The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-09-22
sRIsHMEN HONOR HIS MEMORY
ON THE CENTENARY or HIS
MARTYRDom.
TWO MEETINGS IN NEW YORK
FORMER SENATOR ToWNE OF
MINNESOTA CHIEF ORATOR AT
THE AUDITORIUM.

Of Music was filled to overlooking last
night by a meeting held under the
auspices of the Clan-Na-Gael, to COM
memorate the centenary Of the martyr
dom of Robert Emmett. The audi
torium was draped with American and
Irish flags, and the Irish national
spirit found expression in continuous
applause as the speakers dwelt upon
Ireland's wrongs and the hopes of
Ireland's sons. State Senator Victor |
H. Bowling presided. Resolutions
were passed declaring the only proper
settlement Of the differences between
Ireland and England to be the aboli-
ton of English rule in Ireland and
pledging the Clan-Na-Gael to work for
the establishment Of. an Irish republic.
The orator of the evening was former
United States Senator Charles A.
Towne of Minnesota. Mr.. Towne pic
tured the scene of Emmett's death,
which he declared was one of the most
pathetic traAedies in all history.
ut is a hopeful spectacle" he said.
"for the man ID the incarnation OF an
idea, and that. pleases God, nothing
can ever kill"
After referring to the incident of the
executor lifting Emmett's severed
head and crying out, this is the head
of a traitor" the speaker continued:
Honor to a Martyr.
"That was one hundred years ago and
we are assembled here tonight to do
honor to the memory, not of a traitor,
but to n whose name is written
among the foremost martyrs for the
cause of liberty. So long as there is
injustice, the Irish will resent it. We
are here to renew our allegiance to the
cause for which Emmett died. We
are here to reaflrm our fealty to that
great principal upon which the Ameri-
can republic was founded, and upon
which Emmett wished to found an
Irish republic, namely. the natural
right of every nation to have the guild
nee of it's own affairs. The right to
independence is just as inherent in
the nation as the right to life and
liberty is to the individual. The
highest right in the world is to main
tain the nations liberty and the obi
cation to maintain it dwarfs all other
duties"
Six thousand. persons gathered in
Carnegie Hall last night to do honor
Z SlIS llOl11Sly vi wv I'LL
der the auspices of the United Irish
league. Among those present were
Mendez Capot Of the Cuban senate.
and General w. S. Menocal Of the Gu
ban finance committee. Tomas Els
trada Palma. son Of the Cuban presi-
dent, was on the platform with his
American wife. Young Palma was in
troduced and acknowledged the honor
with a brief speech.
William Temple Emmett, great
grand nephew of the Irish martyr, was
present, as was also Theodore Wolf
Tone Maxwell, grandson of Wolf Tone.
The members of the family of Thomas
Adds Emmett were also present.
Cannot Locate Emmett's Grave.
Rev. Charles McCrearv presided. A
cablegram from DIR. Thomas Adds
Emmett, dated Warwick. England,
was read. 1t was as follows:
congratulations on centennial.
Wish. I could be with you. Have
searched Dublin for Robert Emmett's
resting place, but so far. have failed.
I do not despair. 1t may be in accord
with Emmett's wish that his grave
will be found only when his epitaph
shall have been written. Let us work
for that day"
In o speech e~ulogizing Emmett,
Robert Emmett O'Donnell offered the
resolutions of the meeting. The reso-
buttons called attention to the land
bill victory and thanked the United
Irish league for it's work in that direc-
ton.
The orator of the evening was Colo.
mel ]. F. Finerty of CHICAGO. Ameri.
can president of the United Irish
league. The three things that caused
the failure of Emmett's rising, he said
were carelessness. treachery and in
ebrity and, he added:
ANY Irishman who. on a mission for
his country, gets drunk, deserves tc
be shot"
Charles R. Devlin. NJ. p, represent
ing Galway, in place of Colonel Lynch
the Irishman sentenced to life impris
onment. because he fought with the
Beers against England. spoke on con
temporary English politics. When he
mentioned the name of Joseph Cham
berlain, the audience Kissed.
HUGE MEETING AT CHICAGO
n-1-