Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-08-06
ron rnrslnrNTIAL ELEorons
The Irish Vote.

Perhaps the most interesting feature oil
the present political contest Is the at
tempt to diseogags the Irish vote from
the Democratic party. There Is cor
tain degree Of mpudence in this effort
which Is worthy Of little philosophical
consideration.
The spocious plea upon which the at
tempt is made may be briefly outlined
thus.
Say these "Come into my parlor. "
spider.ay Republicans to the Irishman.
"You have really destroyed your politi-
cal potency aud Significance by suffer
ing yourself TO become the chattel Of the
Democratic party. Now. II you had
divided your vote. or, rather, II you had
given the Democratic party the go-by
altogether, you would be In command.
ing position, and would be able to die.
tate terms TO both Of the political par
ties"
To very young Irishman, or to an
old Irishman newly landed In the United
/ States, there is something plausible In
this view Of the matter. No American
Justin Mccarthy has written the his
tory of his tipes In this country and
thus enabled the average Irish American
voter to grasp the real facts of history
since the issue was raised as to fol-.
eigners.
Ordinarily we do not believe in any
race adhering to any single party, just
rs we do not believe in any party hav-
ing proprietary right and title to the
possession OF the government OF the
United States. But there are peculiar
circumstances in our history which ex.
plain why the majority of the Irish race
cast In their fortunes with the Demo.
cratic party, and which would have war
ranted the Germans to have done like.
wise, and with tho same overwhelming
preponderance Of preference.
In a brief and glancing way we pro-
pose to dwell upon few salient features
Of our history. In the first place, every
party which has existed in the United
States except the Democratic has had
In some cases an open, and in
all cases genuine hostility TO
foreigners. Gen. Washington, one Of the
most admirably poised men who ever
lived, repressed this tendency dur.
ing his two initial administrations
Of the government of the United
States. Circumstances seemed to
force Washington into an ideutti-
citiou with the Federal party during
his second term, but he was the practic.
ally unanimous choice OF the whole ma.
tion and he was the President of the
whole people, All of his ideas were pro-
found. luminous and enduring, and
never for moment did he yield to any
factional or illiberal spirit from any
standpoint.
Far different was IL with his successor,
old John Adams. During the admins
tration of this fanatical New Englander
the Alien and Sedition laws were passed,
through whose operation the foreigner
landing in the United States was sub.
jected to an inquisition and surveillance
which closely resembled the monarchical
tyrany from which he had escaped; and,
besides, he was made to undergo a pro.
baton of twenty-one years before he
could become citizen OF the land of tho
free and the home of the brave. The
frat act Of the Democratic party, after
having installed Jefferson in the Presi.
Dental chair, was to so modify the nat
uralization laws as to admit oppressed
men from foreign lands to citizenship at
the earliest possible moment. In other
words, it enacted into law the present
equitable naturalization system, which
merely places foreigner on the ANXIOUS
bench long enough to enable him to
learn the duties of citizenship and to
search his own mind to discover whether
he desires to assume them.
The Wing party, which succeeded the
Federalists, always had an intense dis
like of foreigners, a sentiment which was
shocked immeasurably by the election
to the Presidency OF Andrew Jackson, a
man who was either born in Ireland or
on the way from Ireland to America.
The real contest came, however, when
all the elements of opposition to the
Democracy threw themselves into the
organization known as the Know Moth
ing party. There was nothing mealy
mouthed about either the professions or
the performances OF the Know Nothing
party. Their leaders simply aimed to
close the ports of the United States to
foreigners Of all descriptions and re-
hgious, but their special animosity was
directed to the Irish Catholic, from what
point soever he might hail. There was
nothing even Of the Christian or the
modified savage about your Know Moth
ing. He marked his cowardly track by
the light Of burning converts, and one
OF his great advertisements was TO kill
a foreigner or Catholic, put a rope
around his neck and drag the mutilated
victim through the streets. This Was
frequent incident in Philadelphia, Louis
vile and in other cities OF the United
States. The metropolis of the United
States had its Bill Poole, while other
cities had lesser monsters.
The Know Nothing party at one time,
threatened to sweep everything before
it, and in its success would have been
rung the knell OF the Catholic aud the
foreigner. At this stage OF fateful
EsIsd 9nsIoomoQ sqi SsIsAoI'uoa