The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-07-21
The Irish American Republican
Movement.

Hitherto the Irish American vote has pre-
sented solid front for the Democracy. 1t
has been, especially in the free North, its
chief element of strength. Without the
Irish vote the Democracy could not carry
single Northern state. By its hypocritical
appeals to religious and race prejueices it
has managed to keep control of thousands
of our adopted citizens.
Every man when he swears allegiance to
the United States Government is supposed
to renounce all connection with any foreign
power. He then becomes an American
citizen in the broadest acceptation of the
term.
In the American Republic there should
be no distinctly German, Irish or any for
eign vote; neither should men of any re-
igion mass themselves as a distinct political
element in either party. Such course is
not only suicidal but in direct violation of
the fundamental principles of our govern
ment for our constitution estends favors
to Protestant, or Catholic, or Infidel.
Intelligent Irishmen, throughout the
land, have regarded with regret the appar-
ent infatuation of the Irish people for the
Democratic party. The Catholic World,
one of the ablest magazines in the country,
has repeatedly protested against it. Able
articles have appeared in the Irish World
advising Irishmen to renounce allegiance to
the Democratic party, and divide between
the political parties as the Germans do.
The silly ignorant nonsense of some that
the Irish Catholic is indebted to the Demo-
cratic party is treated with deserved con-
tempt by representative Catholic church
men. Archbishop McQuade in his address
before the Free Religionists of Boston said
that the Catholic element of this country
owed nothing to the Democratic party.
Bishop Spaulding in recent article in the
North American Review said that he could
see no good reason why members "f the
Catholic church voted the Democratic
ticket.
The object of the Irish American Repub-
lican movement is to show the people of
this country that the Irish Americans are
not slaves of the Democracy, and that as
turies has battled against oppression they
feel grateful to the great historic party
which struck the shackles from four mil
lions of human beings, which opened the
free lands of the West and South to the
down-trodden of all nations, which preserv-
ed the Union and which in the language of
the address sin all its great achievements
has never advanced principle or enacted a
statute in any way at variance with single
doctrine of that political faith which has
upheld the people of Ireland, during their
long and determined struggle for national
autonomy
1t is true that the Irish vote has been the
very life of that s'bigoted, soulless combina-
nation miscalled Democracy" But the
great Republican party, true to its broad pri-
ciples, has always recognized in fitting
manner the ability shown by Irishmen.
The following list will amply verify this
statement: The brilliant and peerless Irish
American soldier, Philip H. Sheridan, ap-
pointed Lieut.. General of the army
of the 1United States; Thomas Murphy
and Gen. c. A. Arthur both Irish
Americans, appointed Collectors of the port
of New York by President Grant; James
Kelley, appointed Postmaster Of New York
by President Lincoln; Gen. Patrick HI.
President Grant; Col. Richard Crowley,
appointed District Attorney of northern New
York by President Grant; Col. James Nc
Lean, appointed Postmaster of Brooklyn by
President Hayes; Gen. j. B. Carr, elected
Secretary of State of the State of New York.
By the narrow proscriptive Democratic
party on the contrary, the Irish people have
been subjected to the most infamous and
unjust discrimination. Without the Irish
vote that party would cease to exist. And
yet in the face of this fact Irishmen when
ever nominated on Democratic ticket have
always run far behind the other candidates.
This was the case with Francis Herman
when he was nominated for Governor of
the State of New York. Sixty thousand
Democratic Know Nothings scratched his
name simply because he was Of Irish des-
cent. A similar fate met Gen. Patrick
Donahue, candidate on the Democratic
ticket in Massachusetts for Secretary of
State last year. Indeed it is the universal
testimony that Irishmen on Democratic
tickets usually run behind.
But after all, they can expect nothing. bet
ter from a party which sought to perpetuate
slavery in free America, and which to-day
attempts to gain control of the government
by joining hands with those who sought
to destroy it. The leaders of the Demo-
cratic party instinctively hate Irishmen as
they did the black man whom they
attempted to enslave. That accursed party
now, as ever, is the deadly foe Of equality,