The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-09-03
Blaine and Irish Voters.

1t may be that both the great political
parties are deficient in modesty. AT pres
ent we are only concerned about most re-
markable phase of impudence exhibited by
the Republican party in its solicitation of
American citizens of Irish nationality to
vote for Mr.. Blaine. The more the subject
is considered and discussed, the more gar-
ing the impudence appeared. Let us look
at the matter closely, in the light of admit
ted facts of history.
In the year 1854 there were only two po-
litical parties having anything like ma
tional character: these two parties were the
Democratic party and the Know Nothing
party. The Know Nothing party, with
great zeal and much secrecy, perfected
powerful organization, and distinctly and
boldly proclaimed, as the true american"
doctrine, the following principles
/. No Catholic shall hold Office.
2. No man of foreign birth shall hold
office.
3. No foreigner shall vote till he has been
81 years in the United States.
The Democratic party denounced these
three principles of the Know Nothing party
as false and pernicious. A great political
battle was fought between the two parties,
and, fortunately for liberty, the Democratic
party was successful, an know Nothing
ism" was defeated.
During the temporary triumph of the
Know Nothing party, its internal spirit of
bigotry led to arson and murder in many
parts of the land. There were then com
paratively few Germans in the United
States. The voters of foreign birth were
mainly Irishmen, and large percentage of
them were Catholics. Under the evil in6u-
snecs Of Know Notbingism, Catholic
churches were burned and Irishmen were
murdered. Such are admitted facts of his
tory.
During the bloody reign of political and
religious bigotry, where was Mr.. Blaine'
What was Mr.. Blaine doingl He was in
1854 one of the editors of daily newspa-
per. Was he deuouucing Know Nothing
ism and its fiery and bloody consequences
The history of his life tells us he was not.
On the contrary the newspaper which he
partly edited was a rampant organ of the
Know Nothing party. Mr.. Blaine was
then in his 25th year, had been member
of the Legislature, and was old enough to
be held responsible for his acts and opin-
ions of that portion of his life. So much
for the early political life of Mr.. Blaine.
Coming down 70 very late period 10 Mr..
Baine's life history we find him Secretary
of S.ate--the public officer whose special
business it is to look after the foreign at
fairs. And while Mr.. Blaine was Secretary
Of State, an Irshmsn named insolvency,
. naturalized American citizen, while on
visit to his native land, was arrested upon
mere groundless suspicion, and thrown in
to British Jail. Both he and his wife ap.
pealed to Mr.. Blaine to secure for him the
speedy trial he was entitled to. But Mr..
Blaine gave no heed to the earnest appeal
of Mr.. McSweeney and the piteous cry of
his wife. The same Mr.. Blaine is now
candidate for The Presidency, and We ask
is it not the most brszen impudence to ask
an freshman to vote for him1 And we
have only told small part of the facts,
which show Mr.. Blaine to be the last pub
lie man in the country for whom an Irish
man shoulh have any sympathy or respect.