The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-03-14
LEADvILLE, COLO.
The Irishmen of Leadville Honor
Roberts Emmet-Father Glib
bons' Tribute,

Thursday night. March 4, at City
hall the Knights of Robert Emmett rcele-
brated their anniversary with one of
the most enjoyable banquets of the
season. There We're about 200 present.
Before the banquet there was pro-
gramme of speeches and music which
was arranged with the view of giving
the best that local talent could pro-
duce. After the dinner which was
served in Miller's best style, dancing
was INDUCED in until late hour. The
arrangements were in charge of. a COM
mittee of which Ed ]. McCarty was the
chairman.
The first number on the programme
was piano solo by Miss Mary Multi
gan. j. j. Gibbons, pastor of the
Church of the Annunciation, delivered
the Grafton of the evening. Rev. j. j.
Gibbons spoke as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen: We have
come here this evening to honor a
man who offered W his life for civil
and religious liberty on the altar of
his country nearly century ago. That
man was Robert Emmett. His gener-
Gus and unselfish sacrifices were ac-
cepted not only by Ireland but by
every downtrodden and prosecuted peo-
pie in the whole world.
What greater action can the most
brave perform than to give up his life
for an enslaved friend or his country
which had suffered from famine, OPP
preston, and persecution for 800 years?
This Robert Emmett did.
We may truthfully say that of all
the great men of modern times who
bestowed benefits on the human race,
Robert Emmett, during his life, gave
the least. His revolution of 1903 was
a failure in organization, execution and
permanent results, save that it forged
new chains for his already impover-
iShed county, filled the land again with
foreign troops, sent many patriots TO
the gallows and thousands to exile. In
the revolution of 1885, Emmett watched
and guided the contest by his advice
and influence from Trinity college. The
people were crushed and thousands of
simple peasants. without arms, disci-
pline or organization, were slaughtered.
We know how the sympathies of that
young and patriotic heart went out to
the insurgents at Oulart Hill, Ennis
corthy and Wexford where they
gained their first victories and struck
a telling blow for freedom. Those vic
tories, however, were born of despera-
ton. Emmett could not believe it, The
patriots. he thought, needed only a
leader whose whole heart and soul
would be animated by unselfishness for
the inherent rights. born with every
man and set forth in our own Declara-
ton of Independence. These he had
read and studied at his mothers knee
when a boy These he proclaimed for
ireland to ProtestantS and Catholics
alike in 1903. But the revolution was
a failure: indeed. so small and menlal
was the rising that one squadron OF
cavalry cleared the streets of Dubiln
and this ardent young leader, VINO
neither manifested the genius OF a
statesman nor the qualities of COM
nander, was hanged as traitor
Surely the immortal Wolfe Zone
who courted death for three hours IN
naval conflict. was as brave, as patrl-
otto and as self-sacrificing as Emmett,
vet his name is almost forgotten Whlle
that of Emmett grows brighter with
every succeeding 4th of March. HIS
story is told in every tongue; his
speech in the dock commented on by
every critic, praised by every orator.
and wept over by every true PATRON
of Ireland Modern heroes ana war
riorS dwindle into lnslSnlllcdiice oe.Ol
him. We scarcely now hear OF Ma
noleon. at the shock OF whose arms
Europe trembled to its very founda-
ton: or wellington, who was looked
upon as its savior. So. too. with the
orators of that period-Henry Grattanl'
John Philpot Curran, Daniel O,Connel,
Flood Burke, and a host OF others
whose genius and intellectual acumen
must ever stand recorded in letters OF
gold on the pages of modern history;
They are now scarcely ever recalled
from the halls of memory. But En-
met lives and 6reatne les, IN n ' hver rai land
under the sun. ., fo,.
Certainly there must be a cause 1of
ory since all nations love him,
II cannot and it in his DEEDS EDS 1 ;a
valor. in his victories in the field IN
his Great craftsmanship. or in the
banefits he bestowed upon Ireland IN