AN GAODHAL.
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ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
P. O'C, New York City — We believe the Catho-
lic population of your city is fully six-hundred
thousand (600,000). When the Times, an anti Irish
and an anti Catholic journal admits that it is
500,000, you may safely add another fifth to come
to the true result.—600,000. 600,000.
The Democratic majority in New York is about
50,000. Where did these fifty thousand go to
from Mayor Grace ? The six hundred thousand
Catholics have been voting the Democratic ticket
for years, never questioning the religion of its
nominees ; but when an honorable member of
their faith is the candidate, these fifty thousand
bigots vote the opposite ticket! These bigots
should be taught a lesson that they would not for-
get in a hurry; and, if at the coming election
they succeed in placing one of their own faith
before the people as of old, do they expect the
Catholic voters of New York will swallow the in-
sult offered them in the person of Mayor Grace.
If Irish-American citizens swallow that dose
of bigotry they deserve the contempt of all self-
respecting men.
Some of our Brooklyn Catholic politicians are
horrified at our outspokenness on this head. We
regret being forced to touch the subject, but, be-
ing an Irishman and a Catholic, we feel that the
slight has been offered to us in this matter as well
as to our fellow countrymen of New York City,
and, as we never question the religious faith nor
the nationality of any citizen in business transac-
tions or otherwise, we will not allow others to inter-
fere with ours with impunity. We do not know a
single politician in New York excepting Mayor
Grace (if he be counted one), we have never seen
John Kelly to our knowledge, and our knowledge
of the Brooklyn politicians is very slight indeed.
Mayor Grace belonged to the Temperance Society
of our Lady of Victory when be resided in Brook-
lyn, we were a member of the same society, and
as secretary called on him a few times on official
business. That is all our acquaintance with him
Since he left Brooklyn some ten years ago we
have not seen him. Mayor Grace joined the tem-
perance society in order to induce his coachman to
do the same. He wanted his coachman to join
the society but he (the coachman) objected, saying
that he would be looked upon as the remains of a
bum if he did so. "Well,“ said Mr. Grace, “will
you join if I do." “I will,” said the coachman,
so they both went to the society's hall and took
the pledge.
If the Democracy of New York desire to purge
themselves of the slight cast on the Irish-Amer-
ican element in the city, they will renominate
Mr. Grace and give him such a majority as will
attest their sincere repentance for what they have
done ; nothing short of this should satisfy the
slighted majority of her citizens. Personally we
do not care for Mayor Grace more than any other
man.
2 — There were two Catholics on the Republican
ticket and they were elected. There was no “No
Popory” cry raised against them.
3 — It merely shows that there is more manhood
in the Republicans than in the bigoted Democrats.
4 — The Irish-American vote predominates in
your city.
CATHOLIC EDUCATION — There are 82,000 Public
School teachers in France. If we take this number
exclusive of monks aud nuns, there ought not to
be a better educated people in Europe than the
French. Yet we hear pro-English and anti-Catholic
writers charging Catholic countries with being ig-
norant and illiterate. Those bigoted writers draw
their conclusions, or pretended conclusions, from
the quantity of paper consumed in the different
countries, but they have not the candor to tell their
readers that one half of the publications circulating
in non-Catholic countries would not be tolerated
(on account of their immoral tendencies) in Catho-
lic Countries. The Italians are a source of con-
stant solicitude to those would be humanitarians.
Some years ago when the Italian Government
passed a law conferring universal suffrage, condi-
tioned that those on whom the suffrage was con-
ferred should be able to read and write, (in absence
of property qualification) 800,000 voters were
added to the roll. And this information has come
to us through English newspapers. Now 5,000,000
would be the ordinary voting population of the
inhabitants of Italy, and the fact that close on a
million was added from the poorer classes because
they were able to read and write, gives the lie to
their calumniators. It is a question if the same
class in England could so fully avail themselves
of a like privilege.
NAPOLEON I. AND MARSHAL JUNOT — During the
Siege of Tulon, Napoleon Bonaparte was command-
ant of the artillery. While constructing a battery
under the enemy’s fire, he had occasion to prepare
a despatch for his superiors, and called out for
some one who could use a pen to write to his dicta-
tion. (In those days people did not carry blotters,
they used sand instead.) A young sergeant named
Junot, leaped out, and leaning on the breastwork
wrote as dictated to. As he finished, a shot struck
the ground by his side scattering dust in abund-
ance over him and everything about him, “Good"
said the soldier, laughingly, “this time we shall
spare our sand.“ The coolness with which this
remark was made pleased Napolean; he kept his
eye on the man, and Junot afterwards became
Marshal of France, and Duke of Abrantes.
