The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-08-18

given to the world the highest exam
pies OF oratory; they have been dis
tlnguisllcd in poetry and in music. in
business and in craftsmanship; you have
had millions who have taught the world
how to live and you have an Emmett.
who taught the world how to die.
(Cheers and applause)
A Voicc-Your name should be
O'Brien uaughter)
Mr.. Bryan-My friend has tried to in
grat1atc me into your favor by suggest
ing that my name is O'Bricn and not
Bryan. II the gentleman knew as much
about it as | do he would know that
Bryan is the original name and
~ Brlen derivation. (Applausc and
aughter.) When Bryan became king
he put on the co. and the O'Briens
are the descendants OF the king, while
] the Bryans arc the common people who
never got stuck up aboye relative be-
ing king. (Rcnewed laughter and
applause.)
The object OF my speech is practi-
cal one. | want to use this occasion to
point to a great lesson. l believe the
| TACT that this nation has here the repre-.
scntativcs of all OF the races OF Europe
gives it a peculiar advantage among the
nations. The fact that the best blood
OF all civilized races minglcs here in
the development OF the American char
acter enables the nation to turn upon
every question the light OF universal
history and avoid the dangers from
which other nations have suffered. Cap
plausc.) When a problem arises in this
country we can look back and find
what has been the experience Of others.
II we know the history OF our own peo>
pie only, we would not be so we'll pre-
pared to detect danger before we suf1e,
from it, but il anyone does not know
the growth OF landlordism and its dan
gers, he has only to ask an Irisl1man
| what landlordism means, and lie need
not read history to find it out. (Grcat
applausc.)
"lf anyone wants to know whether an
alien government is good, all he has to-
| do is to ask an Irishn,an what his opin>
ion is of an alien government, although
the governing power be separated from
the governed only by a narrow channel.
(Applausc.) II you want to know what
militarism is and what its burdens arc,
all you have to do is to ask a German
who came to this country to avoid the
militarism Of the old world. (Applausc)
And SO might go through the expert
cnccs Of other nations. The fact that
VIC have here the representatives OF
these people enables us to scent the
danger from affair and to guard against
their experiences here. And I miss my
guess if the American people, thus made
up, will not dcvclopa civilization higher
greater and more enduring than any
civilization which has preceded ours
(Great applausc)
"Wlcn anyone tells me that VIC want
to initiate Anglo-Saxon civilization, !
higher than any otl1cr-no matter what
it is (Grcat applausc.) I do not mean
to say one word against Anglo Saxons.
| have not a word to say against the
Cclt, the Latin, the Greek or the
Tcuton.
"But I do believe that the American,
in whom are combined the virtues OF
them all, is the greatest citizen the
| world has ever known (grcat applause
and chccring), and that the civilization
to be developed here will lift humanity
to higher plane than it has occupied
in the days gone by. (Rcncwcd APP
p1ausc.) Some people fear that these
elements, brought in from the old
world, will not properly mix here. They
arc mixing and they will mix, and let
me show you what it is that mixes
them and makes them one. We are
quoting Abraham Lincoln now more
than he is quoted by the party which
he led to its first victory, and in reading
a little book recently prepared by DR..
Taylor and Mr.. Fulfllcr. a little book
that is simply a collection OF Lincoln
sayings on political questions. I ran
across a passage which ] thought APP
propriatc for this afternoons gathering.
lie was speaking OF the Declaration Of
Independence. He was speaking OF
those who in the carly days gave to us
that declaration and erected it as a bca-
con light for all postcrity, and after he
| had spoken OF our ancestors in this
country. he used these words: I now
invite your attention: We have besides
these men, descended by blood from
our ancestors, among us, perhaps hall
Our people who arc not descendants at
all OF these men; they arc men who have
come from Europe, German, Irish,
French and Scandinavian--and men
that have come from Europe them
selves, or whose ancestors have come
hi1hcr and settled here, finding them
selves our equals in all things. II they
look back to this history to trace their
connections with these days by blood
they find they have none. They cannot
carry themselves back into that glorious
| IL, n.,I ~ ri, f,ct 1,nt