Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-07-30
A, Leading Irish Democrat of Fond
du Lac who will not Support
Cleveland

From the MizUaukee Sentinel July "a.
FOND DU LAC, July 23.-The follow
ing letter was written to-day by Captain
M, Mangan, of this city, and is a polite
al straw which shows which way the
wind blows in this county. The captain
has been for years firm friend and sup
porter of General Bragg, was with him
in the Iron brigade and did noble service
for his adopted country during the war,
and supports wooden leg as the result
of it. He has always been a Democrat
and is one of the immortal fourteen who
clung to Bragg with bulldog tenacity at
the West Bend convention two years ago.
The letter speaks the sentiment of nine
tenths of the Irish-Americans of this
district, and the defeat of Bragg as well
as of Cleveland and Hendricks, is assur-
ed The following is q full text of the
letter:
THE IRISH AND CLEVELAND.
To the Irish american Democrdt:-
In the Chicago convention, June 10th,
General Bragg, in the course of his re.
marks, said in speaking for the young
men OF this state, 'They love Governor
Cleveland for his integrity, his ability
and iron will; but most cf all for the
enemies he has made" Who are those
enemies2 The industrial classes of the
great state of New York. How cid he
make enemies of them? By vetoing
every bill passed by the legislature for
their relief Who and whom are the in
dustrial classes? They are the bone and
sinew, not only of the great state of
New York, but every state in the Union,
and every country in the world. He
also said, "Our young men, our intelli-
gent population, our German-born citi-
zen, ask an opportunity to again breathe
the air of victory" It will readily be
seen from what / have quoted from the
generals speech that he ignored entirely
the Irish element in the Democratic party
except once. In speaking of the Irish
that composed the Tammany Democracy,
he alluded to them thus: "Their labor
was the political chicanery of the mid
night conclave, and the only cure for
them la liberal application of rope"
The general on arriving home on the
afternoon of the 18th of July, heard that
the Irish of this county, who had always
stood by HIM, felt the force of the insult
offered by him to them in the Chicago
convention, made an effort that evening
in Armory hall to explain it away. The
explanation was in the way of an apollo
gy, but the apology was worse than the
original ofense, In referring TO what he
said in Chicago about "again giving the
German-born citizen an opportunity to
again breathe the air of victory that he
meant the Republican Germans. Oh!
The German Republicans, that was it..
It seems 10 me that the Republican Ger
mans are not very bad off for an oppor-
tunity to "breathe the air of victory" :"
they have been basRing il the brilliant
sunshine of victory in the Republican
party for the last "a years. This was
not only an insult to the Irish, but to
the German-Americans, Scotch, English
and French Democrats who have been
charging, shoulder to shoulder, the polit-
ical batteries of the Republican, party,
year after year, only to be driven back
defeated, discouraged, dismayed and al
most demoralized. I would respectfully
ask the General whether it would not
have been well enough to have cast one
encouraging glance at least, at these
forces while passing into the enemies
camp in quest of new recruits!
In explaining what he said in regard
to the application of rope to the Tammany
Democracy, he meant the dynamiters
This explanation does not make the mats
ter any better; in my opinion it makes it
worse. 1t simply confirms in my mind
what had already suspected that the
convention was run in the British inter-
est What I think about dynamite is
this: That the oppressed of every coun-
try are iustsfed before God and high
heaven in using every means that God
and nature have put within their reach,
to lift the heel of their oppressor from
their necks. I care not whether those
means be in the shape of dynamite, gun
cotton, gun-powder or anything else. If
the oppressor assumes the right to use
every means in his power to keep his
people in slavery, who will say the people
have not a right to use every means in
their power to free themselves2 In the
event of Cleveland's election and Gen.
Bragg becoming amember of his cabinet,
and question between England and
Ireland should come before that cabinet,
where would General Bragg sympathies
be? He has told us in advance he would
treat poor Ireland to "liberal applica-
ton of rope" Then would the lot of
poor Itishmen who might be fortunate
enough to escape Gladstone's halter, and
land upon these hospitable shores only
to encounter the Generals rope, be hard
indeed. I think the reasons have
pointed out are sufficient to show why
Irishmen ought to vote against Cleveland.
Speaking of dynamite, it brings to my
mind an occurrence that took place on
the 18th of November, 1879, during the
war between the British troops and the
Dutch Beers in Africa. One thousand
six hundred and twenty-nine women and
children belonging to the Dutch Beers
took refuge in cave in the Cschan
mouptains and were all blown to pieces
with dynamite by order of the British
commander. General Alfred Aylward,
one of the Boer commanders, says this is
true. Did General Bragg protest against
this mode of warfare on the part OF
England? Not at all: this, of course,
was done in the interest of civilization.
This Irish question should never be