The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-10-17
THE IRISH-AMERICAN VOTE.
All Interview With James Redpath

LA New York Tribune reporter recently had 8
bng conversation with James Redpath III re-
gard to the attitude of Irish voters in the pend
ing campaign. When asked IL he was familiar
with Irish sentiment, Mr.. Redpath replied:
II personally know the leaders of the Irish
Americans in nearly all the great cities OF the
east and west; | read carefully every Irish
American paper, and | have large cores
pondence with lrish-American representative
men. meet numbers of them every week.
80 have opportunities enough to know how
they feel and to form a guess how they will
act
sWilsthere be serious detection of the
Irish from the democratic party at the next
election!n
: ''Quite large, l believe, and certainly on
scale unparalleled in the history Of the Irish
IN America This feeling of disaffection is not
local. it is widely spread. OF course a good
deal OF 1t will be overcome and return TO party
allegiance before November; but the same fact
is just as true about us independent republi-
cans, and not less so than about the Irish.
The same kind of forces that whipped con-
spcuous republican enemies of Mr.. Blaine into
line will operate on many of the Irish demo-
Gratis, but after making due allowance for all
that, there will be big bolt, think; and so
does every leader among the Irish with whom
have talked or from whom l have got let
ters'
''What is the chief reason for their dssaffec-
ton with the democratic party!'
- II have taken great deal of trouble to find
bhat out, for its extent astonishes me- have
been stopped in the streets lately, wherever
have gone, where there were workingmen, and
asked by men who had heard me lecture or
talk at Irish Land League meetings, what |
thought of the political situation, and, in a
majority of cases. / have been told that they
intended to vote for Blaine-not for the repub
lican ticket, mind you, but for old Blaine!
These men had always been democrats. They
will probably vote the democratic city and
congressional tickets
''What is the difference between voting for
Blaine and voting The republican tickets"
'Oh, well, sentiment / remember when |
voted for Cleveland and Flower-the first and
only democratic votes ever cast-I took special
pains to say in public that voted for them as
a republican protest | see the independents
are doing the same thing now. So are the
Irish who intend to bolt They will vote not
as republicans, but as democrats, protesting
against the nomination of a man whom they do
not regard as friend of the working classes
They hate as we all do, to divorce themselves
from their old party,-it is the policy of cut
\ ting the dogs tail an inch at a time,-but it
amounts to the same thing in the end, of
course"
ELEMENTS IN THE IRISH BOLT.
Can you define the different elements in
this coming Irish bOt."
''Some of them-the main ones. The Dewey
disaffection-not merely Mr.. Devoy's personal
grievance, but the soreness that Cleveland ere
ated among the Irish nationalist because of
his action in his case. Now, Dewey is man
of influence with the most influential organiza-
ton of the Irish in America He is the rccog-
nized exponent, in the eastern Irish-American
press, of what is technically called the nation
alist sentiment. His paper, The Irish Nation,
is regarded as the organ of the Clan-na-G Gael.
The members of that powerful organization
recognize it as their organ-not officially, but
by their support and tacit acknowledgment"
"Are they the dynamiteursP'
sob, no. On the contrary they are opposed
10 ,bo,. holt. in.
ate nationality foi Ireland, but they also be
lieve in prosecuting a civilized warfare
against her, and in waiting until there is some
chance to fight her efTectively-until she is in
trouble with a great foreign power ike Ger
many or Russia, for instance; when, to use a
famous Irish proverb, 'England's danger will
be Ireland's opportunity The dynamiteurs,
on the other hand, are for acting at once-on
old Lord NOrth's theory in the American Revo-
lutiOnary war, of using every weapon that
God and nature had put in their power That
meant hiring Indians to scalp Americans; and
they mean by it using dynamite to blow up
English cities or buildings. The dynamiteurs
regard the Clan-na-Gael as what one of the
Puritan sects called rival sect, walters on
I-'vdence The Clan is by far the most
dangerous enemy that England has among the
secret societies of the Irish race, because it is
governed by men of cool judgment who hate
and yet can watt and who hate the more the
longer they are forced to wait. They are a
very powerful organization, and they stand by
each other as a rule. Cleveland offended them
mortally by his treatment of Dewey, and /
think they will pay him back with interest
tgombeen interest They are good haters."
CLEvELAND's REFUSAL TO PARDON Dewey.
''What did Governor Cleveland doH'
at is long story. Briefly, John Dewey
charged August Belmont and his firm with
commercial dishonesty in having received
Fenian funds to transmit to Ireand-or to
England for Irish revolutionary uses-and
with having failed either to deliveror to return
these funds. There was legal defence. Bel
mont's financial honesty, in the letter of the
law, was shown; that is, it was proven that his
house did not steal the money. But it was
also equally made plain that Dewey had no
personal or malignant motive in making the
charge, but was governed entirely by public
that is, Irish revOlutionary-motiyes. AT the
worst it was one of the same class of accusa-
tons to which every presidential and every
congressional candidate must submit and to
which he does submit without whine at every
canvass. Well, instead of being treated as
every American editor is treated, Dewey was SEN
fenced to the penitentiary. His friends be.
lieved that Governor Cleveland, as a matter Of
course, would pardon him after he HAD re-
NAMED a week or two in the penitentiary.
When Devoy's counsel went to Cleveland, as |
Deyoy told me, the governor said the case was |
a clear one and directed the state attorney to |
make out the pardon the next day; but, when |
the next day came some excuse was made and |
Dewey had to serve out his term. There is n |
feeling of deep resentment against Cleveland |
about this action-not only a Clan-na-Gael, |
but a race resentment; because ! personally |
know many educated Irish gentlemen who are
not Gamma Gael men who say that this par
don was refused because Belmont was rich |
man, a generous contributor to the democratic
treasury, and a Hebrew whom he did not care
to offend because the Hebrews stand by each
other; while he thought that he could afford TO
.offend,the Irish because so many Of them are
poor and always loyal to the democratic party.
30 it is not Devoy's personal and society
friends alone who resent Governor Cleveland's
treatment of him. II the influence Of the Clan
everywhere is cast for Blaine 1t Will be a most
important factor"
dDo the dynamiteurs support Blaine OF
ClevelandW
"They are divided. Most of them are demo-
Gratis but there is so much disaifecton among
them that Rosa, their chief, admits that he
cannot advocate the claims of either candidate
in mis- paper, lest he offend his supporters. who
are both republican and democratic. These
men are generally an earnest class, but they
are so email, numerically, that their vote
would not count for much even If II should be
cast solid for either candidate. And il won't"
THE GOVERNORS vEToEs.
What Is the next element OF disailcctionF
IL. I