The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-12
THE IRISH AGITATION.
A Talk with Judge Lochrane, of Georgia
Severe Criticism of the Philadelphia
Convention.

Gath's New York Letter.
have had an interesting interview with a ma
tive Irisman on the Irish que~stiOn-Judge Loeb
rane, of GeOrgia-which will bear reading. HIS
has probably reached the highest position OF
any native Irishman in the United S~tates-Chiee
Justice OF the Empire State of the South. Hs
came from Ireland at the age of eighteen, and
was a clerk in a drugstore at Athens, Ga, till
his public speaking at the university there at
tracted the attention of the bar to him. He
became a lawyer, and filled many offices
in the State, and is now a man Of
large acquaintance and general prosperity.
I asked him if he had read the proceedings of the
Philadelphia convention, aud he responded:
Eyes, and 1 admired the power of silence they
portrayed. 1t had the flavor of the recluse. But
l would have admired more the courage of lead
ershlp that dared offend Irish prejudices by
openly denouncing inhumana atrocities and mean
ana eowardly assasslnations, and not by pur.
poseu silence have become the apologist for
crimes that have disgraced the age and rendered
the very name of freshman a reprOach. The re.
suit In the end will be to create a stronger senti-
ment OF American nationality, that will not
tolerate the outrage of foreigners coming here to
natch treasons and foment wars against nations
m nv ,n T u we are at peace. Snon gentry
they represent the whole irish race on
TINS continents; they may dig, like Did Mortality,
and worn out, with illusions to Muilagnmast
and the treacher1es of Essex as apologies for
prt5duJ OuUraReS on COO and man. and forty
priests hold their hands over it, as they say
there were at Philadelphia; but l tell you that
the heart Of the country has been beating fast
with hotter blood of nationality at the outrage,
and the American mind has been thinking how
to handle it. The idea of invoking American
here deceived Us r nobodVkl The er' irish f Papiia,b 1ente ~
Philadelphia means that such men are needed
for desperate work in Ireland, or the Parliament
ls but a parade of emptiness, and void The
gentry who were leaders at Philadelphia know
well the powers of the deceit and sedit1on of the
ash corner; and this is not the time to improve
conditions by emigration. They want the poor
Irish to 90 at home what the contented Irish
abroad are too careful of their precious persons
to accomplish 30 far from their adopted homes"
"Do you think that there are Irish In this
country opposed to the Philadelphia parliament
tary proceedingsP
this country are utterly opposed to making
America the hot-bed of cOnspiracies by any ma.
tlonal1ty Of people, and will resist the principle
Of fostering secret societies and gathering money
TO buy arms 10 send into other countries and
raise up wars ana stir up bloodshed TO upset
governments. Whether it comes from the irish
or the Dutch or the Nihilist-from whatever
source it cOmes-the American people will not
sit idly by and have this country plunged into
war, and our and prosperity hurled
back a quarter of a century by foreign parlia-
ments and their abettors and hackers and apollo
gists for high crimes. remember when, after
the late war, Mr.. O'MahOney, on the platform Of
Cooper Institute, invited my aid to Fenianism,
l have nothing better than the blood and desola-
ton of a rebellion to give my friends In
ireland L Will nOG cover the country
that But the idea of using this country by for
eign revolutiOnlsts to hatch out plots in will not
be tolerated, American honor is higher than
party, and the party that thinks foreign votes
are more worth to this country than the peace
and prosperity of our people will soon shriyel
and roll up in the heat Of public Indignation"
"Well, what party do you think will come out
bold enough to denounce this abuse of our flag
and country by foreign plottersi"
81 say only this: That if the Democratic party
comes out for 1t, down tumbles the fabric in
front of an aroused sense of American nation
ality, and if the Republicans pander to 1t, it
will fall like Caesar at Pompey's pillar, hacked to
pieces"
"You do not, then, believe the present move.
ment in Ireland will succeed"
at will succeed in filling jails, and building
s~caffolds, and turning back irish prosperity for
a quarter OF a century. Poor Ireland How
often has she been the victim OF unwise coun-
sells! No country could sustain itself on the
pay no rent is a principle of plumber, like out
laws on a train refusing to pay fare. II we want
honesty here we must not foster dishonesty
abroad. An Irish landowner in Belfast or Dub
lin has just as much right TO his rent as the land
lord in New York or San Francisco, and tho
contrary doctrine will some day %convulse this
country. We may play with the lion before
Ills teeth are grown, hut when we sow dragons
teeth we may look for a crop of armed
in the end 1t will destroy all the integrities
Of contract relations, and the result in
are kept up by eternal principles of justice.
When the rule is reversed the country will totter
TO lU9 ruin Inc HgllaIlOnS III ireland Unab nave
swept over and over her during the last thirty
years have only been like so many waves of fire,
that left blackened roof-trees in their track"
"But is not the eviction of tenants harsh and
oppressive"
processes of law to enforce rights are
harsh. The sheriff does not come with a gloved
hand to levy on property to pay debts, and tho
voice of the auctioneer who sells the homestead
under mortgage is never musical. But it is Just
as bad here as in Ireland. 1 recoileot
seeing in the Chicago Tribune one
morning that It's chief. Mr.. Medill, had
been elected vice-president of the Land League.
and the next morning the columns of the same
paper showed where a poor woman and her
children were evicted into the streets. The
poor Irish widow in New York or Chicago feels
the hand of the law just as harsh as does the
widow of Balla. 1 hope. after this unfortunate
sequel to Fenianism has been ended, that we
will have a reign OF prosperity and peace in Ire.
land, and the arts of Industry may add to tho
glory OF the country. Ireland has been kept poor
by political a~gitators that have scared off capital,
and leaves to-day the Shannon to roll to the sea
without moving q mill-wheel or waiting a sail.
God send ireland peace, not war; prosperity, not
deEolatiOntf