The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-07-26
NOT JING0ISM,
Nut THE TRUE METAL RINGING.
cleveland as Mayor of BuffaIo-His Atti-
tude in Defense of Irish Americans
willing TO Compel England
The True Blue.

In the spring of 1889, while Grover
cleveland was Mayor of Buffalo-and
when he could not possibly have had
any aspirations towards the Presidency
-he was asked, as the first magistrate
of the city, to preside at a public meet
ing, called to take action on the case of
the Irish-American suspects" then
Illegally imprisoned by the English
Government in Ireland. If he had been
the timid politician some of our public
officers have shown themselves to be,
he might have excused himself by say
Sng that the foreign relations Of this
Aountry, being in the hands of Secretary
of State at Washington, it would avail
nothing for the Mayor of an interior
city to interfere.
lie did nothing Of tho kind; he came to
the front promptly, and took his stand
on the principle for which the party he
-represented have always contended. He
attended the meeting, and declared. ON
taking the chair, that he deemed it an
honor to have been called on to preside.
After pointing out the common right,
|, nnder the constitution and laws of the
Republic, of native-born and adopte d
ci,zens of this country to protection
from the Government at Washington,
the world over, he laid down the follow
inc principles which, adhering to them
still, as he undoubtedly does, constitute
A sufficient American citizen plank for
acandidate for the Presidency to stand
upon:
4 now the law Of the land, declaring that
q 'annaturalized citizens, while in foreign
a lands, are entitled to and shall receive
4 from this Government the same protec-
4 ton ofperson and property which is ac-
corded TO native-bOrn citizens to voice
i the policy of our Nation. In all lands
where the semblance of liberty is pre-
served, the right of a person arrested to
speedy accusation and trial, is, or
ought to he, IA fundamental law, as it is q
rule of civilization. At any rate, we
hold il to be so; and this is one of the
rights we undertake to guarantee to any
natiye-bOrn or naturalized citizen OF
ours, whethorhe be imprisoned by order
of the Gar of Russia, or under the pre-
text Of a law administered for the bene-
tit of the landed aristOcracy of England.
1--WE do not claim to make laws for
other countries; but we do insist that
whatsoever those laws may be, they
shall, in the interest of human freedom
and the rights of mankind, so faras they
involve the liberty of our citizens, be
speedily administered. We have right
, to say, and do say, that mere suspicion,
without examination or trial, is not Suf-
Iicent TO Justify the long Imprisonment
/ Of citizen OF America. Other nations
may permit their citizens to be thus i'm
4 priSOncd. Ours will not. And this in
effect has been solemnly declared by
statute.
ave have met here tonight to conSid-
4 or this subject, and TO inquire into the
cause and the reasons, aud the Justice
Of the Imprisonment of certain Of our fell
low-citizens now held in British prisons
without the semblance of trial or legal
examination. Our law declares that the
Government shall act in such cases. But
the people are the creators of the Gov
eminent"
There is no Blaine "jingoism" in these
sentlments-no twisting Of the tail of
the British lion at the safe distance of
3,UJ0 miles; but their expression, at the
tlme when such an OutspOken declara-
ton ON the part of our public men was
most needed by the Irish element of the
community, shows that Grover Cleve-
land is not only thorough believer in
the principle of fully protecting all
American citizens, whether native-born
or naturalized, wherever they may be,
but that he did not hesitate to put him
self on reGord on the subject on the very
'trst opportunity afforded him, and when
no could have had no expectation that
he would ever derive any benefit from
thus putting his opinions before the
world. Il Irish American.