The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-06-05
Irisb-American Politics..

yet of resolutions the germ of which :
was that they would oppose the party =
free trade, and support :.
The other party which favored the ex-
clusion Of English commerce from our ;,
shores. The feeling is, indeed, wide
spread one, and it would be found to
about ninety five per cent. of /.
the Irish citizenship of this country,
if an examination could be had. The
German readily gives up his political ::
allegiance to the Fatherland, with all
of its hostilities and prejudices, re-
tanning only its delightful social modes
and pleasant "reminiscences. They
soon become patriotic citizens of the
United States placing the new allegi-
ance high above the old. Not so with
the Irish. They will pay taxes here,
fight like Turks for the government
and obey the laws, but they never
loose sight Of Ireland. They never
part with the supreme allegiance to
Irish nationality into which they were
born. Their first political care is for
the Green Isle. Nothing stands before
that in the estimation of your true
Irishman. This is magnificent trait. |
1t glorifes the Irish people. 1t is as
charming as it is touching and it in
dicates only that with home govern
ment the Irish would be the most
patriotic people on earth. 1t makes all
people who love mankind regret keenly
that the brave Irish were unfortunate
enough to loose at Boyne Water their
identity among the nations. But de-
lightful as the trait appears to those
who look at it from the stand point
of Irish interests alone, it is threat
ening and even forbidding one looked
at from the point of our first best care
for the interests of this nation.
The theory is that our gates stand
wide open to the poor, the downtrod-
den and the oppressed of all nations.
They are not only negatively welcome
when they elect to come, but the gov
eminent wisely offers inducements in
furnishing to all who will avail them
selves Of its cheap homes upon the
vast domain belonging yet to it. But
in past payment for protection and
the glorious chances given all men
who join the citizenship of the great
l republic, she wisely demands that the
: prejudices as well as the allegiances of
3 the old country be kept on the other
t shore. She cannot afford to tolerate
them here, much less to predicate her
! policy or any part of 1t upon those
prejudices. Free trade Is the hope of
q America in all her future political
, outlook. 1t Is one of the accidents of
the position that England happens to
be the principal foreign beneficiary of
l the proposed free trade pol
icy. This is a democratic pol
cy and heretofore the Irish
citizenship has acted mainly with the
democracy. AS an adjunct to their
, domestic struggle with England
r they propose to act with the republi-
g can party-showing in this way that
s the allegiance for the home Isle
mouats infinitely above their allegiance
to this government, or any principal OF
= purpose inspired by their citizenship
l here. The interests of the laboring
= poor of this country, a large per cent
of whom are Irish or of Irish extract.
ion-are all to be given up, pushed
back and lost sight of because the
Irish agitators are still vainly
y seeking, by fire and sword
by dynamite and terror, tt
g force the concession of homo
IS rule from the British govern.
ment. We may and do strongly sym
q pathise with the grand struggle waged
IS so long and so heroically for Irish ma
y tionality, but as Americans, as citi-
IS zens of the United States, what have
Y we, what can we have, to do with the
auarrels between the Irish people an6
the central government of the British
>, empirep Nor can we properly LEND
even moral support to the effort tt
= disrupt power with which we main
tain friendly reciprocal relations.
The Irish people in the United States
are either citizens of the United
s States or they are still subjects of the
:, the British crown. If they are oul
L own citizens any interference in the
. way proposed In quarrel between the
government and the people of Great
t Britain, would be manifestly improper
II and wrong. If they are still subjects
/ Of the crown of Britain, then in
l. Gods name what have they to dc
> with our tariff laws or commercial
policy in any wayp Such action OF
the Irish people here would settle the
tariff question effectually, but would
!. settle it against the party, and the
people who have always been
, in the closest sympathy with
the Irish and among whom exclu-
sively are found the money which
so often and so powerfully voices the
sympathy OF the United States in the
moral struggle waged with such
sublime courage and touching devo-
ton by the Irish and against the gov
eminent of England. But its worst
immediate effect would be the up
growth of a party here which
would be peculiarly American
, as against the Irish citizenship, and a
remodled knownothingism would
, absolutely destroy the asylum fea-
| ture, the living chance the Irish
: have always had here. If the coun-
ellis of the Irish are wise they will ad-
wise against the adoption of any poll
cy which, while it would hurt Eng
land and the United Ssate3 much,
would hurt themselves more.
The TwO-Thlrds Rule.