Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-09-13
THE IRISH FOR BLAINE.
Patrick Egan. President Of the Irish
Land League, Writes a Ringing
Letter.

Letter.
LINcoL, Neb, Sept. 5.-The fol-
lowing correspondence of Patrick
Egan, the recently elec.ed president OF
the Irish Land League, and late treas
urer of the same organization, to the
press of the city, explains itself:
LINCOLN, Neb., Sept. 40 the ed
i,or of the State journal: Your con-
temporary, the Daily State Democrat,
having on two occasions referred, as
consider most unwarrantably aud I'M
fairly, to my political opinions, now
refuses, contrary TO all recognized
rules of decent Journalism, to publish
any thing but a garbled copy OF my re-
ply. send you herewith the letter
which address to that journal, III
full, and beg you will do me the favor
of placing it before the public.
Yours truly,
fSioned.l PATRICK EGAN.
LINCOLN, Neb., Sept. 3.-Editor
Daily State Democrat: SIR-For the
second time within the past three
weeks yon have dragged my name in
to the political campaign, although up
to the present moment have never
spoken publicly or written single
word to give you as Journalist ans
ground for so doing. Before the late
Boston convention of the Irish nation
al league had, as the result of close
observation and careful research, made
up my mind that there existed no
good grounds on which the Demo-
cratic party should hold any mort
gage on my vote because | happened
to be an Irishman.
weighed with care and delibera-
ton the merits of the two presidcn,
tial candidates, and came to the con-
clusion that, neither as an Irishman,
nor as an adopted citizen Of America,
could Grover Cleveland have my sup
port. The case of Mr.. John Dewey on
which Won SO persistently harp, and
which you have again and again re-
ferred to as the only ground of my OPP
position to Mr.. Cleveland. was only
one of the many objections which l
entertained to that gentleman. Did
indeed consider the treatment meted
to MIR. Dewey of the very basest kind,
and strong evidence of either the hos
tiIity or contempt of Mr.. Cleveland
for lrishmen of national opinions, but
| objected also to Mr.. Cleveland as the
pet candidate of the London Times,
the London Standard, the London
Daily Telegraph, the London Daily
News, the London st. James Gazette,
the London Saturday Review-in fact
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, and as man
who has, as believed. proved
himself the enemy of every
Just right of the toiling mil
lions. | objected to Mr.. Cleveland
because | felt proud of the country of
my adoption, and because | felt that,
in the words of the Boston Pilot-a
straight out-and-out Democratic
organize has not single quality
enough to fit him for the presidency
of the United States.
| had made up my mind to support
Mr.. Blaine because, from long OBJ
servation, had come to regard him
as the very opposite of all this. as an
American of Americans, man among
men, as an able statesman fitted by
nature, culture and experience to fill
with credit to the country and TO him
self the position of president of this
great nation.
These were q few of the grounds of
my objection TO your candidate and
and my preference for Mr.. Blaine,
and, as | have before stated, they
have never up 10 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 WIS
dom" TO state them. When. however,
at Boston accepted the presidency
of the Irish national league, |
considered that, whatever my private
opinion might be was then precluded
from taking any active part in Ameri-
can politics. Accordingly have alb
stained from taking any part, nor
shall /, rs long as hold the Office.
This is my position. must beg you,
therefore, to spare me the trouble OF
any further contradictions or correct
ions on this point.
With regard to your quotation
from speech of Mr.. 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 10 be able to claim as a person
al friend as well as a cO-wOrker in the
cause of ireland-Charles Stewat Par
nell and I am sure she will not mis-
understand me when state my con-
viction that she would best consult
the welfare of the great movement in
which we are interested, and my be-
lief that she would best consult the
desire of her son, by keeping his
name entirely out OF the present polit-
zeal contest.
Yours truly,
[Signed. PATRICK EGAN.