The Irish standard., 1898-11-19
ENTERTAINING C0NrR BUTTON
From DR.. Thomas Dunn English.
Author of Ben Bolt"
SETTLE in MOUNTAIN REGIONS
The First to Tread the Soil of the
Western World.

DR.. Thomas Dunn English best known
perhaps as the author of Ben Bolt"
though he has written other works Of
note and has achieved some distinction
in the national legislature has an in
teresting artice in the New York Times
on The Irish in America" He writes
Recently at public banquet l was
called on to speak on the subject of the
Irish race in America. What ! said was
eXtcmporancous and discurslve. but it
prompted me to reproduce it in a more
formal way. do this because few peo-
pie seem to have considered the great
work which the Irish have done in the
development of this country. We hear
occasionally of some Irishman boasting
of martial deeds done by many of his
countrymcn in our colonial, revolutions
airy and Dost-rev0lntionary wars. He
dwells with some pride upon the feats
or Jack Barry and Moylan, not unfre-
quently forgetful of Wayne. Sullivan,
Meade and others of Irish descent He
done as a part of our civil history and
in the reduction to settlement of n large
portion OF the country. He does not
KNOW nor do many Americans consider,
how great is the infusion of Irish blood
in the people of the United States.
Irish immigration to this side of the
ocean began at the very beginning 1t Is
claimed, and believe with justice, that
when Columbus first landed the bowman
OF the boat which brought him to shore
and who sprang on the sand to steady
the little bark as il struck had been
born In Ireland. and thus an Irishman
vas the first to tread the soil of the
western world. In the first settlement
made in Virginia. which was anterior to
that of jamestown. and which mysteri-
ously disappeared there OCCURS the
name of an lrishman, which, oddly
enough, is the same as my own. Even
with the puritans there was another Of
the same name. He was only n servant
and died without issue. 1t was not long,
however, before the Irish came in
swarms. From about the close Of the
Sixteenth century down to the present
time. between 1O,OOO,0OO and 10000, 900
OF people left Ireland, and of these at
least 100000 came direct to the British
colonies here and to the states which
succeeded them. Many of these did not
come with Irish names. While for a
tf,,,x,
deportation of thousands of Irish politi-
cal Offenders that policy was at length
abandoned. But the knsfolks of those
who had gone and others who had heard
Of the marvellous prosperity to be found
in the new world followed them. The
western coast of Ireland had little or no
commercial connection with our conti-
ncnt, and many Of those who sought
America from that quarter did SO i'm
mcdiatcly through vessels which had
traffic with France or Spain. Those
from the central and eastern portions OF
Ireland frequently crossed the channel
and made their voyage in English ships.
They very often took new names for pur-
poses OF conccalmelt, either by translat-
ing the original Irish into English, or by
adopting such common English names
as White, Black, Brown, Green, Gray, or
that any fancy might dictate. These
names were generally retained on this
side of the Atlantic. so as not to arouse
the prejudice of their English neighbors.
In the Eighteenth century, as well as in
the latter part Of the Seventeenth, Phil
adelpha, then the great commercial port,
was the spot Of the greatest debarkation
Of the Irish hosts. While many remain
cd in tho East, there was a time when
greater portion pushed their way into
the western wilds, where land could be
had for the asking. They scattered them
selves over the slopes of the great Alle-
ghany range and it's various spurs and
tributaries From Londonderry, in New
Hampshire down to Coleraine and Mur-
ply, in the far South, the history of the
section and its continued warfare with
the savages Is filled up with the names
of Irish sound and with other names not
SO distinctive of men of Irish descent.
In the East the Irish names, mostly
of men of Irish stock, are prominent in
our annals.
Nine presidents Of the United States
were of the Irish race. One of these,
Jackson. was born so soon after his par
cnts' coming that he narrowly escaped
being ineligible to the presidency. It ,
may be remarked here that two Of his
able lieutenants at the battle of New
OrIeans-Carroll and Coffey-were de-
srnndants of Irishmen. 1t could not we'll
have been otherwise. The descendants
lie 12cC2,oo0 of immigrants numbet
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