Waterbury Democrat., 1901-03-05
EMMET'S MEMMORY'.
A Fitting Celebration in Honor of His Birth.
Patriotic Flags, Pictures and Bunting Decorated City Hall Stage Last Evening-Interestin Musical ana Literary Program and q Patriotic Speech By Joseph J. Hall.

Evening-1nterestlnS MuSlcal anu
 Literary Program and Patriotic
 Speech By Joseph J. Hall.
 The Emmet celebration in City hall last night under the auspices or the Patrick Sarsfield club was q DlS success. The stage was tastel ully decorated with American and lrlsn flags and q life size painting or Emmet with the last paragraph from his famous speech in the dock printed on the bottom of the canvas as fol lows
 When my country takes its place among the nations of the earth then and not till then let my epitaph be written. l have done."
 . William Moher. chairman Of the committee of arrangements, presided The musical program, as announced, was carried out in q very credlIaple manner. all the numbers being re- ceived with great applause.
 The Honorab bic Joseph J. Hall Of Naugatuck. delivered an address, brim- full of patriotism and pithy refer ences to the Irish question and dld it with a vim and spirit which pleased everybody. At different times during the speakers remarks the applause was so deafening that the aldermen, " ed their eyes towards the ceiling and acted as if they feared that the build ing was about to come down on Thelf heads. NIr Hall said in part:
 The political history of Robert Emmet is brief. but it has won for him the undying love of his country men, and caused his name to become a household word wherever our Ian suage is spoken. In the years of 1SOo and 1891 he travelled considerably i'll Europe, visiting France, Spain. SwitZ- erland and Holland. with q view of obtaining more military information, and on his return home. he put him. self in communication with the most trustworthy patriots of '9S- In 1le fall of 1892. he laid his plans for the accomplishment of his object, ln- dependantly of French aid, of which, by this time he had good reason to despair. and secretly busted himself in forming depotS for arms and ann munition throughout the city of Dub lin. All his plans were arranged with the greatest skill and forethouSht, ana were pronounced by veteran generals to be incapable of improvement. The holy work to which he had dedicated his life however, was destined to be- come q failure for circumstances over which he had no control. hastened by treachery and incompetency on the part of those in whom he had undOuDt- ed confidence. intercepted his plans one by one, and finally on the 23d of July. 1903. he saw with pain ana humiliation the complete destructlon Of his fondest hopes. In this terrible crisis when victory was assured be- yond doubt to the enemies of his cOun- try our hero was besought by his friends to make his escape without delay and although he had ample time to save his life ill this manner he re- fused until he should at least bid fare well to his betrOthed Sarah Curran. that patriotic lady who had promised 10 become the partner of his trials and sufferings. While on his way to see her. a pleasure. however which he was destined never to enjoy. he was ar rested by Major Sirr and on the 18th of September. the same year. was sen tenced to death by Lord Norbury and executed on the following morning. Mindful of our hero's dying wish that his body should not be mutilated. his enemies in their thirst for revenge. caused his head to be severed from his body, and held up in view of his hor- ror-stricken and heartbrOken friends, while the bloody eXecutioner eXclaim- ed: "Behold the head of a traitor.' The indecent haste and the fevolting and inhuman manner which England employed to accomplish this judicial murder, make one of the darkest pages of her history and have earned q 1nalediction for her name wherever on 1he habitable globe. 1rishmen are to be found. pr Madden. speaking about the inSurrectiOn of 1903. called 1t an ill-starred movement. Aye. it waS indeed. without doubt an ill., starred movement, for lack of organi- zation. misunderstanding and treach- cry. strangled it at it's birth. The two movements of '9S and 1909 robbed Ire land and the cause of liberty of many distinguished heroes. foremost among whom were Lord Edward Fitzgerald, Wolf Tone. William Orr, the Sheares brothers, Oliver Bond. Thomas Rus sell and Robert Emmet. forming q bright galaxy of magnificent stars, whose splendid brilliancy will con- tinue to illumine the pathway of Irish freedom while the grass grows above the premature graves of those heroes. NIr friends. I need not have told you any part of the political history of this noble minded youth. for it is indelibly ingrown, not only on the heart and memory of every IriShman who loves the land of his birth, but on those of his offspring, as well, no matter where they may have been born. It may not be out of place, a5 time to time, by a reference to some of his deeds of courage and patriotism, with q view of keeping enkindled in the breasts of our cOuntrymen an un- dying admiration for him who sought to walk in the footsteps of George Washington. and a sense of betterness and uncompromiSing resistence towards that infamous government whose unions dared to murder. one of the noblest types of Gods image and likeness. I}cannot speak calmly and dispassionately when I reflect upon the prosecutions to which my fathers countrymen were subjected for seven centuries of English misrule. I can not speak calmly when I think of the penal laws. the coercion acts. the Eng fish, made famines, the emigrant ship, the dungeon. the gibbet and every other device which tyranny could in vent and oppression fashion into use for the purpose of exterminating and degrading our people, that their per secutors might the more easily rob them of the fruits of their toil as well