The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1884-08-14
THE IRISH FOR BLAINE
There is no mistakine the ia,

There is no mistaking the fact
that in the present Presidential con.
t the hearts Of the Irish people 10
tbs country are for Blaine as against
Cleveland The most intelligent of
the liish leaders, aud tue ablest of
the Irish newspapers, voice the sens
timent Of their country-men in favor
of the Republican candidatn, be-
cause they recognize in him man
whose words aud acts 10 the past
given them better assurance OF sym
patby in the future than they can
extract from the record OF his DEM
ocratio opponent, Mr.. Cleveland. II
seems 10 be the main business and
occupation Of the Democratic organs
just now to deny the existence of
any Irish revolt within the party,
but the zeal which they devote to
the denail only proves the existence
Of the very thing which they attempt
10 disprove. Never before in the
history OF American politics was it
deemed necessary to enter upon q
defense Of Irish loyalty to the
Democratic party. II was always
taken for granted that whatever
other nationality might prove false
to the Democratic banner, every
lrishman who had right to vote
was certain to cast his ballot for the
d, mocratic ticket on election day.
To-day the real subject Of inquiry
in connection with this subject
should be, not why the Irish should
vote for Blaine, but why they have
in tho past persistently voted
against the party Of which Mr..
Blaine is to-day the honored stand"
ard bearer. 1t is simply a case in
which the fact remains long after the
circumstances which produced th e
fact have ceased to exist. The Irish
began to vote the Democratic ticket
iu this country as measure OF self
protection. They found the old
Wbig party inheriting the prejndices
against foreigners handed down tc
them by the old Federal party, and
they naturally allied themselves
with the Democracy as the foe Of
both Federalism and Whiggery. The
war changed these conditions with
out changing the loyalty OF the Irish
to the Democratic party. The
wbig party went to pieces, and the
best half Of it joined the Southern
Democracy, to become in a few years
the most formidable portion OF The
Great Rebellion. The old enemies
Of the Irish in the South joined with
their old friends in that section to
make war against the Union. The
Irish question was buried and for
gotten in the secession question.
Old things passed away, and new
world of politics was begun, in
which lrishmen as Irishmen had no
interest, but in which all had inter.
est only as they were in favor OF or
against the preservation OF the
American Union.
1t follows from all this that the
Irish have been acting with the De.
mocracy for nearly twenty-five years
without being able to give any sub
stantial reason for it. The spirit ol
Know n Nothingism in this country
disappeared when the Republican
party came into power-a party es'
sentially National and 10 no way in.
ternational in its character--a party
whose mission was wholly direct cd
to home affairs, and which welcomed
alike natives and foreigners who
sympathized with it's aims and i'll
purposes Yet still the Irish we're
Democrats. They did not under.
take to say why, but they voted the
Democratic ticket regularly ant
vigorously. 10 return, what have
they received : A few local honorl
here aud there, but scarcely a Ma,
tional recognition worthy of the
name. More than half the Dem
ocrats elected to Congress sine,
1861 have owned their election tC
Irish votes, yet how many Irishmer
have been elected to Congress in
that time Not half dozen Mr.
Finerty is an Irish member OF Tue
present Congress, but he is there by
the votes of Irisbmen. and mot n,