Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1899-02-25
Never PrOuder of His Ameri-
canism Than When Going
to the Front.
Irish Have No Apologies to Offer
For Their Past Deeds i'm
America.
SHAMES THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

Society to its President, Major T.. T. Nc
Crystal, of the Sixty-ninth regiment, was
a most successful and enjoyable affair,
says the Irish World. Seventy five men,
bers were present and large number of
guests. Mr.. Pierce Kent presided and
opened the post prandial exercises by
few remarks in Gaelic, in which he ex-
pressed the pleasure of the members of
the society in having the President among
them again. and said that although this,
like all the society's reunions, was in
formal, there were few set toasts. The
first lin most daring and objectionable
disregard of the etiquette established by
the New York Chamber of Commerce.,
was the president of the United States, 4"
which was suitably responded to by Mr..
Denis A. Spellessy. "Our Guest" was
proposed by the Hon. Joseph F. DAILY,
ex-Judge of the Supreme Court, who
paid a high tribute to Major McCrystal
for his personal qualities, his work IN the
Gaelic Society and his record in the
Sixty-ninth regiment. Major McCrystal,
on rising to respond, received an ovation,
being cheefed again and again. He
spoke briefly in Gaelic, thanking the So
ciety for the very warm reception they
had given him. and afterward spoke in
English, as follows:
My Dear Friends of the Gaelic Soci-
ETY.: If ever l needed any evidence or
held any doubt as to my status among
the workers in the Gaelic movement, it
has been set at rest. The warmth and
heartiness with which you have welcomed
my return to your ranks would more
than please and delight one who knew
you less than do What then can you
conceive my feelings to be who know
your goodness, earnestness and loving
ness so we'll and who has worked so long
in your ranksl confess to you now that
l am completely overpowered by this
ovation and the many beautiful express
sions of undying friendship and love
conveyed by the speakers who have just
preceded me. The other evening when
: dEopped into the society's room to sur
prise you in your work the heartiness
and sincerity of your welcome robbed me
of the power of speech; and tonight
though have had some time to rest,
confess to you and plead that am left
in like condition. For this manifesto
ton, for this evidence of your esteem,
know not words wherewith to express
the gratitude feel and my appreciation
of your wholesouled good will.
But, my dear Gaelic friends, 1 can
scarcely take it as tribute to my per-
sonal worth alone Though, as 1 said to
you on Wednesday evening last, have
returned to render to you an exact ac-
counting of my stewardship, but rather
because I am one who represents the
high principle by which every Celto-
American is and should be moved-un-
swerviug loyalty to the land of our adop-
ton, as we'll as to the land from whence
we or our fathers came. take it that
in honoring me here tonight as your
President, the Gaelic Society seeks to
do honor i'll like manner to my gallant
comrades of the Sixty-ninth regiment,
who nine months ago broke every tie that
bound them to those whom they held
dear, and lightly passed to the front to
prove to the world that no more loyal
defenders of the stars and stripes could
be found than among the children Of
"Graine Mhaol." And though it was not
the good fortune of our regiment to ex-
hibit on the field Of blood and strife the
courage and logged loyalty which had
marked it in the civil war, there were
few who doubted its ability to do So
When this strife broke out, as one of
those who had been serving in the State
Guard, l felt myself as an American, as
a soldier and as one who never was and,
pray God, never will be recreant to his
race, its hopes and traditions, in honor
bound to respond to the call for men to
defend the honor of my adopted land;
and so, too, my regiment responded,
without regard to State lines, without
evasions or qualifications of any char
acter; and l say to you, my friends, you
who have known me so long and so well,
never felt prouder of my Americanism,
of my Irish blood and of my faithful
service of eighteen years than on the
oath day of May last, when we passed
through New York on our way to the
front. not knowing who might return.
And there were and are reasons why we
should be proud. The call to arms
lighted the martial fires in many an Irish
heart; the response of New Works. Irish
Sixty-ninth met an echo in the Ninth
Massachusetts,, the Seventh Illinois, the
Sheridan Guard, of Manchester, N. H.;
the Wolfe Tone Guard, of st. Louis, as
we'll as of Detroit; the First California,
the Emmet Guard, of Washington, and
many other companies whose identity is
obscured or lost in various State nu-
merical designations. It was claimed at
the outset of this war that those of our
citizens Of Irish lineage could not be re-
lied upon. and once more, according to
the Anglo-Saxon bogies and the ghosts
of the Scotch Irish myth, it behooved the
Government to look well to it that it had
not nurtured vipers within its bosom.
Never xvae alarm so unnecessary. never