The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-06-05

countrymen from the old land.
AN UNINTENFlONAL AFFR0HT.
On the 18th of last March, a day held
sacred by the Irish race In all lands,
there appeared two cartoons in the
daily papers Of the Twin Cities, one in
the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the other
in the Minneapolis Journal, which irri-
tated the feelings of the Irish people.
In Boston and New York on the same
day caricatures of st. Patrick were
printed in anti-Irish publications, but
the Irish-Americans of the East seem to
have taken no notice of the affront. In
the Northwest, however the case was
otherwise. From the day that the Mill
neapolis Tribune was successfully boy
,cctted by indignant Irishmen in 1885,
the papers Of thfsGfty have treated the
irish element of sthe population with
more courtesy and consideration. les
son was then taught to newspaper pub
fishers that they r cannot Intentionally
hurt the feelings ,uf a proud race with
impunity. Or II
On the appearance Of the cartoons
last st. Patrick s ebay a large number Oh
the Representatives, of the. Irish race in
both cities andahroughout the state felt
deeply wounded and resolved to resent
the uncalled-tof c:insult. Resolutions
were passed by patriotic societies to
boycott the offending and unmannerly
sheets. Instead of philosophicaIly say
ing in the words of the poet-"A moral,
sensible, and well-bred man will not af-
front us; and no other can," they kept
up their antagonism by withdrawing
their patronage from them and bestow-
ing it upon their rivals.
The Irish Standard kept reticent on
the occasion through journalistic co1irte-
sy, hoping that satisfactory apology
would be made. It has come at last FROM
the Evening Journal, and we will say
that we have been slow to believe that
our esteemed contemporary, which
under the editorship of John S. McLain,
has always been an advocate of the
rights of Irishmen to govern themselves
in a native parliament, could have the
poor taste of Intentionally insulting
race who, from time immemorial, in
their own land, and for two hundred
years in America, have observed the
18th of March both as a national and
religious holiday. 1t is we'll known that
George Washington drove the British
out of Boston to the tune of est Pat.
rick's Day in the Morning." on the an
niversary of Erin's patron saint.
We will now let the Journal speak for
itself as follows:
The Journal is in receipt of a letter
from an old subscriber to this paper,
making the complaint that in a car
toon printed on the 18th of March the
Journal has grievously wounded his
feelings as an Irishman and as an adj
herent Of the Catholic faith.
It is perhaps unnecessary for the
Journal to say that no offense was in
tended, that it regrets very much that
it should have given such offense and
that it is glad Of the opportunity which
the letter offers to remove the impress
sion that it would wilfully and pur-
posely offer any disrespect to any one
on account of his race or religion.
The cartoon referred to was printed
on the 18th of March. It represented In
the background an enclosure, over the
entrance to which vas written Carson
City," while above the enclosure were
signs of the contesegoing on there that
day-evidences of considerable noise and
jubilation. In the foreground with his
back turned squarely upon the Carson
City affair, and unable to see, and, pre-
sumably, unable to distinguish the char
acter of the affain at his back, the noise
Of which he is! supposed to be able to
hear but not understand, is the figure Of
st. Patrick, with t1o benign and kindly
face Of an old. gentleman. Under the
cartoon Is the line: "He Does Not
Understand" meaning that he does not
know what the character Of the affair
behind him Is, and a further line indi-
eating that, not understanding what was
going on, he regarded the sounds as in
dications Of some demonstration in
honor of the day.
The Journals carteonist, who is we'll
known to the people Of the Northwest
by his excellent work, had no thought
whateveY that his picture would be mis-
understepd, but 1t appears to have been
taken il some as II ST Patrick was
lied as in some WY approving