The Irish standard., 1889-01-19
THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC.
Sir Thomas tirattan Esmonde's Mag
nifcent Tribute to Her Progress
and Prosperity.
"ALI- MEN ARE BORN EQUAL
They Do Not Hold Here, as i'll England
Murderers and Thieves Champions Of
Law and Order.

Of the progress and glorious history
of the United States few finer pictures
have been drawn than the following,
Our readers will remember that Sir
Thomas Henry Grattan Esmonde made
all eight months tour OF this country
recently in the Interest OF ireland. He
arrived home filed with alnaZenlent at
what he sa". In a recent address de-
liverel in Dublin on America and the
Americans" before the South County
Dublin National Redistribution associa
tou, the worthy descendant OF one of
IreiAnd's greatest sons delivered the
following ringing speech:
AS dislluct ana SELF governing na-
tio.., ;ts recognjzed factor in tlle world s
commerce and politics, the United
States is barely more than q century
Old, and yet III her wonurous 1e;!ourcts.
her marvellous intellectual and material
development, and above all in tbs grand
governmental ystenl which has nodded,
invjgu!aled aud enuobleG The character
OF her citizens, the richest Oh Ola World
countries, tbs most progressive, the
most enlightened, the ileest of Old
World people, will find enougn, and
more than enough, to envy. to ADMIRE
and to initiate. In this little island
home Of ours we can scarcely grasp or
appreciate the fact of a country stretch
ing from the Frigid to the TDrriA Zone,
with All area Of 3,570,0C0 square miles,
whose coast Zine is greater by 5000
miles than that of the whole of Europe.
whose lakes contain one~third Of the
fresh water Of the globe, one OF whose
rivers is larger by itself than all the
European riyers-saYe Volga- COM
bined: OF q country containing within
It's boundaries IS states, many CT them
larger than most European countries,
with 81 population Of 63,0CO> >0GO, all
speaking tbs same tongue, all living
under the same law, all ruled by the
sarne EULER whose authority springs
from then consent.
The statement Of Americas propor~
ti0ns sounds Like a romance, but tho
record OF ber development reads like q
fairy tale. Within The first hall century
cities have sprung up like magic III the
midst OF wilderness; production has in-
creased. and spread with the rapidlty Of
a prairie fire, while the intellectual pro.
gress and culture Of the nation have
fully kept pace with material advance
ment. Every one has heard of the city
OF Chicago, with its huge shipping
trade, its vast system Of railways. its
enormous traffic in timber, meat and
grain, its miles OF magnificent avenues
finer by Tar thau anything London
has to shoW--and ats busy population
of 500, 900.
Sixty years ago 10 souls peopled the
district in which Chicago now stands.
When there met a gentleman who has
shot wild 0eers round what is now the
site Of Chicago Corn Exchange. Forty
years ago The present city OF Minneapo-
lis, was represented bY single saw
mill. To-day she boasts Of 175 ,0C0 citi-
zens; while her twin sister, st. Paul.
then but al indian trading post, is only
10000 souls behind her. Fourty-tour
years ago there were so settlers along a
barren tract of the Pacific coast. where
to- day, one Of the finest cities of the
New World, San Francisco, shelters
her 100000 Inhabitants. Fifty years
ago America had but few manufactures.
To-day all the horses in Europe and a
million more besides would not be able
to move Americas spindles and driving
wheels. Fifty years since the mines Of
Amerlca We're uuworked. TO day the
republic supplies the world with a
quarter OF its lead, a quarter Of It's cop
per, third of its silver, and one. half
its'gold.
No wonder Americans are active, en-
ergetic, and so ahead, with land blest
by heaven to live in. No wonder they
are enterprising and industrious. with
such inducements to urge them 0nl No
wonder, either, they lead the way where
intelligence is the condition of success,
possessing. as they do, perhaps the most
thorough, the most practical, the freest,
and the least expensive of educational
systems in existence. The craving for
education IS universal. 1t is one of the
most marked of American character
istics. Among the many things which
excite the travellers admiration in
America are the magnificent schools,
colleges. libraries, museums and art
galleries which private munifcence, inn
PEELED by this universal sentiment, has
/ spread All over the land. One ofthe