AN GAOḊAL.
327
But a coupon for Ireland I'll stick to its side.
Your soul shall be free as the wind on the prairies
And I'll land you at Cork on the banks of the
Lee,
And two little angels l'll give you, like fairies,
To guide you all right over mountain and lea.
Arrah, soggarth aroon, can't you do any better?
I know that my feelings may peril your grace ;
But, if you allowed me a voice in the matter,
I won't make a landing at any such place.
The spot that I long for is sweet county Derry,
Among its fair people I was born and bred —
The Corkies I never much fancied while living,
And I don't want to visit them after I'm dead.
Let me fly to the hills where my soul can make
merry,
In the North where the shamrock more plenti¬
ful grows —
In the counties of Cavan, Fermanagh and Derry
I'll linger till called to a better repose.
And the angels you give me will find it inviting,
To visit the shrines in the Island of Saints,
If they bring from St. Pattick a small bit of writing
They'll never have reason for any complaints.
A soul my dear child, that has pinions upon it,
Need not be confined to a province so small,
Through Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connaught
In less than a jiffy you are over it all:.
Then visit sweet Cork, where your soggarth was
born —
No doubt many new things have come into vogue
But one thing you'll find, both night noon and
morn,
As for centuries back there's no change in the
brogue.
Good mother, assist me in this my last hour,
And, soggarth aroon, lay your hand on my head;
Sure you're soggarth for all, and for all you have
power,
And I take it for penance for what I have said,
And now since you tell me through Ireland I'm
passing,
And finding the place so remarkably small,
l'll never let on to the angels in crossing
That we knew a distinction in counties at all.
CONSISTENCY.
We read in an Irish-American patriotic paper
the other day that England's object in cenquering
foreign petty nations is to open up a market for
her merchandise. Yet this same paper would
throw open the ports of this country to her free
trade? When England is not able to open our
ports with the sword she employs another method
less grating to the senses — gold. She does not put
this weapon into the hands of drilled soldiers, she
puts it in the hands of editors of papers and repre¬
sentative men. Some time ago we read in a paper
a tabulated account of the average of European
wages, which was about 15 cents a day. In the
same paper we have seen a similar account of
American wages, which was 60 cents. Now this
paper advocates Free Trade, so as to bring us on a
level with the Europeans: These papers are the
subsidized agents of England and should not be
patronized by any mechanic. The wage workers
of this country cannot afford Free Trade until they
are prepared to descend to English pauperism.
The advocates of this English cry of free trade
will say "They cannot come over to build, plaster
or paint our houses &c." But they can send over
our clothes, shoes &c. and these employed in pro¬
ducing them here would be compelled to turn plas¬
terers, painter and builders, glutting the market
of such trades so that the wages could be brought
down to starvation point.
President Arthur and Respectable Americans.
In speaking of this heading we shall here say that
we do not belong to President Arthur's political
adherents, but being an Irishman, and believing
that the actions which we are about to criticise are
leveled at Irishmen or their immediate descendants,
we shall ask who or what constitute American res¬
pectability!
The Astors and Vanderbilts we presume are rank¬
ed as respectable Americans. Who are they? The
immediate descendants of fifers and boatmen! Who
are the other respectable Americans ? Are they
the descendants of those who, in ages gone by, re¬
ceived a free passage to Newfoundland when it had
been a British penal colony? Yes, and it was the
descendants of those, or of a like ilk, who assem¬
bled in the Brooklyn Academy of Music a few eve¬
nings ago as representing independent Republican¬
ism for the purpose of opposing Pres. Arthur's
re-nomination to the presidency.
These men cannot advance an iota against Pres.
Arthur's administration of the office. Why, then,
this opposition? Is English gold making way
into this country for purposes of this kind? Or
has the London Times' declaration that Pres. Ar¬
thur was the companion of Irishmen of doubtful
English proclivities anything to do with it? Or,
lastly, is it because Pres. Arthur is the son of an
educated Irish gentleman.
Now, the next president cannot be elected with¬
out the Irish vote of New York State. If Pres.
Arthur does not get the nomination, and by prece¬
dent he ought to get it from his party, it being on¬
ly his second term, without opposition, it is for one
or other of the causes enumerated above. In such
a contingency the course which Irishmen should
pursue is clear — to cut to a man any other nominee
And should Arthur get a nomination to support him
to a man — thus showing that Irishmen even have
a public spirit.
