The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-04-20
GLA ANC, E BACK,
Why Irishmen, In Large Numbers,
Have Afaliated With the
5s$5 S 5%Ssss Democratic Party.
A . CONVINCING STATEMENT,

i CONVINCING STATEMENT. I.
The Reason Essentially Political
and Not Religious, Says g
Well Known Writer.
I'VE might be puzzled, say the West.
ern Watchman, ito toll just why nearly
+, Catholics are Democrats"
The Catholic Union and Times at
tempts to solve the puzzle by saying that
c lolics were driven into the Democrat
ic party by the first Knownothing per-
eecution. The fact is that the Irish
Catholics and it is these that are meant
were, from the beginning Of the repub-
lie up to the late war, mostly Democrats.
We must consequently seek the cause Of
the fact in the times and events further;
up in the history of the country than
that assigned by the Union and Times,
says Rev. i. A. Lambert in New York,
Freeman's Journal. The position OF the
Irish Catholic voters in the contest Of
principles between John Adams and
Alexander Hamilton on the one side and
Thomas Jefferson on the other, cannot
be accounted for by. the anti Catholic
agitation that developed fifty years after.
Such accounting has not even the ad-
vantage Of post noe ergo propter hoe.
In defense Of the Irish Catholic intel
ligence, we will try and find some reas
enable motive for their political action
and party affiliation in the past.
During the revolutionary war there
were two parties, the Whig and the Tory.
The former were in favor Of i.depen-
dence, the latter in favor Of continued
subjeotion to England. It is needless to
eay the Irish Catholics were Whig,
They hated their old oppressor with a
hearty and abiding hate, and they recog-
$nized their opportunity. Half Of Wash
ington's army was composed Of Irish,
and they were actuated by the spirit Of.
the Irish Brigade at Fontenoy. They
fought on every battlefield from Bunker
Hill to Yorktown, and q Wexford Irish.
man, Barry, was the first commodore of
the American navy.
From the close Of the War of Indepen-
3dence until the discussion of the adop-
stion OF constitution to take the place
5ot the old Articles Of Confederation,,
there were no organized political parties.
The discussion on what should be the
character and principles Of the proposed
constitution revealed the fact that the
statesmen Of the time did not agree as to
the best form of union, or even Of gov
eminent. Men like Alexander Hamilton
and John Adams were in favor Of
strong, central, national government,
that would practically obhterate state
lines, and make the states IN the union
what counties now are. in the states.
The advocates of this theory were called
Federalists. The opponents Of this
theory Of union, which meant state an.
nihilation, held that the states should be
equal to each other and superior t. the
federation, which would leave the
general government without power OF
dignity. These we're called anti FEEDER
alists. Compromises were made that
resulted in our present constitution and
resulted in national government with.
limited powers, Here we have the first
two parties III The history Of the repub-
lie 4
As might be naturally expected, the
parties holding these adverse views 81
what the constitution would be are apt
tointerpret the actual constitution IN the
,;shsof those views. The constitution
was finally adopted in 1799 and Wash
ineton began his first presidential term
under it. Adams was riice,p president,
Hamilton secretary of the trsae,lr and,
Jefferson secretary Of state. y ashing-E
ton waa electsd % pera apnal grounds and
without part ticular ret6eReaoe o:his polit-
ical views. Aallalps ana amilton we're
Federalists and Jefferson anti Federal
ist Toward tbs md of Washing nh 80
ond term party line beBan hel SHARPLY
drawn on mai iional ona dams
led the Federalists and IL pres
ident 81 them u suct 4 ton.
Jefferson was the esxponsaat q anti Fed:
eralisna. Hi followers did not lie the
naOakiva titla anti .Fs sed det1 They were