The Irish standard., 1897-06-26
GEN. JAMES R. o'BElRNE'S SPEECH.
"lRELAND IN AMERICAS STRUG-
Giles" Is THE TITLE.
MAJOR GENERAL JOHN SULLIVAN
THE FIRST BLOW AT JOHN BULL
WAS STRUCK BY HIM.

where the big bazar was held, by Gen.
James R. O'Beirne for the benefit of the
st. Vincent de Paul Society, the men,
bership of which in that city is about
1900. Mayor Strong presided and on
the platform were seated Archbishop
Corrigan, Mgr Farley and number of
clergymen and prominent citizens.
Gen. O'Beirne was introduced, and in
his usual eloquent and fowery style he
held the audience spellbound for quite
two hours with the story Of Irelands
brave sons in the struggle against Saxon
tyranny and aggression. The surround
ings, too. were quite native, and were
most potent reminder of the old land.
Surrounded with shamrocks from Down,
flags from Killarney, a taste of the Blar-
ney Stone from Cork, and various other
contributions from almost every county
in Ireland, the brawny sons of st. Patrick
listened with rapt attention to the alb
sorbing and eloquent Grafton of Gen.
O'Beirne, as now and again he lost him.
self in lofty description of heroic charges
and brave feats of manly chivalry on the
battlefield, and again in the not less in
teresting biography Of a Sheridan. a
Shields or Carroll. The purpose, too
for which they had met was one which
was dear to the hearts of all true lovers
Of the old land and their adopted country
and they were undoubtedly determined
to give it a push along on the road to
progress because they had always recog-
nized the principle of making their young
people better citizens, and consequently
better members of society.
In great country like this, said he
any one who has come here ought to be
identified with the country. He should
feel it his duty to take his share of the
public burden as citizen. And this the
Irish have done in all those years that
have passed, and by the best type and
character of citizenship. This little
green flag has climbed to the altitude of
the American flag in hope in trust, in
love, in faith and confidence in the fut-
ure.
1--WE are now entering new era, which
demands that this subject of the position
of the Irish In American political social
and religious life shall be lifted out of
the obscurity in which they have been
placed, and put side by side with their
fellow citizens of other nationalities."
The lecture gave most comprehen-
sive outline of Irish-American history
from the earliest days, commencing with
1641, when Capt Daniel Patrick and Der
by Field were conspicuous figures among
their fellow-immi grants to New England
He reviewed the various waves Of colon
ization as they came upon the shores of
the American continent between the
above date and 1875. dwelling geographic
ally as he proceeded on those who had
been soldiers in those early Irish strlg-
giles against oppression in the old land
and who had become valuable aids to the
colonial government in their campaigns
here, on account of the experience they
had gained on foreign fields. Nor was it
alone in men that the Irish helped the
colonists, but in many other ways, for
right at this juncture the good ship
Catherine Of Dublin brought assistance
for the distress that at this period over
spread the land. No help came from
England at this time; none came from
Scotland. none from Wales, Ireland alone
stands OH record as having given that
relief which that would-be "merciful and
paternal government" denied them in
those dark days Of American history. In
war and in peace it was Ireland that
stood the friend Of New England, and
today in those states there were no more
devoted citizens than the Irish CAD
plause.) The Irish transportation, un-
der Cromwell. to the Barbadoes; the
Pennsylvania settlements under Penn
and Logan; the settlements from Cole
raine. Donegal and other parts Of the
North of Ireland, were each dealt with
to the unbounded honor of the old land
there being ten Irishmen to one from all
the other nations put together. The Nc
Dowells. the Clintons. the Routledges,
the Jacksons. the Calhouns. the Brecken-
ridges and other families were shown to
have arrived in 1887. and later on the
McGregors, the Harlands and the Nc
Brides, who settled in Kentucky and the
South. Then we got the Buffers, who
settled in New Hampshire and Vermont.
All these threw their entire weight into
the colonial scale and volunteered into
the American service. Round after
round Of applause greeted the lecturer
as he recounted in eloquent terms the
bravery of Major General John Sullivan
and John Langdon in storming with
few men Forts William and Mary, cap
turing 100 barrels of powder; taking the
garrisons prisoners. with all their arms
and guns. and subsequently using the
material against the enemy at the famous
battle of Bunker Hill. Nor were Stark,
Reid. Irwin, Knox. McCleary. Stewart.
Sherman, Moylan and Schuyler forgotten
in this roll of honor. nor their feats of
valor and their unequaled bravery on
many of the fields from the Hudson to
Ticonderoga. Side by side with these
brave men were the Jesuits, who were In