The Irish standard., 1894-01-20
A NOBLE INVOCATION.

The Sons Of Erin Eave Advanced in This
Country as American Citizens.
The following article recently appeared
in the New York Sun:
A correspondent of The Tribune as
sorts that the Irishmen here are at the
front in all fields of activity. In his
view, this prominence is due to their SUI
perior genius
Irishmen, he says, are "the rulers of
the magnificent city and State OF New
York, and Of most of the principal cities
of the Union, while their place in national
politics is constantly broadening" ''The
time was when an Irish Catholic could
no be elected Mayor of your great city;
now no other can be-" Irish Catholics
managed the last Presidential ca1n
paigns of the two great parties" 'ihe
German, French, and italian people con-
stitute respectable portion of the CATH
olic Church of our country;" but Irish
men ssare at it's head and control it's pol
icy; and an Irishman will yet be Pope
"Fair]y educated Americans who are un-
equal to meet the battle of life are many"
butsuch inefficient persons among 'lrish-
men Of like attainments are few indeed"
'In all manly sports Irishmen stand first
as Individuals" GAS statesmen. lawyers,
orators, poets, and scholars, Irishmen ex-
cel." ''Where," asks this writer, ''are the
Germans, English, French, and other
foreign born citizens, in American af-
fairs?"
The rapid progress OF people OF Irish
birth in QUE society is proof of their in
herent ability. When they began ito
come hither in great numbers, they were
not held in high esteem. Nearly all Of
them were poor, and many OF them we're
uneducated. Now they command re-
spect every where because OF their alil-
It'll. g. They have risen steadily; andn
far as they have gained political power
their success has been due in part to
their genius for political management,
but chiefly to their jealous performance
of the duties Of citizenship. As soon as
the law allowed. they became citizens.
Other immigrants have been more negli~
gent in improving that opportunity. The
Irish have been ambitious to get ahead.
They ara race which is both physically
and intellectually strong.
1t is not as Irishmen, however, that
they have advanced. 1t is as Americans,
as American citizens. They would not
be- foreigners, but made all possible haste
to get into the mass Of American citizen
ship. At one time they were distin-
guished in the political classification as
Ir1shmen Formerly there was much
talk about the Irish vote. Now there liz
no such vote as distinct quantity The
Irish have become Americans who vote
as they please, and their rage inheritance
furnishes no sure Indication of their pol
itics. Most Of them, it is true, are Dem
ocrats. but most of them live in cities
where the tendency Of all races is toward
Democracy. Moreover, many of the
most prominent Repu blicans are lrismen.
No race lines exist in politics.
II is not true that 'only On Irish Cath
o}ic can be elected Mayor" of New York.
|It is only true that nobody except a
Democrat can be elected Mayor Of this
city of overwhelming Democratic senti-
ment. Whether he be Roman Catho-
lie or Protestant makes no difference.
Only his political faith, not his religious
faith, is considered by the voters, whether
they be OF Irish blood or of any other
blood. The Irish voted in as great num-
bers for Mr.. Cleveland. a Presby terian, as
for MIR. Gilroy, Roman Catholic. They
we're as loyal to Governor Flower, an
Episcopalian, az If he had been of their
OWE faith. Democratic Irishmen would
vote as Loyalty for Democratic candi-
date for Mayor who was Protestant as
they did for Mayor Gilroy. They do not
carry religious determinations into their
politics.
The attempt to raise this question of
race comparison and religious faith is
mischievoua.
Murdock, MINI.