Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1884-10-18
BLAINE AND THE IRISH VOTE.
Cong ressman Collins Plain Truths
About a Crook ed Candidate.

Mr.. Patrick A. Collins is a member
of congress from Boston. He is one of
the youngest members of the houseand
has gained there the character of an
eloquent speaker and an hol est and
able representative. He was born in
the year 1874 near Fermoy, county
Cork. Ireland. He came to this coun-
try when five years of age and has
made his own career, for he began life
as an upholsterer. Having received
his education in the common schools of
Boston, he later studied law at Harvard
law school. practiced law, was elected
twice to the Massachusetts legislature,
served as Judge advocate general of the
| state in 1875 and is now in congress.
MIR. COLLINS SPEECH.
At meeting in his district OH Fri
day, Mr.. Collins took occasion to speak
of the demagogical attempt of the
Blaine managers to court the Irish vote.
He said:
When you find the Boston Journal
and the New York Tribune, the Cleve-
land Leader and James q. Blaine all
protesting an intense, sudden and most
fervid love for the Irish voters, it seems
exceedingly strange; but, at the pre-
sent time, i'll this year of grace, 1884,
the Irish, let me tell you, are quite able
to take care of themselves [Applause.
But there was time when they were
few in number, scattered, weak. nn-
protected, except by the sclf-same old
democratic party, and then the Boston
Journal and the New York Tribune and
James q. Blaine passed by on the other
side, and the good Samaritan was the
democratic party. Well, gentlemen,
the orators whom they have hired to
go on the other side and appeal directly
to what they call the Irish element in
the United States, have given certain
reasOns-so-call reasOns-why their
conntrymen, as they call them, should
vote the republican ticket now. Gen
tlemen, We have no countrymen except
the American people. [Cheers.] The
know nothing party sought to make a
distinction between those who were
native born and those among us who
are only naturalized. That was know
nothingism. Now we do not propose to
invert knownothingism by making our
selves favored class in the commune
ty. Applause.1 We came here to
stay. l, for example, was born in Ire
land, but the moment l became a nat
uraliZed citizen OF the United States
the moment welall took the, ath of allegi-
glance here-we became good citizens of
the American republic. Cheers. Let
me remind You, gentlemen, that the law
makes no difference between the native
born and the naturalized in this coun-
try. [Cheers.l
WHAT HAVE THE REPUBLICANS DONE?
We who were born on the other side
of the water do not claim any especial
privilege or exemption OH account of
our foreign birth, and by the grace of
God we will take no disadvantage Oh
account Of it. loud applause So,
when these gentlemen go about mixing
up Irish politics with American poll
tics, they are doing neither America
nor Ireland good service. Do they
tell you Of anything that the republican
party has done tor what they call the
Irish as class? Why, they have done
absolutely nothing. They have regard
ed the Irish as being very good to vote,
just as the negro is. But they tell YOU
that the candidate of the party is
man for whom the Irish people all ought
to vote. They tell you that James G.
Blaine is a friend of the Irish, and that,
if elected, he will do great services for
the race. He does not say SO for him
self; his party does not say so in the
platform which it has issued; for his
party has not done anything for the
race in the past, nor has he. But the
uper-serviceable friends, undoubtedly
instructed for the purpose, and remun-
Grated handsomely for their work, go
whispering about that Mr.. Blaine will
do this and that for the Irish people if
elected.
NO FIGS FROM THISTLES.
Now, what is the history of the man?
In cases like these you must Judge a
tree by its fruit. Remember you can
not pick figs from thistles, nor get
grapes from thorns. [Applause.
James G. Blaine went into Maine about
thirty one years ago with new wife
and an old religion. Laughter. He
kept the one, but found the other un-
fashionable in orthodox Maine. lie
therefore dropped it and took brand
new religion laughter and from
that time down 10 the present | defy
any man living-and l say it with a
GOODNESS and deliberation YOU know
me to possess-Irepeat, defy any man
living to pick out letter written, Il
word spoken, All act done or dollar
paid away by James G. Blaine i'll favor
of the Irish cause. Cheers. Now.
then, if he has not been able to show
the payment of single dollar, the ut
terance of a SINCE word or the doing
of a single act in favor of the Irish race
during period OF thirty-one years,
how much more time are you going to
give him? Laughter and cheers.
THE BLUE GLASS THEORY.