Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-05-13
AN IRISH AMERICAN PROTESTS
Against an Entirely Uncalled for
 Ministerial Display of Bfgotry. me. &ls fl1,n ,Aur. :


 Ministerial Display of BIgotry.
 To the Editor of the DEMOCRAT:
 While bigotry is not as rampant as it was some years ago, there is enough of it yet among a certain class to arouse a feeling of uneasiness in honest, patri- otic and intelligent men. Bigotry and race hatred are natural to some minds, but they are such loathsome and misshapen things that public opinion, tired of their ravages, long ago drove them back into their kennels. Occasion ally, however, we hear low growl that teIis us that the beast is still alive and panting for the opportunity to renew his work of destruction. He submits with bad grace to the muzzle which public opinion puts on him, and would at once break his chains were it not that he IS in fear of condign punishment Look ing at this monster bigotry from the lofty eminence of charity, one clearly sees to what deplorable state it reduces its possessors. This condition Is such that we refuse perforce even the tribute Of our pity, but are constrained rather to visit them with supreme contempt. It bigot may be an honest man; an intelll- gent man he cannot be. Bigotry and narrow -mindedness are synonymous. Big otry stiles noble thoughts, prevents high purposes. blunts the faculties and ban ishes charitable sentiments. It is con- stantly urging it's possessor to avail him. self of every opportunity to wound the feelings of his fellow men, to cast ridi- cule upon what a large, respectable and intelligent class regard as sacred. Neither creed nor country is safe from the bigot s attack. and he sees nothing good outside of the narrow circle which his conceit | l,- . hinSnlf R,lt much soever we may contemn his vitriol- ic statements, there are times when self-re- spect as we'll as elf-defence demands the utterance of a vigorous protest against falsehoods wilfully made. A man's po- sition in society should not act as a shield from punishment.
 The undersigned has been led to the above thoughts by an assertion made yesterday in one of the Protestant pull pits of this city. Speaking of the dan gers that may menace our country-a fav' 1 orite topic of pessimists-the speaker said that theoretically we should have most anxiety in regard to the Irish peo. pie. I pass over what he said afterwards about these people. It is incomprehen. sible how any fair-minded man can se riously assert that the Irish people ir this country either theoretically or prac tically can be menace to the institu tions of this republic. A man who en tertains that idea has read the history o1 this country backwards, and is evidently out of sympathy with the greatest events in our history. The Irish people, who were driven from their homes by the execrable policy of tyrannical govern ment ,are as loyal Ito the institutions O l their adopted country as the descendant
 of the pilgrims of the Mayt1ower; anC the children of these exiles can be taugh nothing in patriotism by the traducer
 of their race. Surely nothing but unac countable hatred of the Irish peopl
 could prompt the statement in question
 and in the face of all the Irish people
 have done to establish and maintain tn, institutions of this country it is an out rage to islander them. l distinctly in form the author of the above assertion that in the hours of our country's great est needs the Irish people were neithe Tories nor enemies, that when they wer
 shedding their blood on the battlefield of the land their slanderers were in opel sympathy with the enemies of thei
 country, and that we indignantly repe
 any assault on our integrity or patrio
 tism. We despise this holier-than-thol
 character, and justly relegate the pos
 sessors of it to the realms where they be
 long. The time is gone by when tn
 Irish people or their descendants vii
 tamely submit to the wanton insults O
 every irresponsible person.
 | May 13th AN IRISH AMERICAN.