The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-09-19
A GOOD SPEECH
BY JOHN BOYLE o'REiLLY.

DAY. John Boyle " OKellly, editor o
the Boston Pilot made the leading
speech, portions of which are given be
low. On being introduced Mr.. o Rel
ly said
| have been handed a copy of {
morning paper published in your city
containing some questions addressed tt
me, which | shall begin my few re
marks this evening by answering. Tn,
first is 1.
IL Cleveland was an unfit man for
the Presidency (See files of Boston ri
lot from May lst to July 10 both be
fore and after the meeting Of the Chi
cago convention, how comes it that al
at once he becomes fit for the office
| take it that this is a reproof and Q
reproach to me, as the editor of wide
ly circulated newspaper, for my fearles.
exercise of an uudoubted and hitherto
undisputed privilege of the American
citizen. l opposed the nomination o.
Grover Cleveland, as citizen, because
then believed that stronger candi
date might be secured. When the
convention met and |, with those who
operated with me were overruled,
submitted. l now support the candi
date of the Democratic party, as q
Democrat, and because / am, and shall
continue to be, loyal to my party.
The impressive earnestness with
which these few words were uttered
are wanting in their presentation in
cold type. But the large audience un
derstood and appreciated it, and such
a cheer went up in response as has
seldom been heard within the Court
House walls.
Continuing, Mr.. O'Reilly said :
The second question is "Can leop.
ard change his spots ?" do not think
it can. An honest man may honestly
change his opinions. But the man who
takes dishonest advantage of high po-
litical positions to make himself rich
that "leopard" cannot change his
"spots." The man who is charged
with the responsibilities of Minister
of one country to the courts of anoth-
er, and who refuses to hearken to the
cry of an imprisoned fellow citizen
who is innocent of crime and who only
asks that he be informed of what he is
accused and accorded the right of a
speedy trial-and the Secretary of
State who nevertheless applauds that
Minister AMI certifies that he has obey
ed bis instructions implicitly-such
"leopards" cannot change their
"spots."
The man who twenty-nine years ago
was following an honest profession, the
profession of journalism, and yet was
the foremost and bitterest voice in all
New England in endorsement of the
cruelty proscriptive doctrines of Know.
Nothingism-that ''leopard" cannot
change his "spots."
The man who, twenty-oue years af.
terward could write or circulate a pa.
per advising that the representative Of
family, which had a hundred years
of life in his own state, should not be
elected to Congress simply because be
was Catholic-that 'leopard" canno,
change his spots"
The man who could do these things
with more than score of years inter.
veDing, surely had not changed bis
spots.
The third question is: How is ii
that leading Irish-Americans through
out the country support Blaine in pref
erence to the regular Democratic nomi
nee :" That has never been proven.
was one Of the loudest in opposition tc
his nomination but as have already
tried to tell you, l am for him now
and l know hundreds of Others who
were and are in the same positions.
think this question, or the allegation il
is intended TO make, is mistake.
The fourth and last question is
HAS it not been proven time and
again that Cleveland has always been
the enemy of the Irish 7" Neither has
this been proven. l call it grave
mistake.
In another part of the paper in which
these questions are asked find these
words General Bragg said at Chi
cago that he loved Cleveland because
John Boyle O'Reilly and his country
men hated him
That is not mistake. That is {
lie. General Bragg used no such Ian
guage and gave out no such infer
| ence.
We have been many days and many
nights upon your beautiful river, witt
only the company of the flies by day
and the owls by night. We have moi
read the papers. Our communing,
have been with the running waters ant
the sermons we have heard have beel
from the stones in the rapids. But i
is the glory of the Democracy that the
man whose faith is tied to it, may bt
away for ten days or ten years and re
turning find it unchanged. This is be
cause its principles are uncbangeable-
because the principles of the party are
greater than the men of any party
They are unaffected by the detection
of our little or the death of our grea
| men.
| am of those who do not believ,
that a President or Governor, howev
er good, can do very much for the peo
Pile, The best man for such position
is the honest and the safe man, not tn,
meritriclous and brilliant. The sailo
doesn't fear the quiet deeps but is il
danger of being rolled over in the moi
sy shadows. The highest law is tn
common opinion of the citizens. Wher
that opinion settles upon any reform /
becomes law. The President can d.
but little good except in guarding thu
entrance to the law books of the natlol
so that bad Legislators cannot obtrnd
their dishonesty upon the people. Th
bad President, however, can do AN in
finitude of evil first, by lowering tn
whole moral tone of the nation. III
can do it by taking advantage, a
Blaine has in other offices he has held
of the enormous power a Presiden
wields for personal ag9randisement
He can do it by the terrible opportuni
ty it affords to SOW religious and othe
dissensons among the people for hi
own and the partys advancement