River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-05-20
THE IRISH AND THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY.

Ihree weeks ago we took OccaS sion
to give currency to rumor that the
Irish Republicans of the country were
to hold meeting at Indianapolis, in
cidentally expressing our wonder that,
i'll view of the oppressed condition OF
Ireland, there were not greater num-
Der of Irish Republicans, and observ-
ed an inconsistency in Irishmen who
complained of British oppression while
voting to sustain party which practi-
cally holds millions of the human race
| in bondage. An Irish Democrat who
subscribes himself ''Irish- American, !"
in "A letter to the Herald of last Week,
thinks this observation in bad taste
coming from Republican of the pres
ent time. In this we beg leave to diff
fer with our "Irish-American" friend.
No intelligent man of the present time
who is at all familiar width the his
| tory of political parties will seriously
attempt to deny that the Democratic
party was a pro-slavery party; party
| through the power of which four mil
| lions of human beings were held in
abiect slavery; Il party which eXorted
every possible effort to further extend
| the territory of slavery that the slave
power might thereby he increased.
This same Democratic party or slave
0ligarchy became So intolerant that 1T
would not brook restraint, and placed
itself in armed revolt against a power
that was destined, in the name of COM
mon humanity, to shatter its idol
SLAVERY 1t is not subject of wonder
that these freedmen emerged from a
slavery in which their race had been
held within the United States for near
iy A century, in an ignorant condition,
as during that time any person i'm
parting to slaves any information OF
an educational nature was pursued
and punished as criminal, and those
who held them in slavery, taking adj
vantage of such ignorance, now prac'
tlesIIy keep them in bondage by ex
acting Of them such eXhorbltant rents
as to leave for them bare s.. hslstehc'
-cleverly initiating the Irish Ian
lords whose avarice staryes the poor
of Ireland. And this is the party that
Irish voters with singular unanimity
vote to sustain, while bowling them
selves hoarse for Irish freedom on the
Emerald Isle.
']rish-American" exhibits his I'M
fairness as we'll as ignorance in rela-
ton to the loss of public funds in the
Prescott Bank. The County Treasur-
Ell, in depositing money in that Bank,
| followed the example set by his pred
eceSsors. Pierce county has never had
a safe hat an experienced burglar
could not go though" in fifteen min
| utes, without giving notice of his
| presence. and Lad the Treasurer depoS-
| tied the funds in the safe and they
had been taken by burglar such men
as ''lrish-American' would doubtless
have censured him for not putting
them in bank. If we understand
this matter correctly, half the money
deposited in the Prescott Bank at the
time of its failure was repaid to depos-
itors, making the loss to the county
| less than the amount stated by the
correspondent. The Republican Coun-
| TT Treasurer of this county was in no
sense a defaulter, though Irish-Amer-
| lean" insinuates otherwise; he honest
| ~ and in conscientious manner dis
charged his duties as County Treasu-
rer, and was justly relieved from all
| liability to the county on account of
| loss by reason of the failure of the
| Prescott Bank by the concurrent votes
of Democratic and Republican men,
beers of Che Board of County Superyis-
ors, and since ''Irish-American" seeks
to make party issue of this matter
we may be pardoned for suggesting
that during the most of the past ten
years the Democrats have had the
Chairman of the Board and it is not
at all unlikely that a Democratic
/ Board, under this rule. might be held
responsible for doing an act of justice
toward a Republican official. If Irish
American" desires to compare notes
/ on defaicatioas among County and
State officials we will engage to furnish
4 him the names Of three Democratic
defaulters for that of every Republic
can defaulter that he furnishes US.
We have no apology to offer for any
Republican official who fraudulently
apprcpriates public funds to his own
use, but wo insist that Democratic
writer's are not sustained by the rec.
ords in their attemps to show that Re
publican officials do d greater part of