The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-10-17

I
Car Drivers bill have caused him to be II gard
ed as corporation lawyer, and svVo'.al work
ing men have said to me that they d j not care
whether all the tattoo charges against Blaine
were true or not, they would rather trust any
one than man who had shown himself like
Cleveland, whenever the opportunity came, TO
be first of all Il corporation lawyer This leel-
ing is intense. Few people have any idea OF
the strength of the feeling of hatred against
corporations among the working classes.
"ls John Kelly MS powerful with the Irish
voters of New-York as he usually gets the
credit of beingG'
"Well Kelly is 'boss'-that is an acknowl-
edged leader of men-chiefly (apart from his
natural ability and aptitudei because he rrcog-
nizes the fact that in republic the man who
desires to be a boss must first of all find out
how the people want TO be 'bossed.' He is per-
fectly truthful and honest when he says that
he could not control all his followers To vote
for Cleveland if he were To try. There is no
doubt that his Endorsement Of the democratic
nominations would decide host of wavererS.
but he could not control very large percent
age of his own followers If he insisted that thy
should support Cleveland. That is his chrf
reason, suspect, for sitting on the fence. II lie
| not his natural position
s'Whois the most popular American among
the different candidates, with the lrisf-Amcri-
can populationH'
'Beyond all rivals or question. Butler. If
he runs it is quite likely that re will receive
|
but from the American workinemen--'hc dis
tinctiye labor element. have meyer yet met
with workingman--a member Of labor organ
izations--who doubted Buffers honesty in adj
vocating the claims of labor
"Who do you think will wing
"Blaine--and largely (unless speedy change
comes) by the help Of Irish-American votes.
This bolt is founded mainly on the belief that
| Blaine is a better American than Cleveland.
| Whatever the result of the campaign, the
Irish in America will be the gamers, for
| know that it is almost impossibility TO
make educated native Americans symDathize
with the wrongs of the Irish in Ireland as
long as the Irish in America are the willing
serfs of one party, and of that party during
its worst days--when it was the foe of impair
tial liberty The Irish in America would have
been very ungratefu If they had not allied
themselves with the democratic party in the
past, but the reasons for that loyalty Gas
think Justly due to the democratic parity have
passed away, ana the leaders of the demo-
cratic party for the last twenty years have
manaclcd the Irish hands held out to them in
gratitude. They are degrading the race they
once served.
WHY THE IRISH BECAME DEMOCRATS.
'Don't you know why the Irish became dem
ocrats! Well, as usual, any explanation of
Irish conduct runs back century or two. To
begin with, the Irish in Ireland, for seven hun
dred years, were prosecuted on account OF
their race, by fire, sword, law and SANDER, in
every form of human cruelty. Then the Irish
In Ireland for three hundred years--the Cath
olics, | mean--were prosecuted on account of
their religion. The English penal laws against
the Irish Catholics were as atrOcious as the
laws of our slave states against the free color
ed men; and these penal laws were only re-
pealed in 1929. Every Catholic hoy and peas
ant, whatever else he may not know, does
know all about the prosecutions of his race and
religion. Well, in 1913, 40 and 80 the first
great immigration Of the Irish occurred. Up
to that time the Irish immigration had not
been large, and what there was of it had been
instantly absorbed The Irish came in hordes
then. Not man among them, thus driven out
of their native land. by famine, who did not
believe that the famine was AN artificial fam
ine'-that their people who died (and million
and half of them perished) were murdered
and that those who had to flee were banished
Their hearts were very bitter. They looked 10
America as the Christian looks to Heaven
What did they encounter! The sudden APP
pearance of the know nothing party-an
organization of hatred against them rs
Irish, on account of race and against
them as Catholics on account of their religi N.
Before the Native American party arose,
there was the whig party; but the Maine CT wing
represented, TO the Irish, one of the most de
tested of the English parties-'the base. brutal
and bloody wings as O'Connell called them.
What did the American wing party do to Sc
cure equality of rights to the lri,h and to all
emmigrants! Nothing! The democratic party
has many cardinal sins to answer for; but at |
that time it acted nobly. 1t fought the know |
nothngs without gloves. Governor Wise, of |
Virginia, who will mainly be remembered as
the man who hanged john Brown, made one
of the most heroic political fights in American |
history, at that time against prescription. The |
knOw-nothngs were defeated Irish gratitude |
induced the Irish immigrants to become demo |
Gratis, and tradition-for they are very con |
servative people-has kept them in the demo |
cratic party. But there is no such reason for |
remaining their now, any more than for any |
other element of our mosaic nationality being |
bound to one party. have met hundreds OF |
the leaders of the Irish all over the country |
Tho have told me that what they wanted was
good excuse TO become republicans and to LEAD
heir people out of the democratic party for
he sake Of securing republican sympathy for
ireland. The American democratic detection |
N the case of Grace (you know how his name
was scraichod) and the republican vote for
Carr have had marvellous effect. Now they
have got good excuse for either going or
staying, and they will avail themselves OF the
choice. Lots of them will break away. !
should not be surprised If Blaine were to Sc
cure one fourth or even two thirds of the Irish
vote.
1.-Two other reasons have largely Influenced
Irish American opinion, as far as / have seep-
the timid vacillation Of the democratic party
on the question of the tariff, and the prompt
passage of the resolution by the republicans IN
favor Of not permitting foreigners to become
great landed absentee propretors in the United
States. Large numbers of the workingmcn
have come to see that the tariff is legal and
national method Of boycotting England, and
therefore they support 1t. Besides, a large
number of the Irish voters are employed in
manu- acturts, and their Interests are bound
up with protection. Again, the leading men
are not satisfied with the recognition they re-
ccive In the democratic party. This is paltry
motive, maybe, but II is one of the elements in