The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-21


so small, numerically, that their vote would not
count for much even If it should be cast solid
for either candidate. And it won't
THE GOVERNORS vEroEs.
'ewhat is the next element of disafectionP
'eWel there is feeling universally among
the Irish-American population that America has
played second fiddle to England quite long
enough in questions affecting the rights OF
American citizens abroad Irish Americans
feel very sore on this point There is also quite
general belief among the Irish citizens Of New.
York without regard to party, that Blame
President, would cause the rights of American
citizens abroad to be respected. This bellet Is
his strongest element of strength WITH
those who say they will bolt ana y
causes so general a friendly feeling toward
Blaine that it will remove the fear OF
being assused of treason-a fear tina that
often hitherto held many lrishMen in the Demo
cratic party when they would otherwise nave
bolted Boiling this time will not involve ostra-
cism of any sort. That's important This feel
ing alone will cause tens of thousands OF Irish
Democrats throughout the country to vote for
Blaine. But the strongest cause of the disattec-
ton among the Irish voters in this city, as have
Irish reason, but workingman's reason. Gov
ernor Clevelands veto Of the fve-cent bill, his
veto of the mechanics lien bill, and his veto of
the horse-car drivers bill have caused him to be
workingmen have said to me that they did not
care whether all the tattoo charges against
Blaine are true or not, they would rather trust
any one than man who had shown himself IKE
Cleveland whenever the opportunity came, to be
first of all corporation lawyer. This feeling Is
intense Few people have any idea Of the
strength Of the feeling Of hatred against cor
porations among the working classes"
SIS John Kelly as powerful with the Irish
voters of New York as he usually gets the credit
of bengp
well, Kelly is boss'-that is, an acknowl-
edged leader of men-chiefy (apart from his
natural ability and aptitude) because he recog-
nizes the fact that, in republic, the man who
desires to be boss must first of all find out
how the people want to be 'bossed.' He is per-
fectly truthful and honest when he says that he
could not control all his followers to vote for
Cleveland if he were to try. There IS no doubt
that his Endorsement of the Democratic nominal
lions would decide a host of waverers but he
could not control very large percentage Of his
own followers if he insisted that they should sup
port Cleveland That is his chief reason, sus-
pect, for sitting on the fence. 1t is not his
natural position"
''Who is the most popular American. among
the different candidates, with the lrlsh-Amer-
lean populationp
Beyond all rivals or question, Butler. If he
runs it is quite likely that he will receive big
vote, not only from the Irish-Americans, but
from the American workingmen-the distinctive
y
workingman-a member of labor organizations
who doubted Buffers honesty in advocating
the claims of labor
ssWho do yor think will win9"
s'Blaine-and largely unless speedy change
comes) by the help of the ish-American votes.
This bolt is founded mainly on the belief that
Blaine is better American than Cleveland.
Whatever the result Of the campaign, the Irish
in America will be the gamers, for know that
it is almost an impossibility to make educated
moi "A mi qvnnafh1Za with the
of the Irish in Ireland as long as the Irish IN
America are the willing serfs of one party, and
Of that party during its worst days-when it was
the foe of impartial liberty. The Irish in Amer
lea would have been very ungrateful II they had
not allied themselves with the Democratic party
in the past but the reasons for that loyalty las
/ think justly due to the Democratic partly
have passed away, and the leaders of the Demo
cratic party for the past twenty years have
manacled the Irish hands held out to them in
gratitude. They are degrading the race they
once served
WHY THE IRISH BECAME DEMOCRATS
Don't you know why the Irish became Demo-
cratsl Well, as usual, any explanation of Irish
conduct runs back century or two. To begin
with, the Irish in Ireland, for seven hundred
years were prosecuted on account of their race,
by fire, sword, law and SANDER, in every form of
human cruelty. Then the Irish in Ireland for
were prosecuted on account of their religion.
The English penal laws against the Irish Cath
olics were as atrocious as the laws of our slave
States against the free colored men; and these
penal laws were only repealed in 1929. Every
Catholic boy and peasant whatever else he may
not know, does know all about the prosecutions
of his race and his religion. Well, in 1848, '49
and so, the first great immigration Of the Irish
occurred. Up to that time the Irish lmml-
grafton had not been large and what there was
Of ifshod hooS1 INSTANTLY qhc0rha0 The Irish
came in hordes then. Not man among them,
thus driven out of their native land by famine,
who did not believe that the famine was an arti-
fetal amine'-that their people who died land
million and half of them perished) were muir
dered, and that those who had to flee were ban
ished Their hearts were very bitter. They
looked to America as the Christian looks to
heaven. What did they encounters The sudden
appearance of the Know nothing party or
ganization of hatred against them as Irish, on
account of race, and against them as Catholics
on account of their religion. Before the Native
American party arose. there was the w hlg
party; but the name of Whie represented TO the
Irish, one of the most detested of the English
parties-'the base, brutal and bloody Wings as
O'Connell called them. What did the American
Wing party do to secure equality of rights to the
Irish and to all immigrantsl Nothing The Demo
cratic party has many cardinal sins to answer
for; but at that time it acted nobly. It fought
the Know -nothings without gloves. Governor
Wise, of Virginia. who will mainly be remem-
bered as the man who hanged John Brown,
made one of the most heroic political fights in
American history at that time against proscrip-
ton. The Know-nothings were defeated. Irish
gratitude induced the Irish immigrants to be-
come Democrats and tradition-for they are
very conservative people-has kept them in the
Democratic party. But there is no such reason
for remaining there now any more than for any
other element of our mosaic nationality being
bound to one party have met hundreds of the
leaders Of the Irish all over the country who
have told me that what they wanted was a good
excuse to become Republicans and to lead their
people out Of the Democratic party for the sake
of securing Republican sympathy for Ireland.
The American Democratic detection in the case
of Grace (you know how his name was scratched)
and the Republican vote for Carr
have had marvellous effect. Now
they have got good excuse for either going or
staying. and they will avail themselves of the
chnica I.nts of them will .hreak AWAY Ishould