Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-08-06

Cabling the Irish Vote.
Under this head that well known and in
dependent Irish newspaper, the New York
Tablet, has some words of advice for
American citizens of Irish descent, which
have good deal of sense in them. The
T'dblet says:
Heretofore the Democrats looked upon
the Irish vote as a matter OF fact, and took
no pains to conciaie it, while, on the other
hand, the Republicans, looking upon the
Irish citizen as hopclcssly welded to their
political rivals, and as being as orthodox in
their political as in their religious belief,
did little or nothing to win them TO their
side. OF late, things have considerably
changed; our Irish fellow citizens are be
ginning to reason for themselves and to
vote as best their judgment suggests, and
not at the beck and dictation of some rum
seller or low ward politician, who merely
used them as the milestone upon which 10
grind his political axe
The New York Sun has taken up the cry,
and though we rccolect when il was not
very choice in the terms it applied 10 Irish
mem and when it bra nded them as The rot
ten tail Of the Tammnny kite, ii now de-
nounccs conventions held by the Irish citi-
zens in support of the Republican ticket as
cliques of office-holders.
The sneer of the Sun at Irish ofiicc-holI-
ers is too small for respectable journal To
indulge in, for it implies that lrishmen have
no right to hold Office under Republican
administration, or, if they did, they had nc
right to exercise the untrammelled privi-
lcgcs of American citizens. II it is II dis
grace to hold Office it certainly must be SC
! IN scal fnr and w ynnlI pgl. the Sam
what are the Democratic leaders, from Mr.
Dana down 10 rum selling alderman.
fighting for but the prospect of Office q
payt Take away this inducement from
them and then YOU would see how they
would wilt in their zeal for the Democratic
ticket and how many of them would 90
back to the Republican ranks from which
they deserted
We are in favor of Irish Republican Con.
ventions, not that we are in favor of the Re
publican ticket OF candidate, but because
we hold that the more independent the lrisl
citizen is of party lash or party allegiance,
the more will he be respected and courtcd 10y
Republicans as well as Democrats.
Why, We would ask, is it that the Ger
mans exercise such political influence il
civic, State and national politics. They
are not as numerous as the Irish, yet they
nave given ulSOIS W INT tltN ppNtTHp1s u
the State, and Cabinet ministers TO the Ma
tion, while the Irish cannot point TO sin
gle one of their nationality in either capaci
ty.
This is simply owing to the fact that ih'
Germans act Independently ofparty ties, an'
therefore their wishes have to be consultet
in making up the slate.
Without attempting to dictate to any on
how they should vote, we would urge oi
our people the necessity of self respect an'
political independence.
They should exercise intelligence cnoug
, to discriminate between honesty and fraud
patriotism and charlatanism, in recording
? their votes for either OF the two great par
5 ties who contend for political supremacy il
} this country, and moi blindy attach them
5 selves to either as their willing slave, to b
s whipped into obedience whenever their vote
f are necessary TO keep in olice and powc
9 their political MASTERS.