The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-08-04


therefore, obliged to conform to their reps
reservations and be adverse to Cleveland?
And because other politicians at Chicago
went behind these representations with
the question: What has Cleveland ever
done to really deserve this alleged hostili-
ty from Catholics and Irishmen?" And
not ascertaining anything anti>Catholic
and anti~Irish in his record were not de-
tered from nominating him for president,
Notwithstanding such presentations
shall we therefore, feel sighted and
wronged? If we resent anything We ought
to resent the thrusting of Irish and
Catholic" into the personal squabbles Of
ofliceNseekers. especially when this intrus
sion seems to be without rhyme or reason.
IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE.
Without rhyme or reason and largely
without truth of sincerity We care moth
ing for Grover Cleveland or for his polls
teal prospects, but we do care for a man
who is unwit,ingly wronged by the pre-
JUDGES of Catholic Americans. We care
Tor him To the extent OF removing the
prejudices, Fighting the wrong, and then
letting him take his chances evenly in the
electoral hurry burly with his magnetic
competitor. Conscientious men will not
condemn candidate as bigot without
definite evidence TO that effect. And we
put the question in all candor to every
reader of this article: Do you definitely
know of any act of Grover Cleveland that
satisfactorily shows him to be iliiberal
and unfair towards us Catholics? Here
is an extract from letter of NJ. G. Grit
fin, president of an Iowa landleague,
which is going the rounds of the Repub
lican press:
"A bill was introduced to enable the
inmates of the state institutions to have
their religious wants administered to by
ministers of their own faith. Know
nothing instincts and influences induced
HIM (Cleveiand) to intrigue against the
measure and defeat it. No Catholic
| priest for him"
Would Mr.. Griffin make this statement
| under oath? We think not, because it is
to our knowledge. the essence of false
| hood The Freedom of Worship Bill,
here referred to, actually passed the New
York legislature while Alonoza B. Cornell
was governor. Alouoza B. Cornell vetoed
| it. 1t was again introduced in the legis-
| lature of 1898, Grover Cleveland being
than governor Of the state, and the Dem
ocrats being in a majority in both branch
es of the Legislature 1t passed in one
branch, and the chances for its passage
in the other were good, when, all of {
sudden, the legislature adjourned. The
individual who caused this fatal adjourn
ment was no less a parsonage than Sen
atOr Grady, the Tammany spokesman al
| Chicago, and he made his motion TO spit,
Gov Cleveland because the latter woulC
not appoint his favorite to some New
York City Office. Gov. Cleveland hat
named Vim. Murtha, Gan Irish Catholic
By the way, and Tammany united will
the republicans TO secure an adjournmea
and thus prevent confirmation. The
FREEDOM on Worship Bill" came up agail
IN 1884 before republican Legislature
and met with defeat No suspicion ha
crept into the Catholic press, that Gov
Cleveland was adverse to SO praisworth
amcasure Certainly Tammany hail can
not come in with clean hands and assai
its opponent on this score,
THAT PR0TECTORY NATTER.
But did not Cleveland veto an appro
priation to the Catholic protectory of New
York;" We find that statement to b
accurate, and we ARE engaged in invest
tigatng the circumstances, about which
we know nothing at present. From tn
fact that none of the New York Catholi
papers made any ado over the matter a
the time it transpired (June, 1889, w
are inclined to consider the assertion c
Mr. Cleveland's friends that there wer
'eXtenuating circumstances" We pro
pose to suspend judgment until th
evidence for the defence is in.
But the most baseless assertion al
those connecting Mr.. Cleveland wit
hostility to the Irish race This entir
misrepresentation is predicated upon hi
refusal to pardon one John Dewey, jailc
for criminal libel on complaint of Tam
many politician banker named Belmont
Dewey was convicted by Il jury Of hi
peers, after what, to all appearances, Wa
II fair trial. There were no grounds f
an exercise of executive clemency, al
) though if Gov. Cleveland were shrew
politician he would, we think, hav
granted the request Not being shrew
politician he refused the pardon, and NJ
Dewey, who publishes an Irish Republics
journal, called the Irish Nation, has sine
made national and race grievance OIL
of what is merely a personal grudgt
This is the breadth and emptiness" {
Gov Cleveland's hostility to the Irish.
We have thus noticed the only charge
/ against Mr. Cleveland that can justil
Irish and Catholic" opposition to hin
The substance of what we have written
not Vote for Cleveland but mo nc
7 antagOnizc Cleveland on Irish" or Cat
. Ole grounds" Any of our readers ms
S follow our advice and yet vote for M
Blame. We are not writing against Blail
as candidate or for Cleveland as
candidate. We are simply entering pl'
for unparalleled and unbigoted discer
t ment, and against unjust detraction.
- The position of the Western Watchma
r the leading Irish Catholic journal in til
: part Of the country, has already BET
c shown.