The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-09-18
Out for Blaine.

CnNAGo, September THE publica-
ton yesterdayinf letter of Patrick Egan
president of the irish National League, re-
pudiating Cleveland and declaring for
Blaine, has cittse,i Il lively stir in Demo
cratic circles here and elsewhere through
out the west. Members OF several of the
branch league Of this city have already
signified their intention of openly coming
out for Blaine, now THAT President Egan
has spoken so plainly, they agreeing per-
fectly with his sentiments. The Daily
State Democrat, published at Lincoln. Neb..
has been abusing MI. Egan for having ex-
pressed himself privately as fayoring Mr..
Blaine's election When Mr.. Egan sent
The editor OF the paper q letter explaining
why he intended to support Mr.. Blaine,
the editor refused to publish it. Mr..
Egan then addressed Il letter to the editor
of the other newspaper published at Lin
coin, as follows:
.sLINCoLN, NEB., September 4, lSS4.-
TO the Editor Of the State Journal Your
contemporary, the Daily state Democrat,
having on two distinct occasions referred
rs | consider most unwarrantably and
unfairly, to my political opinions, now re-
fuses, contrary TO all recognized rules of
decent journalism, to publish any but II
sarbled copy OF my reply, send you here
with the letter which addressed to that
j
favor of placing it before the public.
Yours truly, PATRICK EGAN. " -. -
LINCOLN, NEB., Sept 5. 1884.
Editor Of the Daily State Denlocsut-SIR ::
For the second time within the last three
weeks you have dragged my name into the
political campaign, although up to the
present moment have never spoken pub
slicly or written single word to give you
as a journalist any grounds for so doing.
Before the late Boston convention of the
Irish National League, had as the re-
suit of close observation and careful re-
8 search made UP my mind that there eX-
listed no good grounds by which the Demo-
cratic party should hold any mortgage on
my vote because happened to be an Irish
man. / weighed with care and delibera-
ti0n the merits OF the two presidential
candidates, and / came to the conclusion
that neither as an ITiShman nor as an
adopted citizen of America could Mr.. Gro
yer Cleveland have my support. The case
of Mr.. John Dewey, on which you so per-
sistently harp, and which you have again
referred to as the only ground of nay OPP
position to Mr.. Cleveland, was only one OF
the many objections which | entertained
to that gentleman. l did indeed consider
the treatment melted to Mr.. Dewey of the
very basest kind, and as a strong evidence
of either the hostility and contempt of Mr..
Cleveland for Irishmen of national 0pin-
ions, but | objected also to MI. Cleveland
rs the pet candidate of the London Times,
the London STANDARD, the London Daily
Telegraph, the London Daily Netcs. the Lon
don st. James Gazette, the London Sdtar-
dag Rerie,c-in TACT, of the entire English
press. l objected to him as the pet candi-
date of Puck and Harper's Weekly, as the
author of innumerable vetoes i'll the inter
est Of the great monopolies, and as a man
who had. as | believed, proved himself the
enemy of every just right of the toiling
millions. | objected to Mr.. Cleveland be-
cause fell that, in the words of the Bos-
ton Pilot, d straight out and out Demo-
cratic organ, he has not a single quality
to fit him for the presidency of the United
States. had made up my mind to sup
port Mr.. Blaine because from long obser-
Walton | had come to regard him as the
very opposite of all this. as an American
OF Americans, a man among men. as an
able statesman fitted by nature and culture
and experience to fill with credit to the
country and to himself the position of
president of this great nation. These were
a few OF the grounds OF my objection to
your candidate, and my preference for Mi.
Blaine, and as have before stated, they
have never up to the present time been
made public by me, nor would they be now
if you had not compelled me by your I'M
lalI cOnlneHlS, ana by your uHWOItly
sheer at Irish wisdom, to state them.
When, however. at Boston | accepted the
presidency of the Irish National League
considered that whatever my private opin-
ion might be, was then preeluded from
taking any active part in American poll
tics. Accordingly have abstained from
taking any part, nor shall / as long as /
hold the office. This is my position. /
must beg you, therefore, to spare me the
trouble of any further contradictions or
corrections on this subject. With regard to
your quotation from speech of Mrs. Par
nell. yield to no one on this side of the
Atlantic in the respect which / pay to
the honored mother of the man whom l
am proud to be able to claim as a personal
friend, as well as co worker in the cause
OF Ireland, Charles Stuart Parnel, and
am sure she will not misunderstood me
when state my conviction that she would
best consult the welfare of the great move
pant in which she and | are interested,
and my belief she would best consult the
desire of her son by keeping his name en-
tlreiy out of the present political contest.
Yours truly. ssPATRICK FGAN.''