The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-07-23

% lanented Thomas Francis Mesgher. the br
4 liant orator and once acting1governor of Nc
p tana, graduated. From that English college
was transplanted to q leading university on Il
continent. and getting t1ed of Latin, Gree
philosophy, logic. science, etc., I caught II
mail steamer at Valetta, in Nal q, and took Il
peninsular and oriental steamers, via Alexa
dria, Alden and Gale in order 10 study practic
geology on the Australia. gold fields. l tot
that wlld1g0ose chase over a score of years a,
without consulting parents. friends. u,.iversi
professors or students, or even bidding q for
farewell to old ALMA Mater"-and why l aba,
dontd brilliant prospects In Europe for a miner
life has been to myself a mystery ever since.
Now, I often have heard with regret men {
supposed common sense and int ligence rejoit
III caricaturing men of the Irish race. WI,
brings the lrtshman to America, or any othe
section of the globe? l dc not intend to lat,f
my countryman, but I do say that given "a ia
field and no favor" equal opportunities, etc
they are the equals of any race this day unde
the canopy Of "God's Heavens" The Irishma
is brimful OF hope and love, the hope that neve
despairs, the love that is never %extinguishet
dispersed and scettered as we are, that Low
makes us all meet a. brethren; that love bring
the tear 10 the eye as soon as we tn nix of thos
long III their graves, that love that makes u
treasure the traditions of our history, q histo
the grandest of all the nations of the earth. Fo
the last Q even hundred years Ireland has beel
strugg ing and fighting in the sacred cause o
freedom. The Irish exile Is a name recognized
and emblaz0ned upon the annals of ever,
nation of the earth. Let us briefly glance owe
the pages of United States history. Who wa
the first Commodore and Father of the Amer.
lean Navy" Commodore Barry-an lrishman
Who was Washington's favorite general, who
| fell under the fortress of Quebec and to whose
remains forty years after the great Umpire state
of New York accorded q public funeral and
erected a monument to his memory in Trinity
church? General Montgomery. an Irishman.
Whose electric words thrilled through every
heart, Give me liberty or give me death::" Pat.
rick Henry's. OF what race was Carroll, OF
Carrollton, whose wealth was greater than
that of all the other signers OF the immortal
Declaration of Independence" combined. The
name Is a sufficient index. Of what race was
General Sullivan, of Revolutionary fame? Ask
Eugene Sullivan, of Walkerville. IF what
WIN "O1 <AASAonAOP S~AAOAS WIN uAu OA AN
could to arouse the Canadians to help the strug-
Cling colonists? Ask Foreman Carroll, of the
Anaconda and St. Lawrence mines What did
Washington, the "Fathet of his Country" say?
Here are his words: before the French came
to our aid, there were one hundred Irish to the
one of any other nationality fighting in The
cause of freedom. Let truth and justice th9n
entw.ne the shamrock with the laurels of the
Revolution" etc. What did the Duke of York
write about those Irish soldiers who had to be
tied hands and fee before they would go on
shipboard in Europe to fight against the Amer
leans? Here are his exact words: send me
Hessian troops. / canno depend upon those
Irish. They desert III whole troops to the
American side." 1t is needless to add the
British government acce led to his request and
forwarded Hessians. Who have been tiuer to
the sacred cause of American freedom than the
Irish: Let the heroes and campaigners of the
late civil war answer. l could ask and answer
a thousand similar queries, but will come to
the present day. Who is the President of the
United States? Arthur, the son of a poor north
of Ireland preacher and teacher-his honest
father would be glad enough to get a square
neal of potatoes, salt and buttermilk on the
'side;;' but the would be aristocratic son would
prefer "loafing' with Grant, or the shoddy'
thieving, %swindling Vanderbilt s, Astors, ct hoe
genus omne. Who is the Commander-in- Chief
of the American army? Gallant, heroic Phil
Sheridan, the son of a decent COnnaughtmau.
The true American citizen will never sheer at or
only the mongrel, half.breed know nothing or
dude, or shoddy aristocrat. or bigoted s%coundrel,
or thieving official, who thinks it is smart TO
"take oft" their superiors, and who would be
tray both their God and country for
the sake Of a dirty few dvllars-lt
is only such wretche attempt this caricaturing.
1 told you I would be personal in this intro
ductory contribution. l know you and your
will both excuse me when l tell you
that l heard q few days ago in Eelena com.
and sneers cast upon Irishmen that just
made ME spoil for either a fight or a reply. In
Helena 1 only encountered one practical good
Samaritan. who is and ought to be a univ rsal
there as well as everywhere else. His
name is Charles Curtis, a brother of your we'll
known citizen, John Curtis. l don't know John
Curtis personally as yet, but l can swear 10 the |
if necessary that the Hon. Charles Curtis is
one OF natures real nobility. He has a gener-
ous spirit, q tender heart-nothlny seems want
Ing to him.
"A combination and a form indeed
Where every god did seem to set his seal,
To give the world assurance Of a man.
md snch a man as Charley Curtis should be
appointed by the next Democratic President of
governor of Montana. There may be ten other
-.- ,.l,a IL, =, Iy,l.~A bat r n,,o lo..I< |
I could find one in that decaying mining
amp that wonld do unto me as Charles Curtis
lid. Hail and success, Charley! When you are
Governor, I'll be on your "stah."
To know as well as I do the "ups" and
of mining life, one must have PANIED,
sluice J., drilled, picked and "petered"
on "bed-rock'' in more senses of the word
han one. 1 have tried my fortune on nearly
very gold field IN Australia aud New Zealand:
IN the diamond mines of South Africa. Six
months after placing my loot on American soil
was dead broke" in san Francisco, losing in
mining mania in that city an amount of
aoney which, If I had the good luck to place it
at eight per cent. interest per annum.
,ould bring me a yearly income of eight thous-
nd dollars as long Us l lived without touching
CCAV VA ~ kAANAR~A IA 0AOVASA ASA4AopASAV
often went to new ~'results' or camps with
My q few dollars and came out of them with
,ores of thousands OF dollars to my ban king &C
/ have also gone to such with a large
anking account to my credit and Travelled out !
those far-away but ever glorious gold fields I
dead broke" Tell me now, if you eau. oh! J
liner editor, how it happened that l left over !
'rty pounds of my flesh. blood aud bones in the S
oeur d'Alene mining camp, luxuriating on {
,ow-belly'' straight and "beans' rather scarce
i'd old on the side--that could never indulge
hog, as l hate the cursed, granting, dirty
worse than any Jew ever did. :
What false pride, cursed fate or destiny de. i
ded that my first four days in Montana should T
ON water, water. water. Oh! ye God, when I \
fact upon the way the chords Of my stomach s