The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-04-29
HENRY WATTERSON on CANAL
TOLLS QUESTION.
AS One Of The "Old Guard of Irish
Americans" lie Protests Against
False Cry.

Take the tolls question The act of
exemption was a subsidy, pure and
simple 1t was tribute to q MONOPOLY
Treaties apart, would q Democrat in
congress have dared directly to vote
this?
The cry of Trucking to England"
is a piece with the cry of Bullying
Ulster" which the Tories in England
are hurling ut the Home Rulers be-
cause they propose to have Ulster
obey the law of the land like tho rest
OF ireland. 1t is as if, in paying q
debt, one should be charged with
true king" 10 his creditor. 1t is too
senscless to fool u human being who
does not want to be fooled. That at
the moment when the Liberal British
government is trying to do Justice to
ireland ii should be raised by the
Irish In America-thus making them
selves n part of the alliance of the
Tories and the Orangemen in Ulster
against their own Home Rule friends
and comrades-raises the old spectre
or "disunited, therefore blighted,"
which for 500 years enslavcd the
bravest and sweetest of Gods crea-
lures. On that side it is positively
piuful.
But 1t has another side. Coming
into world politics as a world power,
shall any foreign-born segment of the
people undertake to predetermine
what we may or many not do? am
the Oldest il not the last survivor of
what was the Old Guard of Irish
Americans. / grew up under the spell
Of the "4S" men led by Mitchell and
Meagher, with whom my relations
were intimate and affectionate. 1 was
with Parnell through the great Home
Rule fight of 1885. II have ever
been fanatic, it was upon the ques-
ton of justice to Ireland. But, before
all else. am an American. and must
not allow my Irish sympathies to
color my sense of patriotic duty. i
resent the intrusion Of racial lines into
our foreign policies and relations; but
In a matter like the tolls question, the
attempt to protect the grab Of the
coastwise shipping trust looks very
like the old money-m aking scheme of
the professional mercenaries who, un-
der the Irish banner. went into poll
tics 80 years ago for what they could
get of the rake-off. Mr.. Blaine had
been nursing this element assiduously
and long, his mother the daughter
OF an Irish Catholic. At the critical
moment laundering preacher with
three words destroyed the work of
lifetime. Our dear Champ Clark and
my good friend Oscar Underwood, be-
fore giving too much ear to 'the rich
Irish brogue," would do we'll to study
The career Of the "Plumcd knight"
nor fail to read a chapter out Of the
Scott.
Meanwhile. this warning to the
Irish people OF America--if they
should make themselves overactive
and Jealous i'm the attempt at organiz-
ID participation in American politics,
hey will run the serious hazard of
an anti-foreign feeling in
with which the Know
nothingism of other days would seem
lo be trivial Those who arc old
enough To recall what Know nothing
ism was-in Louisville those who arc
not old enough to remember Bloody
we'll pray God never TO
see the liko again. No wise or true
lrishman but must realize that the
trucking to England" suggestion is
u boomerang which without rhyme or
reason In itself, may yet produce far
results.
Never n president showed himself
finer than Woodrow Wilson when,
the flag around him, he
down To the capitol and read
the riot ACT to the braves i'm congress-
| cannot doubt that he has the better
sense of the country behind him. He
may before he gets through with it
overdo the man-power role.
Caesar did this to his mortal cost.
Cromwell did 1t to the cost Of his good
name. IL is not always easy To draw
the line betwixt leadership and auto
cracy. l rather think Jackson struck
the line bctwixt wind and water
Thus far | follow Woodrow Wilson
admiringly. l like to see him make
the boys hop. skip and jump around
the playground. The time may come