The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-06-09
HOW ENGLAND LOOKS AT 1T.
R1r. Blaine Looked Upon an AngIophs-
bist and His Success Attributed TO
Irish Influence.

LONDON, June 6.-The news of Blaine's nominal
ton, although not unexpected, has been received
with profound regret by nearly all English polite
ians. Blaine is looked upon as an Anglophobist,
and his success at Chicago is attributed largely to
Irish influence. Special dispatches from Chicago to
the Standard and Telegraph contain the following
statements:
'Among the principal causes (which brought
Mr.. Blaine's success was, first, his popularity
among American Anglophobsts; and. secondly, his
greater popularity among the Irish-Americans. His
great strength among the Irish voters due mainly
To his activity while Republican leader in Congress
during the years 1867, 1868 and 1869, in forcing
England TO recede from her claims of allegiance
upon British born subjects who had become natural
lied as American citizens. This activity was devel
oped in the case of Augustus Costello, who with a
large number of other Irish Americans, including
Gen. Denis f. Burke, was arrested in Ireland and
tried for utterances made in the United States Cos
tello was arrested while in Ireland in 1887 and
placed on trial for speech which he made in New
York while an American citizen in 1866. The
speech Was construed as reasonable and under the
act of 1S48, which especially declared England's
right to punish upon British soil British born sub
jects for reasonable utterances or performances
made upon foreign territory Costello was sentenced
tosixteen years penal serxitute. His claims of
American citizenship were ignored upon the ground
that there was nothing in any treaty existing be-
tween the United States and Great Britain debar-
ring Great Britain from claiming as British sub
ject any person born on British soil. Costello was
removed to MillbaRk Prison, where Blaine took up
his case. Blaine ogganized a Congressional agita-
on which resulted in the liberation of Costello and
his colleagues who possessed full American nat ur
azation, and in the treaty of 1870, in which Great
Britain surrendered all claims of allegiance from
British subjects who become naturalized as Ameri-
can citizens. Blaine is given by the Irish the full
credit of extorting this treaty from Great Britain
and of enabling Irishmen by free agitation to form
American opinion as factor in coercing Eng land
to deal justly with Ireland, without subjecting
themselves, as formerly to arrest and punis hment
traitors. Blaine, ais D it is believed secured the
incorporation in the Chicago platform Of the decar-
alton in favor of legislation prohibiting aliens from
acquiring fee in American land, a principle he
adopted from the platform of the American Irish
Land League For this reason he will secure the
support of the League and draw the bulk of the
Irish vote from the Democratic party"
"Blaine's Panama Canal policy has endeared him
to the masses of native Americans
The above statements and others of similar i'm
port are making deep impression here, and Eng
ishmen are disposed to believe that BlaiHes candi-
dacy represents sort of Irish ascendency in Amer
lean politics, and augurs the event of his elect
ton lingo policy in the foreign relations of the
United States.