The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-02-23
SYMPATHY FOR THE SUFFERING
Why america Should Appreciate the
Situation OF ireland's Affairs
Interesting Comparison.

AT the meeting OF the Rock Island
branch of the land league at Turner hall
Sunday evening, Mrs hurry read the
following abstract of a speech recently
delivered by Judge Bedford, congressman
from Colorado. and which the ARGUS
publishes through request:
AMERICA AND IRELAND
When asked whence comes our sympa-
thy for Ireland. | answered, because
Irishmen helped us to achieve our Mas
tional independence. 1t was after Gates
had captured Burgoyne 1t was after
the battle on the heights of Charleston
and Fort Moultrie had been fought 1T
was after Germantown and Brandywine,
Trenton and Princetown and Monmouth,
in which battles many an lrishman had
laid down his life, that the Lilies OF
France tloated into the field with the Star
Spangled banner Nature had painted
green the graves of many an lrishman
who had died in defence of his adopted
country before the feet OF De Grasseha
touched the waters of the York river.
Whence comes our sympathy for Ire.
land? Have you ever read of the terrible
days of that awful field of Valley Forge
when an army, without food or clothing
| or shoes, amid the agonies of hunger ANA
the pains of cold kept watch over the
liberties of this young Nation? Do You
recollect the fact that an Irish regiment.
shoeleSs, naked uIfed and unpaid, with
view to compel the Continental Con
gress TO secure some money by which
these ends and objects could be advanced
and accomplished, mulinied for a day.
The English heard OF this mutiny. Gen
eral Howe sent messengers to Washing
| toms army. lie told the Irish:-"If YOU
will come back. if you are hungry. We
will feed you; ii you are naked, We viii
clothe you; il you are unpaii; We will
| advance You money; we will ill up the
measure Of your bouGties; we will forgive
your past offences. and our royal master
will take you back to his bosom" But
what said the Irish? They did not hest
tate moment in that critical period OF
The history OF the nation. They sent those
messengers to Washington tent. inform
ed him that they were spies from the
British camp, and Washington hung them
all higher than Hannah.
Did you ever read the terrible history
Of that awful winter at Valley Forge,
when the destinies of the republic seems
ed to I've CONCEALED by the SHOWS that
covered the earth, when the soldiers were
without cloths, with ragged tents, with
poor fires, with bleeding feet, without
shoes to protect them: Did YOU ever
| think OF a man per shiRg with hunger
and looking out IN the distance and see
ing aeighbor appro aching with "A basket
| fun of food? Look to thar mountain top.
Over it comes wagon covered with can
vas. 1t is strange spectacle unseen
but by the army of the conjineutalS The
soldiers stare aud glare at 1t. BY and by
another comes. 4 squad assemblies and
another comes, and then through the
clear air and over the pure snow is heard
the voice Of soldier in the hour Of
agony and distress Here comes the
wagon of relief and, bless GOD, it was
a wagon train of relief, filled with food,
blankets, shoes. and mOlaSses and crack =
ClS huC CNti NJliuS HtCdlu Vi 10 administer
To human comfort. But pause moment.
Who sent Chat wagon there? Thirty four
lrishmen from the city of Philadelphia,
and with it they sent S1U3, 900 OF Penn.
sylvania gold and silver Should we not
sympathiZe with The Irish! These are
the occasions of our sympalhies aud the
eudearing foundations for our friendship.
For 700 years England has been the
enemy OF America. No man can read
her legislation touching either country
without a feeling of horror. Her whole
history towards Ireland has been bat d
continued chapter of horrors, first de-
signed to depopulate the island that the
profligate kings might reward truculent
, fayorities and mobiles with estates stolen
from families that had held them for I.
thousand years Whence our sympathy
for the Irish? We point with pride, as
stimulating To us as il is to the civilized
world, 10 Bunker Hill DO you know
that the name of that Hill was derived
from little mountain in Ireland?