The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-23
"CIvILIZED IRISHMEN."
Richelieu Robinson in Reply to Professor John
w. Draper-What "We' Can blow Tyn-
dall-Draper's Good Taste and
Accuracy Questioned

BROOKLYN, Feb. IL. 1873
70 Professor JOHN w. DRAPER
DEAR SIR-ln your speech at the dinner given to
Professor John Tyndali on Tuesday evening last.
you are reported to have said:-
Another friend OF mine, Mr. Froude has set us
all talking about Ireland We can show Dr. Tyn-
dali how to take the Irish emigrant his CORDUROY
knee-breeches, and smaSheddown hat, and his
shilelah in his fist and in generation or so turn
him into an ornament OF professional life. make
him successful merchant, or lamiliarize him with
all the amenities OF civilized society.
Who are the ''usn and "weu you mention ? pre-
sumo you refer to the American people; and, a.
you can't mean the Indians, you must refer to the
descendants of immigrants, for the entire people OF
the United States, except the Indians. are iInmi-
grants or their descendants. You seem TO infer
that Englishmen and their descendants alone are
Jus" and "we," who can work such wonderful
chemical changes ON the raw material of other
races in the alembic OF American society.
dispute the right and the ability OF the English
element here to make such experiments or work
such wonders on the superior Irish and German
races, who were more friendly than the English to
the Revolution, which made us nation, and arc
superior TO them in numbers and at least equal In
intellect IL 10 over twenty years ago since tried.
think successfully, at Hamilton College, before
the Psi Epsilon Convention, to show that
THE IRISH ELEMENT
was the strongest and the Anglo Saxon the weakest
in the United States That Grafton was quoted or
criticised In many publications Of this country and
Europe and the claims for Irish superiority then
made have grown stronger in the light of truth.
Nearly twenty years ago Professor Louis Schade de-
monstrated from the United States census statistics
Of 1850 that the surplus growth of our white popua
ton was due to the immigrants who came since
1870. report from the Committee on Foreign Re-
lations TO the House Of Representatives
In 1868, shows that about two-thirds of
our population children of immigrants
arriving since 1870. There is probably
not one per cent of our population living to-day
without the preserving blood of immigrants of the
present century, which have been Overwhelmingly
Irish. l doubt whether there are any living de-
scendants OF the Plymouth and jamestown colonies
without mixture of Immigrant blood. am satisfied
that the descendants of the Plymouth colony are
not SO numerous to-day as those ofthe Irish colony
OF Londonderry IN New Hampshire. More of the
American people now land, or have landed for the
last twenty years, at Castle Garden in a single {.
hour than the entire colonies OF Plymouth and
jamestown, and all their posterity and increase
Tor hundred years. Our last census statistics
snow That more than one-fourth of our entire pOpu-
lation Is born OF foreign parents. Probably three
fourths Of the American people are children or
grandchildren Of Irish and German immigrants
and more than One-half OF total population are
more or less Irish, Notwithstanding Froude's bold
assertion and Father Burke's too modest reply I
might justify my assertions by reference to Glib.
borne, Kapp, earlier, Knox and other authorities
but enough has been said to show the absurdity OF
the weaker race attempting to chaperon the
superior.
Can you show services from any other race rem.
dered to the United States equal to those rendered
by lrshmen2 IL was an Irishman from Maghera,
Charles Thompson who was the guiding spirit OF
the Congress and Convention that adopted our
Declaration of Independence and framed our
stituton. 1t was an Irishman's son from Wexford,
John Nixon, that first read the Declaration of In
dependence in public to the people in Indepen-
John Dunlap, that first printed and published that
Declaration. It was an Irishman, this same John
Donegal, General Richard Montgomery, that drst
o d while commanding an sntng for
from wexford, John Barry, who was first
81 so5 the He Navy was an
fought in every battle in which Washington was
engaged, and was first Secretary OF War. 1t was
an Irshman that wrote the first history of the.
United States. 1t was ar lrshman's son, Robert
Fulton, that gave America the credit Of inventing
son Samuel Finlay Breese Morse) that Invented
telegraphy. It was the descendant OF an Irish.
moving machines, and another descendant Of AN an
irish emigrant Horace Greeley with smashed
that founded the T6aen II was si1 Irshmen ond
their sons in Philadelphia, merchants and SOL
diers, heroes and patriots, who in the darkest
hours or the Revolution, when the English
element were rejoicing over the disasters OF Wash
ington and his army that gave their money and
their swords to the cause which. without them,
might have been lost. They were mostly members
OF the Friendly Sons OF st. Patrick, a society then
Moylan OF Cork, and his three brothers, George
Meade, one OF whose descendants commanded and
conquered red, at Gettysburg: Matthew Mease who
and his brothers; Thomas Fitzsimmons, one OF the
trainers s. Of the constitution; John NJ. Nesbitt
Washington's army from starvation; Thomas Bar
clay, who gave $4,000 sterling Tor the relief Of
10000; John Barclay, afterwards Mayor Of Phia-
delphia; Colonel Epnraim Blaine, John Bleakly.
Richard Butler and his four brothers Robert Gray,
OF Gray's Ferry; Captain John Green, who com
manded the first American vessel sailing to China:
General Edward Hand, who was called
THE RIGHT-HAND MAN OF WASHINGTON;
General G. I William Irvine, George Latimer, speaker
OF the confidential friend and adviser of William
Penn; Colonel Francis. Nichols whom Washington
vania; Oliver Pollock, who secured timely supply
OF gunpowder to Washington; General Thomas
wa r eene soy
Anthony Wayne. All these and many more who
contributed literally In money and service to the
Irish society lthe Friendly Sons Of st. Patrick),
COMPOSED exclusively of Irshmen and their sons,
becoming a naturalized or adopted Irishman to
qualify him for membership: These lrishmen were
among the most renneu anu eleBdHL RenUle-
men with whom Washington associated in Phla-
desphia, whose population even then was very
largely Irish. AS early as 172S nine-tenths OF the
immigrants to that province were Irish. II was
much the same in Virginia, in the Carolinas, in
New York and in New England. These men and
thousands OF others whom might mention might
have set you talking about Ireland II Froude, who
IL probably himself an Irishman, had never
troubled us with his nanities conspired against
the truth OF history in the interests OF despotism
But think, my dear Professor, of your surround
ings when you made this speech.
AT THE TABLE WITH you WERE TWO JUDGES,
DAILY and Brady. Did you see any smashed hat or
shillelah over their cordurOys? You may have met
James T. Brady or Charles O'COnor or David Ora
ham. II you say that 1t took a generation or 80 to
turn them into ornaments I beg to saw
that you had only to look up the avenue
I'VE blocks and you would ind the pastor of the
Firth Avenue Presbyterian church (Dr. Hail. who
is scarcely yet long enough here from Ireland to