The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-07-06


conceived the glorious sentiment Of the De
claraton of the independence you have heard
read to-day. 1t was the Irishman who did
most to achieve the Independence of America.
Irshman appreciate America because they
love liberty and have felt the iron Of tyranny in
their souls lrishmen are welcome here. All
her people are welcome and we could settle
them here conveniently and then not know
that we had too many, More than 5000. 600
square miles of fertile gardens are offered to
you come and till them, they are
rent free, they are yours if you will have
them. In Texas there are 274,ooo square
miles of such lands. Bring your five and
half millions to the Lone Star State, you can
not find better or fairer land under the sun
do not want you say that Erin is fairer; you
can never forget the bright hills of Wicklow.
the lakes of Killarney, the fair maidens OF
Coleraine, or
"The bells of Shandon
That sound SO grand on
The pleasant waters Of the River Lee"
Forty years ago there was not 50 600 in
Texas; to-day we have 2,ooo,o 900. Does not
that speak loudly and say that this is the fav-
orite bank of heaven?
am proud to be an American and of Irish
ancestry; proud to know that the flag that
shelters me is SO great that it need do obei
sence to none. 1t is pride to know that
whatever wars has shocked our country We
are now united people, proud to know that
such man as great as Charles Sumner could
rise in the American senate and utter such
sentiment as this. He said "When the
Greeks raised trophies to commemorate their
victories it was their victories over their for
eign foes. The Greeks raised no trophies to
commemorate the battles of Greeks with
| Greeks. SO should Americans not blazon on
their battle flags the names of victories which
have been won over her own sons" Ap
| plause.
Nothing thrills my heart as much as senti-
| ment like this, and though l have met that flag
on many bloody field in days gone by, I am
prepared to hold it aloft and to die for it.
wish no grander death than to die with the
shout of victory in my ears, and stars and
stripes floating over me. America is my coun-
try, the LAND of the free, the home of the
brave" large enough to hold the oppressed
Of all nations, and l say with all my heart
"Sail on, thou Ship of State,
Sail on, our country strong and great,
Humanity with all its fears,
With all the hopes of future years,
Is hanging breathless on thy fate;
In spite of rock and tempests roar,
In spite of false lights on the shore.
Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea
Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee,
| Our hearts, our prayers, our tears,
Our faith triumphant DER our fears,
Are all with thee Are all with thee!
The president then introduced
| COL. H. B. ANDREWS,
who rising said Sons of Erin, sympathizers
with Ireland, gentlemen of the Land League,
Ladies and Gentlemen: A few days ago,
when some gentlemen of the land league
wanted me to address you to day, said ex-
pected to be away, but if | were here | would
come. | saw that the Hon. J. H. McLeary
tried hard to get ''left' he has been badly
fooled. Laug hter.) do not think it fair
and appeal to Irisbmen who are lovers of
lair play-that l, Texas raised, should be
pitted against those who have kissed the
barney stone. (Laughter.) At the same
time am glad to be with you to celebrate the
day, which from the St. Lawrence to the Rio
| Grande, and from the Pacific to the Atlantic
| is being celebrated with due patriot sentiment
| TO be an American citizen is the proudeSt
boast man can have, and it is proper that
the day Of our independence should be fully
celebrated. But we have to talk of the soos
| of the bog. | see before me and be-
hind me many who have drifted from
me in the past, and yet, as true Am
orleans, they give honor to those
who bravely differered from them. When |
talk of Irish citizens, | remember that the
greatest feat during the late war was that of
Dick Bowling and the "42 Micks." Laugh
Ter 1t is not alone in the tented fields that
Irish have done good service. Texas owes
much to the Irish who settled in the south
west district. We know that the Irishmen
settled a. San Patricio, as the German settled
in other parts, and from the Irish you get the
most respected citizens of Texas.
Much has been said by the orators present.
and if had more modesty, my heart and
feeling were not attached to the Irish, should
not have spoken, but am railroad man, and
| who could belong to railroad and not be at
tached to the Irish! | see around me dozen
or more such men. Who is the builders of
our railroads? The Irish. Who engineers
our trains, the Irish, who guards it, the Irish,
and my long connection with the Son of Erin
has been such as command my admiration,
respect and friendship.
The day we celebrate is grand one, and
whilst we enjry it we must not forget the
oppressed Of Ireland. 1t has been said too
truly that their sons are incarcerated because
they loved their native land; that was their
only offence. That. too, is why priest was
dragged from the altar and cast into a prison
cell. Aye, but there is a silver lining. When
his epitah shall be written-when the land
shall be free and Ireland stand among the
nations of the earth, then shall the epitaph of
the youthful Emmett he written Ia voice, you
bet ~ God will never allow Snch WRONG