Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-09-24

The following correspondence of Patrick
Egan, the recently elected President of the Irish
Land League, to the press OF Lincoln, Neb, ex-
plains itself:
LINCOLN. Neb., Sept. 4, 1884.
TO the Editor of the State Journal:
Your contemporary, the DGIEy State Demo-
crGt, having on two distinct occasions referred,
as I consider most unwarrantablv and unfairly,
to my political opinions, now refuses, contrary
to all recognized rules of decent journalism to
publish any but a garbled copy of my reply, I
send you herewith the letter which l addressed
to that journal in full, aud beg you will do me
the favor of placing it before the public. Yours
truly, PATRICK EGAN"
LINCOLN, Neb., Sept. 3, 1884.
Editor Of the Daily State Democrat
SIR: For the second time within the last
three weeks you have dragged my name into
the political campaign, although up to the pres
ent moment have never spoken publicly or
written single word to give you as journalist
any ground for so doing. Before the late Bos-
ton convention of the Irish National League
had as the result of close observation and care
full research made up my mind that there ex-
listed no good grounds by which the Democratic
party should hold any mortgage on my vote be-
cause happened to be an Irishman. weighed
with care and elaboration the merits of the two
Presidential candidates, and came to the con-
clusiOn that neither as an Irishman nor as an
adopted citizen of America could Mr.. Grover
cleveland have my support. The case of Mr..
John Dewey, on which you 30 persistently harp,
and which you have again and again referred to
as the only ground of my opposition to Mr.
Cleveland, was only one of the many OBJ
man did indeed consider the treat
ment melted to Mr.. Dewey of the very basest
KIND, and as strong evidence of either the
hostility and contempt of Mr.. Cleveland for
freshmen OF national opinions, but / objected
also to Mr.. Cleveland as the pet candidate of
the London Things, the London Standard. the
London DdtLy Telegraph, the London Daily
Ne10S, the London st. James, Gazette, the
London Saturday ReUiear-in fact, of the en-
tire English press. I objected to him as the pet
candidate of Puck and Hdqpe7's WeekIy as
the author Of innumerable vetoes in the interest
of the great monOpolies, and as man who had,
as believed proved himself the enemy of
every just right of the toiling millions. L OBJ
1ected to Mr.. Cleveland because 1 felt that, in
the words of the Boston Pilot, a straight out
and-out Democratic organ, he has not a single
quality to fit him for the Presidency of the
United States I had made up my mind to
support Mr.. Blaine because from long observa-
ton had come to regard him as the very OPP
poslte OF all this, as an American of Americans,
a man among men, as an able statesman fitted
by nature and culture and experience to fill
with credit to the country and TO himself the
position OF President of this great nation. These
were lew OF the grounds of my objection
to your candidate and my preference for Mr..
Blaine, and as l have before stated, they
have never. up to this present time, been made
PUBIC by me, nor would they be now IL you had
not compelled me by your unfair comments and
by your unworthy sneer at Irish wisdom to
state them. When, however, at Boston I &C
cepted the Presidency of the Irish National
League considered that whatever my private
opinion might be was then precluded from
taking any active part in American politics.
Accordingly have abstained from taking any
part, nor shall ] as long as I hold the office
This is my position. / must beg you, therefore,
to spare me the trouble of any further contra
dtctions or corrections on this subject. With
regard to your quotation from speech of Mrs.
Parnell: yield to no one on this side of the
Atlantic in the respect which pay to the hon
ored mother of the man whom am proud to
be able to claim a personal friend, as well as
a co-wOrker in the cause of Ireland, Charles
Stewart Parnell, and am sure she will not mis-
understand me when state my conviction that
she would best consult the welfare of the great
movement in which she and are interested,
and in my belief she would best consult the de-
sire of her son, by keeping his name entirely out
OF the present political contest. Yours truly,
PATRICK EGAN."