The morning news., 1894-05-06
GREAT !RISH-AMERICANS.
They Achieved EminanCe in Political,
Intellectual and Industrial Life.

A Retrospective View Shows a Long
List of Great Irishmen In the Affairs
of This Country-Many of Them Men
of the South.
Washington Letter in the Philadelphia Record
The notably successful career, with
such small beginnings, of my excellent
friend, MIR. Walsh, the new senator from
Georgia, leads me to some reflections on
the prominent positions achieved by Irish
men in the political, intellectual and in
dustrial life of the nation, since the
foundation of the government.
1t was IN Pennsylvania that one of the
earliest of Irish settlements was made.
James Logan, of Lurgan, and others, in
$685. came with William Penn to his new
plantation. Logan became prominent
and powerful, and governed for two years
after the death of Penn. He was a
tolerant man for his day, for in l70S Penn
wrote him from London: There is COM
plant against your government, that YOU
suffer public mass in scandalous man
ner. Pray send the matter of fact, for i'll
use is made of it against US here"
Speaking of Penn, l wonder if the
benignant William will turn over in his
grave and his simple quaker spirit ex-
pand to bursting when he contemplates
the high-fown notions and high-prieed
doings of his erstwhile modest people,
when they hoist his huge bronze counter
felt presen tment 560 feet in the air to the
top of his 500, 1000, 900 perch.
IRIsHMEN IN AMERICA.
Some sixty or seventy years ago the
population of Ireland was nearly 8, 600, 00O
1t is now about 4,000,000 In fact, it is
estimated that America has, since the
revolution, absorbed 5000, 600 of Irish
citizens! An Irishman said to me re-
Gently that this is an Anglo Celtic rather
than an Anglo-SaxOn country, anyhow
An old chronicle informs me that the
arrivals at the port of Philadelphia for
the year ending December, 1929 from all
European nations, aggregated 6,308, of
whom 5,655 were Irish, which shows that
there were good many Irish on Chest
nut street long time ago. Maryland at
tracted many Irish Catholics The Irish
population of Virginia, chiefly settled
along the Blue Ridge, included such
names as McDowells, Breckinridges, Nc
Duties and McGruders, ''all active and
progressive spirits" The Kentucky
branch, at least, of one of these distip-
what high reputation for activity and
progress.
A considerable Irish colony was estab-
lished in South Carolina, and among the
settlers in the country of the Waxhaw
Indians we find the now famous names
Rutledge, jackson and Calhoun.
James Moore, an Irishman, who headed
the revolution of 1905, was the first elect
i've or peoples governor of North Caro-
V,.fo
good shots and good story tellers who
were comrades of the intrepid Daniel
Boone in the settlement of Kentucky.
PREJUDICE IN NEW ENGLAND.
In early days great prejudice existed
in New England against the Irish, chiefly
due to religious intolerance, but as early
as 1857. so strong had the spirit Of organ
lied charity and mutual helpfulness ever
been among this race, forty gentlemen
of the Irish nation, Irish Presbyterians
all, formed a charitable society in Boston
to help the deserving unfortunates of
their own people without any design,
however. of not contributing toward the
provision of the town poor in general, as
usual"
That ancient and honorable body, the
Hibernia Society of Philadelphia, ac-
complishes yearly, learn, a wonderful
table work.
In 1775 MAD Anthony Wayne. Will
liam Irving, William Thompson, Walter
Stewart, Stephen Moylan and Richard
Butler, all Irishmen, were PENNSYLVANIA
colonels, and their commands formed IN
part the famous Pennsylvania Line"
Pennsylvania not only furnished a large
contingent of gallant Irishmen to swell
the ranks of the revolutionary forces. but
the Irish merchants of PhiladelDhia
Joined heartily in the movement to pro-
vide the sinews Of war by the esta blish-
ment Of bank TO sustain the army, and
on June II, 1870, twenty Of them sub
scribed $500, 00O
Mr. John Dunlap, native of Strabane.
who in 1771 issued the Pennsylvania
Packet (the first daily paper published in
not only printed the Declara-
tion of Independence, but was captain Of
the first troop Of Philadelphia horse, and