The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-02-11
DEFENSE OF The IRISH.


TO the Editor Of The Herald:
A numerous body Of Ogdenites OF irish
origin and extraction. have delegated US a
committee to protest against the Tribune
misrepresentation OF the Irish people as
a whole and In particular those leaders of
the Irish cause in America, who. in the
past, shave been cuStodianss of funds col
lected to defray the expenses Of the par
liamentary campaigns made In an effort
TO obtain home rule for Ireland
1t charges that the Irish in America
have been dupes mulcted Of the1r spare
dollars by d characterless leadership. This
is a slur which not only concerns the
tFeasuryship OF the funds collected. but
the intelligence Of the great majority OF
the Irish men and women of this nation
Why the Tribune editor who has an Irish
man for a guardian, should assume 70
brand the Celts OF this nation as so lack
ing in discernment that they approach i'm
becility, is beyond our understanding
We desire to direct the Tribune editor
attention. first, TO the fact that not one
Of the men who were intTusted with the
Irish parliamentary funds became wealthy
or died leaving large estates.
SecOnd-That though large sums Of
money were contributed. every contribu-
ton was published and recorded, thus
guarding against diverting from the
proper channel Of the moneys so re-
Ceived.
ThiTd-The expenditures were necessar-
lily large, owing to the fact that none Of
the eighty or more Irish members Of
parliament received a salary. and being
all poor men, though men of talent, had
to be sustained by the liberahty and pat
riotism of the Irish of America. Allow
ing them S5OC0 year each. which is the
pay Of our congressman. and which is
said to be all 100 Inadequate to sustain
them as become their station. and social
requirements in Washington. nearly one
half a million dollars would have been
yearly expended in this way, and yet this
support of the members of parliament was
only one of the many demands for the le-
climate expenditure of money made upon
the purse of the Irish Americans.
During the ParneH campaigns. when the
propaganda of the Irish cause was Wig
orouSly advanced throughout the world,
the literary bureau alone should have
cost a large sum.
At any rate, the Irish are satisfied with
the stewardship Of their trusted leader
ship. and why should the Tribune editor,
an AnglOmaniac. be disturbed.
He assumes that if movement is in
augurated to raise a fund for the Boer
cause, the money will simply go to some
'lOw-down' Irishman.
This sounds more like an insidious at
tempt on his part to aid the British by
discrediting what in his heart he believes
to be a movement which viii be carried
to a successful end. IT is in harmony with
his advice given the Irish to aid England.
crush the Beers and by proving untrue TO
their manhood and the principles of lib
erty, win the smiles of a tyrant. Appar-
emily he cannot comprehend the base
ness Of his utterances. They come to all
honest men, men of character and prin-
ciple, as suggestions most abhorrent. and
as Indicating a low order of morality.
In conclusion. his charges that the Irish
funds were misaDprOpTiated is a reminder
Of the British accusations, made just be-
fore the war, that the taxes collected by
the Transvaal republic were misaDDro-
priated by Com Paul Kruger, JOubeTt and
others. That the money mas been &C
counted Tor Is well attested by the havoc
wrought by the BOer guns on the battle
fields of South Africa
J. Z. COLLAGHAN,
THOMAS SMYTHE,
3. +. DEAN.