The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-07-09
Mr.. Michael Cusack-Oh, no, not mis-
erably cloud cries of "Order'')

oply uIeillt W CldracleIlZc tnC treat
ment to which he was subjected cloud
cheers. But he was assassinated
(hear hear) by cowa rdly and base
enemy, who has never known in all its
history the nobility Of being generous
to foe they feared (hear. hcar), and
they did fear Wolfe Tone (cheers).
But, as said he was cut off in the early
flower of his manhood. Few men have
done anything to be proud OF before
they were S5 years of age, and reading
for the third or fourth time that won-
derful book which contains the journals
and memoirs Of Wolfe Tone, l came
Tono in the town OF Rouen in France
where he was endeavorng to organize
the last expedition, that fatal expedition
on which he fell into the hands of his
enemies. On the Goth of June he wrote:
To-day is my birthday; | am 80 years
of age. More than half the career of
my life is finished, and how little have
l yet been able to do" What re-
proacll is contained to many of us who
live in these days in that entry in the
journal of Wolfe Tone Great heavens.
if IL man nowadays, an lrishmnn, or n
man belonging to any other race. ccnld
claim that before his 35tl birthday he
had succeeded in achieving the work
which Wolfe Tone had achieved | think
he would have some fair reason 10 be
proud of his achievement (appausc).
What had he done? Wolfe Tone was a
young Irish Protestant brought up in
Trinity college. and amongst a set
which were to /; large extent filled with
the same narrow prcjudicrs which, !
regret to say, exist amongst Il large
number of the people of this city today.
He might have trod the path which was
open to every man, not only Of genius,
but of ordinary intelligence in those
days, lie might have been wealthy, and
he might have had Il life of prosperity,
but by tho force Of his own genius and
the mighty sympathics of his wide and
all-embracing nature In his earliest
youth. l might almost say in his boy
hood, he shook off the shacklcs and
brushed aside the prcJudicos of those
amongst whom he was brought up. and
he saw that tho hope OF Ireland lay in
bringing into u national movement the
masses OF his Catholic follow country
casts and pnriahs in the land that gave
them birth (hcar, hear). And carly in
l191 Wolfe Tone published that famous
pamphlet entitled "An Argument on
Behalf of the Irish Catholics" signed by
AN Ulster Whig," which, taken to-
gcthcr with his own pamphlets. puts
him MS a political writer and statesman
On the same level as Jonathan Swift.
That pamphlet was the beginning from
which dated really the liberties OF the
Irish Catholics. 1t was seen by The
leaders of tho Catholic committee of
that day, who Just at that period de-
serted by all tho Catholic swcls. The
aristocracy had walked out and the
Catholic committee were deserted by
all the Catholic mon of property and
were in low water They took ND
Wolfe Tones pamphlet, aud to their
everlasting honor, having got rid of the
aristocracy, they said: This is our
man to carry on our work." and they
found he was II young Protestant out of
Trinity college They made him the
secretary of tho Catholic committee,
ncf I, 1,,,j n,I..,
three or four years they placed on roe
ord in the vote of thanks they passed
to him, that for the services he had
rendered to the Catholics of ireland, no
remuneration could ever repay them
Cloud chccrs). He was IL soldier, he
was Il statesman, he was the equal
claim it without fear OF contradiction,
had a happier future smiled upon him,
had he the same advantages which were
given to the soldiers and statesmen of
l'rancc--he was the equal of any of
their great men, And, shall It be said
no. God forbid--that we. the fellow
countrymen Of Wolfe Tone, because
owing to circumstances which he was
unable with all his genius to overcome,
he was denied that success, and that
fame which rewarded the revolutions
aries and statesmen of France, shall II
be said that we. his cOuntrymcn, are
less proud of him because he failed,
and died for Ireland, than the French
arc of their losses Cloud cheers? No,
thank God, whatever may be said
against the Irish race, 1t will never lie
in tho mouth of any man to say that
they arc afraid or ashamed to celebrate
the memory of those who failcd and
give up their lives in their service.
hear men beside me on the platform say
he did not fail. That was exactly what
| was coming to. He failed to hunt the
English out of Ireland, Which was the
object of his life. ] wish to God it had
succeeded Cloud cheers. But no doubt
in wider and more enduring sense no
man who has led the life of Wolfe Tone,
and no man who has done what he has
done for his country can be said to have
failed (chcers). II we arc here tonight,
and if the mighty demonstrations which