Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-08-04

CAJoLING THE IRISH VoTE.-Under this
head that we'll known and independent
Irish newspaper, the New York Tablet.
has some words of advice for American
citizens Of Irish descent, which have n
rood deal of sense in them. Tho Tablet
says:
Heretofore tho democrats looked upon
the Irish vote rs matter of fact and took
no pains to conciliate it, while on the other
hand, the republicans, looking upon the
Irish citizen rs hopelessly 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-ci citizens are be-
ginning to reason for themselves and TO
vote as best their judgments suggests, and
not at the beck and dictation of some
rumsellcr or low ward politician. who
merely used them as the milestone upon
which to grind his political axe.
The New York Sun has taken up the
cry, and though we recollect when it was
not very choice in the terms it applied
to Irshmen, and when it branded them
ms the rotten tail Of the Tammany kite,
it now denounccs conventions held by
the Irish citizens in support of the re-
publican ticket rs cliques of Office hold
ers.
The sheer of the Sun at Irish office
holders is too small for respectable
I, journal TO indulge in, for it implies that
Irishmen have no right to hold office I'M
der republican administration, or if they
did, they had no right to exercise the
untrammeIled privileges of American citi-
zens. If it is u disgrace to hold office
it certainly must be so to seek for one and
we would ask the Sun what are the dem
ocratc leaders, from Mr.. Dana down to a
rum selling alderman fighting for but the
prospect of Office or payP 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 desert
ed.
We are in favor of Irish republican
conventions, not that we are in favor o.
the republican ticket or candidate, but
because we hold that the more independ-
ent the Irish citizen is of party lash OIL
party allegiance, the more will he be re-
spected and courted by republicans as wei
as democrats.
| Why, we would ask, is it that the Ger.
mans exercise such political influence in
civic, state and national politicsP They
are not rs numerous rs the Irish, yet they
have given mayors to the city. governors
to the state, and cabinet ministers to tie
nation, while the Irish cannot point to a
single one Of their nationality in either
capacity.
This is simply owing to the fact that
the Germans act independently of party
ties, and therefore their wishes have to be
consulted in making up the slate.
Without attempting to dictate to any one
how they should vote, we would urge on
our people the necessity of self-respect and
political independence.
They should exercise intelligence enough
to discriminate between honesty and fraud,
patriotism and charlatansm, in recording
their votes for either of the two great
parties who contend for political suprem.
acy in this country, and not blindly attach
themselves to either as their willing slave,
to be whipped into obedience whenever
their votes are necessary to keep in office
and power their political masters.