The Portland daily press., 1882-08-21
A Young Irishman ON the Political
Duty of Irishmen.

A young Irishman writing to the Lewiston
Journal from Augusta, says:
'The average politician is puzzled to account
for the remarkable fidelity of the Irish people
to the Democratic party. Most Irishmen re-
gard one of their countrymen who votes the
Republican ticket as a degenerate son of the
"old flock" One of the strongest Characters
tics of the Irish people is their remarkable
faithfulness to their nationality, religion and
parties. The fire of liberty, though often de-
luged in blood, has never been quenched in
Irish hearts. Others may desert the faith of
their fathers; the Irishman never does. But
he makes a mistake when he presumes any po-
litcal party to be infallible, and sanctions its
evil deeds on the strength of its past records.
"The Jeffersonian Democracy, in repeating
the obnoxious alien and seditious laws, secured
the allegiance of the Irish From that time
forward the Irishmen focked to the Democrat
ic standard. In large cities they became the
controlling power in politics. This unanimity
in acting with the Democratic party under all
circumstances, excited a gronndless fear for the
safety of Republican institutions, and gave rise
to the Know-N Nothing party and Native Amer
icanism. The violence of these uH-American
PARTIES was we'll calculated to cement them
more firmly to the Democratic party, which
they regarded as their defender against iHtol-
erance and bgotry. Had the Irish vote been
equally divided between the two parties, it is
safe to say we should never have heard of the
Know-Nothing or Native American party.
"The Republican party has been accused OF
fusing with the Knew-Nothing party. A
more groundless charge was never made. One
of the cardinal principles of the Native Arneri-
can party was protection of slavery. By adopt
ing this principle, their candidates, Bell and
Everett, received the electoral votes of Virgil
MIA, Kentucky and Tennessee, which are now
strongly Democratic. The Republican prin-
ciple as opposed to slavery was Free soil Tor
free labor;'' "Freedom for ALL" There could
be no fusion between these two parties. How
significant ought these Republican notices to
be- to Irishmen! These were the doctrines OF
the great liberator. When the Slavery party
| in the House of Commons tried to bride OCon-
| nell, he said to them: Gentlemen, God knows
that am here in the cause of the saddest peO-
Pile that the sun sees; but may my right hand
| forget its cunning, and my tongue cleave to
| the roof of my mouth, when to help Ireland,
| even Ireland, L forget the negro for one single
| hour Again, he went into Conci llation
| Hall. A draft for thousand pounds stated
| to be from the slave holders of New Orleans,
| for the repeal cause, lay on the desk. lie
| took it up, and, stepping to the trout OF the
| platform, he said: "Gentlemen,EI hold in my
| shareholders of New Orleans, to help repeal. Ii
| is the unpaid wages of the negro Mr.. Treas.
| urer suppose the treasury is empty" A nod
| assured him that it was. said he: ireland is
very poor; but, thank God, ireland is not poor
| enough to take the unpaid wages OF anybody
| Send it back
at is plain that o ConnelPs sympathies were
| in accord with the ideas that gave birth to the
| Republican party. What cared the naughty
planter for 'mudsills? Across Mason and Dix
| on's line he erected Chinese wall, as it were,
| to exclude white labor. He was the exact type
| of the Irish landlord, aud is to-day. Scores OF
| the leading Democratic politicians to-day were
| once Know-oNti ings. The Irishmen on he
| Democratic ticket invariably run behind. Why
| did Mayor Grace run twenty thousand votes
| behind Hancock in New York city? Simply
| because Know-Nothing Democrats could not
stomach an Irishman. Witness the generosity
of the Republicans. Grant appointed an Irish
man as collector of the port of Kew York and
another as postmaster of New York city.
"Of late, the Irish people, especially the
young element, are asking themselves why
| they vote the Democratic ticket. Simply to
vote that ticket because majority of their
| countrymen vote it is no valid reason. The
| majority of the young Irishmen in the coming
| election will cast the Republican ballot, be-
| cause reason tells them that it is the party OF
progress, liberty and protection to labor"