Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-09-19
From Wilmer s. Smiths European Times Aug. %.
Is Americn AngIo-Snxon2


known to the English public. Hitherto it has been
customary to speak of the Americans as belonging
almost exclusively to the Anglo-Saxon and
our national vanity has been attered by the assump
ton that people whose progressive power, numbers
and wealth have excited the astonishment of the
civilized world, was identical with ourselves in re
gcn and in blood poor man is proverbiay proud
of his prosperous relations They may treat him
with Indifference contempt, but he still cllngs
with fondness the belief that he has sprung from
the same stock and that the blood flows in his
veins. Success inspires respect. However hard may
he his own lot he derives consolation from the fact
that his kindred we'll to do in the world and that
some portion of the honors they have risen to are
relatively his own. There is much of this spirit of
pride and exultation when we in England point to
the United States the great field where Anglo
Saxon energy has marveously developed itself.
and where independent country has risen up. al
most within the memory of man, which has far out
stripped every thing that history records.
But the question has been put by citizen OF the
United States. Is America really IN glo- Haron to
anything like the extent generally believed 2 and
the involves facts upon which statesmen may
ponder, and politicians of every grade draw deduc
lions of the important character. Before the
members of the principal colleges and universities in
the United States assembled at Clinton, in the State
of New York on the 22d Of July, this year Professor
Robinson delivered a lecture which fully answers
this question, a synopsis of which appeared in
last publication. We will quote the professors own
words - The principal proposition which propose
on. never was and never can be. That it is COM
pound of the better portions of all the white
and that there is dominant race as there is no
dominant religion; but each and ali, with the eX-
cepOn of the little Anglican leayen. are formed and
forming together to work out the problem of free
government and free Gion for all. The An
go-Saxons he regards English the Irish, Scotch
Welsh and French he claims Celts. This cassif-
cation may not be strictly accurate. but it is suff
GENTLY so to establish the general principle for
which he contends and the conclusion at which he
arrives is that scarcely tenth OF the American peo-
pie are Anglo-SaxOn!
AS far back as 1929. half century before the in
dependence of the United States record exists Of
the emgrants that arrived in Philadelphia, then the
principal port in the country This return gives the
following results-English and Welch, 276; Scotch,
43 German 243 Irish, 5655 giving the Irish emf
grants iOrty of ten to one over those from all
other countries while the Anglo-Saxon only in
the proportion of to thirty Coming down to re-
cent years Professor Robinson exhibits table com
piled bv the Emigration Committee Of the City of N.
York Which shows that in 1913. the emigrants from
all parts of the world that arrived in that city were
1916 Of these the Irish number 9S.OGl; Ger
mans, 51973: English 23062 In 1849 the emf
grants who arrived in the city numbered 300
GO3 OF these 1881 were Irish 55.705 German:
28321 English. In 1850 the numbers that arrived
were 212796 The Irish HOBS: German.
1855 English % 63 During the six months OF
the present year emf graon into the city of n. York
alone progressing at the rate OF 1000 souls per
take an interest in the subject will turn to the sum-
mary of this remarkable document which we gave
last week, The result of the figures is. that Eng
land furnishes America with One-elevenh OF her EN-
igrants, and Ireland sends than all the other
parts of the world together. If the deductions OF
Professor Robinson correct, millions and
half of the twenty-three millions, which the last cen
sus gave the population of the United States, are
Irish. either by blood birth. in Ireland the fear
full decrease in the population has been made mani
fest by the last census and we believe that the sta
tistics of emigration which Professor Robinson has
produced square pretty evenly with those which
have been kept in this port by 1t Holder, the GOV
eminent emigration agent.
We have often had occasion to notice and lament
the hostile feeling which prevails in America respec
ting the institutions of this country 1t need excite
no surprise that the Irish portion of the population
in the United States cherish feelings towards Eng
land the reverse of friendly. For centuries have
been vainy striving to Protesantise the sister coun
try. All our laws have been framed with that oh
iect and at the present moment we are as remote
from success as in the days of Elizabeth the frs
of the Stuarts. Nay the conflict is again beg inning
for the proceedings i'll Dublin on Tuesday show thai
we must either put down John of Tuam and the Cath
oc hierarchy, for assuming titles which they have
borne from time mmemorial. or must submit to b'
the laughing stock of the world. They defy acts
Parliament. and they point to the fact that, while
Protestant England and Presbyterian Scotland arr
treated as the children of the parent Catholic
Ireland is scOurged in the spirit of an angry stel
succeeded with this hayward otfshoot, could IN
derstandthe continuance of a discipline rigid. Blu
rail like against P"pery, its superstitions ant
abSurdities cannot it is clear induce Pat to sec
a more enlightened road to heaven and we have be
fore the pleasing alternative of sweeping him al
together from the face of the earth, cOncedlng tt
him the relative advantages in the matters of hi
faith which other parts of the empire claim and re
ceive. Every one foresaw that the extension to Ire
land of the Ecclesiastical Titles Act, would involv
in inextricable confusion and the meeting in Dub
lin this week painfully verifes the anticipation.
1t is singular anomaly in the consideration o
this question: that while we have done much b
whole course of legislation to cramp the ener
gies of the aboriginal Irish, have positively ruin
ed the more identical with curselves-the Iris
proprietory-by an opposite course Of policy TIL
result of that policy is daily witnessed in the pre-
ceedings before the Encountered Estate Court Tn
Irish landlords have been proverbially reckless,
travagant and idle, their estates mortgaged to tn
titles, and without any business habits beyond tina
of screwing the last shilling out of their unfortunat
tenantrv. These are the men whose of con
duct towards the wretched peasantry Of the siste
country has peOpled America with many million
of Celts and it is only retrbutve justice that the
should now feel in their own persons some touch
the misery they had often inflicted on others 1t ha
been remarked that in Il foreign land an Irishman
q being far industrious and respectable tina
he is found his soil. An Irish laborer in Ems
land is ploddng, hard-working man and the Ea
of Carlisle ascerained that in all the great hotels
the American cities Irish walters priced abov
others for their activity and smartness. In this d,
terioration of the national character at home and i
elevation abroad may be read the btterest conden