The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-07-26
MINISTER PHELPS.
An Indignant Irish-Amerioan Gives
His Countrymen Good Advice.
Vigorous Arrangement Of the DipIo-
mat who Forgets His Country.


MOUNT MORRISON, Apache County,
Arizona, July, 4, 1866.
To the Editor Of the Press:
few years ago Gen. sO'Burne, of New
York, Capt O'Farrell of Connecticut, Mr..
Looney, of Portland, Maine, and the under
signed participated in political campaign
in your State, and while l remember with
pride and gratitude the generous, open
handed hospitality which was extended to
us wherever we had the pleasure of address
ing the people, cannot forget that in a few
places we were regarded as public and pri-
vate enemies by men of our own kith and
kin, simply because our political opinions
were antagonistic to theirs. We used no
abusive language. INDUCED in no virtupera-
ton, nothing did we extenuate nor ought
put down in malice" The record of their
party, just as they had made it, was honest
ly and without exaggeration laid before
them, butthat line of reasoning gave the great
est possible offence This surprised us not in
the least, as we well knew that no SANDER
the ingenuity of man could invent could re-
fleet such discredit on them as the plain, UNI
vanished truth, The Democratic dogmas,
whatever they might be, were their political
law and gospel. They were the Alpha and
Omega OF human wisdom, the Ultima Thule,
beyond which no man, especially no Irish
man. should dare to penetrate. The leaders,
high and low, were clothed with something
like "that divinity which doth hedge a King
about" they were infallible, if not impecca-
BILE. They might have broken their oaths of
allegiance, dishonored the Nations flag,
made common cause with the enemies of the
Republic, borne arms against the govern
ment on the battlefield, made open war on
our commerce beneath the piratical banner
of the Apglo-C onfederates, or lacking cour-
age to do these last might have conspired at
home to give aid and comfort to the enemy,
and committed treason in its most wicked
form.
But what of allthat? The mantle of Democ-
racy was ample enough to cover them all.
Everything within the pale of the Democrat
ic party was instinct with light and truth
and virtue everything outside of that hal
lowed circle was hateful and repulsive. Tie
only object in life worth living for was the
restoration to power of the men who had en-
| deavored to destroy the Union, and who, in
| furtherance of that most infamous scheme,
had dragged their benighted followers in the
North to the ragged edge" of civil war
Well, at last the longing desires of these
men have been realized. By the disfran-
chisement of how many legal voters, by the
murder Of how many colored citizens, by the
use of how many thousands of tissue ballots,
the greatest statesman of the age and the
most brilliant volunteer general of the re-
| public were defeated, we will not now stop
| to enquire. With the Democracy, the end
| justifes the means, no matter what the
means may be. 1t would afford me the
| greatest pleasure to visit and speak to my
| countrymen in Maine again, to ask them as
| Americans and as Irishmen, what they have
| gained in either character, nationally or fl
| nancially, by the election of Cleveland; but
as that is hardly practicable just now, | beg
| to call their attention to the following OBJ
SeryationS.
| AS the Irish vote is the mainstay of the
| Democratic party and as so many of that ma
| tionality voted for Mr.. Cleveland, it would
| seem proper that minister would be sent to
| the Court of st. James, who If not friendly,
would at least not be inimical to their nation
al aspirations AS have no desire to mis-
represent our alleged representative, l will
let him speak for himself. And as Mr..
Phelps in his character of minister in an
"Pm the guest of your nation as the repre-
sentative Of mine;" his words are of nation
al Importance, and as such l invite your serl-
Gus attention to them. At Fourth OF July
celebration given a year ago by certain
Americans, resident in London, Mr., Field,
| (the same gentleman, believe, who erected
a monument to the British spy John ANDRE
gave the toast of ''The Queen of England"
| and our minister, your Democratic PLenipo-
| tertiary Ertrdordindry, made the following
| most extraordinary remarks. 1.-THE event
| which is celebrated is the reparation of the
| American colonies from Great Britain after
| some years later by another a1lfortomdte
| ocdr." another unfortunate WARP Then
| according to Mr.. Phelps, the glorious strug
| gle which called into existence our superb
| young republic was an unfortunate war; and
| the second war of independence in 1912, dur
| ing which Andrew Jackson and his gallant
| army routed Rackenham and his red coated
mercenaries at New Orleans, was another
| unfortunate war" In former times we were
| wont to regard both wars as most fortunate
in their origin and their results. But we
have lived to learn better, and of course, my
Democratic countrymen, you will revise your
opinions and agree with your peculiar rep
resentative that they were unfortunate wars.
But as he warns up under the influence of
the good things he had partaken of he be-
comes yet more gushing. I'VE have ALL he
| continues, come to understand that ace are
| Of one race. We used to be cousins, but we
are now brothers. We have seen enough of
| each other in modern times to have learned
| that blood is thicker than water and that
| there is not water enough in the broad At
| lantic to wash out the blood that has made
| England what she is and has also made
| America what she has become. We have
| found that the interests of the two countries
| are the same-that the history of England is
our property as we'll as yours. Weare bound
together by another tie, the Importance of
which is NOT always appreciated, and that is
the English tongue, our common language
which can never die, because 1t is the orlgl-
| nal and native language of civil and rellglous
| liberty,d language that has no U0cdbutdfy Jor
| tyranny and oppression. This gives vitality
| to the English language and to the race to
| which oce belong. Our host has fifty Joined
| in the toast the prosperity of the two coun-
| who is yours not only by the constitution of
| the country but also by the universal respect
and love she has won from her own subjects
on both sides of the Atlantic, but also from
us, 1oho are originally children Of the same
mother country Of whose poDer and glory aoe
are the heir apparent, but Which ace hope
may nerer descend to us By the demise OF the
mother"
There is Fourth of July celebration my
countrymen. How do you like it? Not one
word about the Father of his Country. or the
deathless signerS of the Declaration of indie
pendence. Not an utterance about the llbel-
ty, the greatness nor the prosperity, OF the
republic Not sentence about the times
that tried mems SOULS when
The old Centinentals in their ragged regmentals
Wavered not.
When grenadiers were lunging and like hail fell
the plunging
Cannon shot.
When the files of the isles
In their gloomy night encampment waved the
standard of their rampant
Unicorn,
And drummer, grummer grummer, rolled the
drum of the drummer
In the morn.
Oh of course not 1t would have been