiaii WIS tut Of the question, and thus
Democratic party for u period H tears long
numbered with the past. With tho advent abd
rise OF the Kcpabltctn party fr American politics
new era was reached: IhtAlligehfe and
critical examination into tho arguments Why the
other party should receive manly support be.
IrislmaIi. tl,kS with ILL., foIlow-citzens OF other
nationaIities, no longer ghvs IN his adherence
| to party action because Of tho leadership OF
those whom they had previously trusted and
followed. This convention, therefore, has for
its object the initiatory action which, with firm:
ness and energy, followed by promptnesS and
industry in sustaining the cause, principles and
world tiiH1 Wc irish bf to-day are capable
of something in5:s than being, treated
M mere political slaves, and they Arc capable OF
independent and intelligent Thought and acton,
and that they are the friends Of that party
which most truly represents that liberty, equal
ity and equal rights which they have only found
| in the land bf thtir adOpiiOh. The claim Of the
Democratic party that IL h the only true friend
Of the forcgn-born citizen u MOI susceptible VI
proof, az all students of American histtry are
well awpr6 that during the entire administrator
of the DbtnDrratlc party II utterly failed to com.
| pei the acknowledge mcrt nc those rights which
| the constitution guarantees to IL! nh" swear to
support and maintain It. The infamous ahd
| dcspotic doctrine, "Oncc subject always sub
! jecf," Wa permitted to exist M principle Of
| Information iw nniil the accession to power Of
the Republican party, Win, and not until then,
England was compelled TO rccedU h tt' that iil-
suting assumption, and thus the adopted G'tia
zen for the first time was clothed with all the
| rights and guaranteed the same protection (out-
| side the United statcs) az the citizen born OH
| American soil. So slBs to- tho Republican party
| do We owe tho enactment Of thai most beneficial
law which has thrown open the public domain
! IL all actual settlers, thus furnishing free and
happy htmns 10 thousands of our oppressed
countrymen who aiJ acrins from the horrors Of
| British oppression.
You are aware, fellow -countrymon, ~ the
successful ingenuity with which the English
| government labored to destroy the manufac-
| ing Interests of orr country, Ireland which had
grown lip IN the mifst Of our desperate and
persistent struggle f5r 9r.e9cm. You can not
have forgotten the heroic efforts made for their
preservation by the great and patriotic states
men of the last Irish parliament, under whose
fostering care Those industries arose to such
state of perfection AZ to rival the best efforts
of the most skillfnl artisans Of Europe; nor
can yot fbtgbt that tho act OF union contains,
among It's other vafiots principles, ono clause
our country than all the cruelties OF Ehzabsth
| or Cromwell. That elaqse provides for abso'
| lutte FREQ trade between ifa.a"1 and all outside
| countries. Nothing more was needed W COM
plctc tie fell work under that blighting lcglsla-
| ton. All our industries, save and except the
again, reducing tx "a the condition of mere ag-
ricultiwal labOrcrs, and leaving IA to BIC the
helpless victims Of British rapacity ahd 'nsatia-
bic greed
Compelled by such merciless laws to abandon
the homes OF our fathers, We again encounter
here In America the same fate in the Demo-
cratic party, Whbss esascless and persistent at
tcmpts to graft on our ftt. institutions tho
same English frcc-trade doctrine which wrought
such disastrous results to our own country,
| should quicken the indignation OF every con-
| sistcht Irishman. In marked contradistinction,
we invite y6uf earnest consideration to the pol
icy Of the Republican, party on this subject,
showing that under its fostering care, In less
than quarter of century, America has created
and brought to perfection manufactures Of all
the products which enters into the profitable in
dustry of people. and their consequent pros
pcrity and Happiness. Thus hes the Republic
can party shown itself td be the champion and
protector OF American industry to the discOm-
litmc Of the avarice of British capitalists.
We appeal to You, fellow cUuntrymen whose
history il n long record Of desperate struggles
for freedom, if your proper affiliations are with
| n party which sustained for many years human
slavery in its most degrading form, and only
rclinqushca that relic of barbarism when the
Republican party by The bands of our martyred
president struck the shackles from the limbs of
the slave, wiped out tho only blot on tho other
wise stainless escutcheon of America, and initiI
atod tho glorious principle of free lands for
freemcn over every acre of our great republic.
We ask yOnf, also, whether you are prepared to
turn over this government with all its bright
anticipations of the future, to the tender NOR
cies of the very men who cxGrted their best
ability for years TO effect its destruction.
The accession of the democracy to full power
in all the departments of the government, in
tho light Of its past record Of treason and re-
bellion, can not hut be regarded AZ calamity,
the magnitude Of which can scarcely be im-
agincd. TIE NATIONAL COMMITTEE.