St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-05
AN EMMET CELEBRATION.
H. j. REcAK DELIVERED AIN EXCEL
LENT GRAFTON.
ORIGINAL POEM BY NOLAN.

SeEuSHAcS u 1rolanu IOr L1O0rty
Outlined = Ireland Gained q
Few Concessions With an
Army of 100000 Volunteers
Laws Restricting Irish Trade
RepeaIed-Emmet' Efforts. 3
AT the rooms Of st. Joseph's Total
Abstinence society yesterday afternoon.
corner Carroll street and Virginia ave-
nue., was celebrated the one hundred
and sixteenth anniversary of Robert
Emmet, the eminent Irish patriot. An
interesting programme was presented.
President j. F. Mcclure. of the society.
read John Boyle O'Reilly's memorial
poem to Emmett. Joseph Duncan
PLAYED number of popular airs on the
piano. Miss Teny Nolan. bright little
girl, sang one of Thomas Moore's beau
tlful selections, 'She Is Far From the
Land" She received an encore, and
sang two bright selections. j. j. Regain
was the orator of the day, delivering an
address of rare merit, q portion of
which is as follows:
"There is no era in the history of civ
Importance to the cause Of human lib
erty-events which promised radical
changes in the social and political
science of nations-as the last quarter
OF the eighteenth century. Scarcely
had the echoes of tine glorious birth of
the American nation died away, having
proclaimed for all time the principles of
liberty. justice and equality to all men,
than the nonarchieS of Europe Urembled
to their foundations as the proud and
lmperious rulers and ariStocrats of
France were hurled headlong into that
seethlng, boiling caldron OF popular
Indignation that their own mismanage-
ment, tyranny, oppression and neglect
mad created. In Ireland at this time we
md handful of patriots, notWIth-
standing the existence of penal and re-
pressive laws, in existence con-
tinually since the accession of William
OF Orange to the British throne-laws
enforced alike with fiendiSh severity by
pretended friends and declared enc
mics still, willing to assert the ma
tlonal rights, and demanding from Eng
land at least partial measure of JUS
tice. Small as was this demand, it was
Indignantly Spurned; and, not until the
defeat at York town had flashed like a
meteor OF hope to preSage the dawn of
freedom, did the then thoroughly cowed
and humbled nation grant the demands
of the lriSh-when those demands were
backed by the swords and Dayonets of a
volunteer army 100000 strong. This
concession guaranteed to Ireland IN az
most solemn manner AN independent
parliament and the repeal of all laws
| restrictive of Irish trade and COM
| merce."
Speaking of Robert Emmett, Presi-
dent Regain said, among other things:
ut is unnecessary to take up your
tune by any extended account of the
early life of Emmett, OF his short career
at college. where his brilliant talents
and eloquent tongue, raised, as they
always had been, in defense, of right,
had gained for him the disapproyall of
his Tory professors, and finally his dis
| missal from college. How. as yet a
mere boy, the oppreSsors of his country
had felt the weight of his influence to
such all extent that his friends were
forced to remove him from the country
| to save him from the vengeance that
was fast iilling yawning graves with the
victims of '9S. His untiring efforts
| in his country's behalf, while
on the continent of Europe. and his final
return to his native land; his daring.
but fruitless attempt to achieve the i'll
dependence of his country, by seizing
upon that penetralia of British power in
Ireland. Dublin Castle, and establishing
| therein an Independent Irish govern
ment, for aud by an independent Irish
| people. Such was the simple plan he
| had devised, and to the execution of
which he bent all the energies Of his
| youthful and enthusiastic mind and
| generous heart. His deplorable failure /;
| his subsequent efforts to prevent the
| unnecessary shedding of human blood
by giving, at the risk of his own
discovery, which 10 him meant
the cruel death he afterwards suffered
among such of his followers AS were
still IN arms, and his appealing to them
to diSband shows at once the eXtraor-
| binary courage, tenderness and mag
| nanimity of his nature. His utter in
difference to his own personal interests
| is equaled only by the intense and ar
! dent love he bore his native land :.
| When practically at the foot of the scat
| fold, with the hand of death pressing
heavily upon him, he adiured his coun :
trymen to write no epitaph of him until
the country he died for should be free"
Extracts from Emmet's speech at
| the Dock" were feelingly given by
Thomas j. McDermott. An original
| poem by j. G. Nolan was recited, en-
titled 'Emmet." it was an excellent
effort and showed much of the true fire
| OF poeSy. He prophesied the certain
| liberation of Ireland. and that "thoSe
who oppressed must atone for the
! crime" A selection of the two follow
ing verses from the poem shows it's
nature:
| DO you doubt? Do you think, then, that
| God has forgotten
The wrongs that Tor centuries Irishmen
bOrey
| That a race of usurpers of spoilers begot-
ten,
Can rule on forever, and never restore?
ut is false! 1t is false. By the justice of
The tears shed in misery. sorrow ana
pain.
The red blood i'll torrents by patriots given,
Can never appeal TO just God in yain.''
The programme closed with brief
address by Rev. A. McNulty, i'll which
he said force of mind against mind, and
not force of arms, is what will win ma
| tIonal independence for Ireland.