Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1884-09-13
EGAN OUT FOR BLAINE.

GHICAGO, DepttHiuCl ~ Pua
LEGATION Yesterday of letter OF Fat
rick Egan, president Of the Irish
National League, repudiating Cleve-
land and declaring for Blaine, has
caused lively stir in Democratic
circles here and elsewhere through
out the West. Members of several
of the branch leagues of this city
have already signified their intention
of openly coming out for Blaine, now
that President Ega MAS spoken SO
plainly, they agreeing perfectly with
his sentiments.
LINCOLN, NEB., Sept 5, 1884.
+" Editor of the Daily State Demo
crat.-Sir: For the second time
within the last three weeks you have
dragged my name into the political
campaign, although up to the present
moment have never spoken public
" or written single word to
give YOU as journalist any ground
for SO doing. Before the late Boston
convention of the Irish National
League, | had as the result OF close
observation and careful research
made up my mind that there existed
no good grounds by which the Dem
ocratic party should hold any mort
gage on my vote because | happened
to be an Irishman. weighed with
care and deIiberation the merits OF
the two presidential candidates,
and | came to the conclusion that
neither as an Irishman nor as an
adopted citizen of America could
Mr.. Grover Cleveland have my sup
port. The case Of Mr.. John Dewey,
on which you so persistently harp,
and which you have again and
again referred to as the only ground
of my opposition to MI. Cleveland,
was only one of the many objections
which | entertained to that gentle
man. / did indeed consider the
treatment melted to Mr.. Dewey of
the very basest kind, and as a strong
evidence of either the hostility and
contempt of Mr.. Cleveland for Irish
men of national opinions, but l OBJ
iected also to Mr.. Cleveland as the
pet candidate of the London Times,
the London Standard, the London
DAILY Telegraph, the London Daily
Neaos, the London st. James Gazette,
the London Saturday Rerieac-in
fact, of the entire English press. |
objected to him as the pet candidate
of Puck and Harper's Weekly, as
the author of innumerable vetoes in
the interest of the great monopolies,
aud as a man who had, as | believed,
proved himself the enemy of every
just right of the toiling millions. |
objected to Mr.. Cleveland because |
felt that, in the words of the Boston
Pilot, a straight out and out Demo-
cratic organ, he has not a single
quality to fit him for the presidency
of the United States / had made
up my mind to support Mr.. Blaine
because from long observation | had
come to regard him as the very OPP
posite 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 few
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 the
present time been made public by
me, nor would they be now if you
had not compelled me by your unfair
comments, and by your unworthy
sheer at Irish WISDOM to state
them. When, however, at Boston
l accepted the presidency of the
Irish National League.I considered
that whatever my private opinion
might be, was then precluded from
taking any active part in American
politics. Accordingly l have alb
stained from taking any part, nor
shall | as long as l hold the office.
This is my position. | must beg
you, therefore, to spare me the trou-
BILE of any further contradictions or
corrections on this subject with
regard to your quotation from a
speech Of Mrs. Parnell. | yield to
no one on this side of the Atlantic
in the respect which pay to the
honored mother of the man whom
am proud to be able to claim as a
personal friend, as well as a work
er in the cause of Ireland, Charles
Stewart Parnell, and | am sure she
will not misunderstood me when
state NY conviction that she would
best consult the welfare of the great
movement in which she and | are
interested, and my belief she would
best consult the desire of her son by
keeping his name entirely out of the
present political contest.
"PATRICK EGAN."