The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-10-26
HARRISON AND THE IRISH.
Republicans Swear They 'Didpt Hear
Him Say It."

Him Say IT."
In 1875 Benjamin Harrison made
speech In Bloomington, Ills, and during
its progress person who interrupted
with questions was put out of the hall.
This incident occasioned comment from
the speaker, and now after twelve years
1t gives rise to series of afiidavits and
counter affidavits.
Mr. William Condor, Mr.. Michael +.
Purcell, Mr.. Robert Sanders, Mr.. John A.
Wilson and Mr. A. G. Creed, all for many
years respectable citizens of Bloomington,
make sworn statements, coiroborating
and In some instances amplfying with
fuller details the statement of facts thus
set forth in the affidavit of Mr. Purcell.
Michael f. Purcell, being first duly
sworn, deposes and says that he is resi-
dent Of Bloomington, Ills; that few
days before the Hayes Tilden election In
1875, on one afternoon at Durley hall, in
Bloomington, he attended a Republican
meeting, which was addressed by Ben
Harrison, the present presidential candi-
date; that Harrison during his speech on
that occasion praised the different races
that took part in suppressing the rebel
lion, but did not mention the Irish; that
as Harrison was quitting that portion of
his address an old Irishman asked
"What was the matter with the Irish,
and where were Sheridan Mullgan,
Shields and the restY" that to this ques-
tion there followed shouts of Put him
out, and then they took the old gentle
man from the hail. that Harrison then
said, in answer to the question: ut Is
easy to know that mans nationality: we
had more of them to contend against in
the late rebellion than we had with us in
the Union service; they are only good to
shovel dirt and grade railroads; If 1t were
not for them we would not need half our
penitentiaries." Affiant cannot now re-
member all the abusive words Harrison
then used against the Irish, but is posi-
tive Harrison used the above language,
atlantis memory Of the speech being
good, because, among other things, he
spoke Of the matter afterwards, before
Harrison's nomination, and also because
as soon as the meeting was over he had
hot dispute with man about the cor
rectness of Harrison's remarks about the
Irish In the late war, affiant then claim
ing Harrison's language to be untruthful
and uncalled for And af1iant swears
that Harrison's words against the Irish
were followed with great applause.
Against this testimony, direct and
cumulative in positive assertion of what
took place, a number of prominent Repub-
licans offer negative testimony. They
swear that they were present and do not
remember, or that they do remember, and
that nothing of the sort could have oc-
Cured.
In weighing this evidence there are two
points of great Importance:
The first Is that before Harrison was
nominated at Chicago his speeches were
considered of so little Importance politi-
cally that they were never reported In
full. There is no verbatim report of any
Of them on record, except reports in The
Congressional Record of what little he
said In congress-where he said nothing
worth reporting on any of the great issues
of the day. The only reliance for what
he said in making his bitter speeches
against the Greenbackers, against organ
lied labor and against the opponents OF
sumptuary laws are the synopses in local
papers, re-enforced by the memory of
men who heard him. Laborers remember
that he abused them bitterly for their Or
ganized attempt to obtain better wages.
Republicans in plenty swear that it is i'm
possible their candidate for president
could have said such things. 1t is, then,
between positive memory and the mega
tive memory of opposing witnesses that
choice must be made in weighing the evil
dence.
The other important point in the Bloom
ington case is that the Republican stump
speaker who did not abuse the Irish in
| 1875 was eccentric. The Irish were SUP
| posed to be irrevocably committed to the
Democratic party They were grossly
I caricatured and abused in the Republican
press. Republican speakers who had
| gone into that party after the failure Of
| the Know Nothing movement attacked
| the Irish from every stump. There could
have been nothing, then, in anything
| Harrison could have said against the Irish
have struck his Republican audience as
remarkable or impressed 1t as men,
orable. When the Republican week.
| lies we're filed with bogus statistics
| of the number Of Irish In the peniten,
| tiaries, Republican audience would not
be likely to remember for twelve years or
for twelve days any repetition of these
| trite ISLANDERS from the mouth of then
| obscure stump speaker.
| Now that Harrison is making "a dead
| set" at the Irish vote; making speeches to
| his alleged Irish friends" in visiting
| delegations which have been drummed up
by the campaign committees, prominent
| Republicans are greatly shocked at the
suggestion that he has not always dearly
loved the Irish. They will even persuade
themselves that they and their party have
always loved Irishmen above any people
on earth; and they will make affidavit to
| large number of circumstances, ell going
to show that If 1t had been otherwise
| they would certainly have remembered it.
| st. Louis Republic.