Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-01-13
A. I. H. 5. ANNUAL
New York's New Police Commissioner Talked to
 the BanQueters.


 sioner William McAdoo was 1lnani- mously reelected president-general of the American-Irish Historical society at it's meeting last night at the Hotel Manhattan. The dinner that followed was the largest yet given by the asso- ciation. Recorder Golf, Dr Henry A. Brann and Thomas F. Smith were among the new members elected. At the head table with Commissioner Me- Ad0o were John D. Crimmils, Justice O'Gorman, the recorder, Stephen Ear reilly, David Mcclure and former Sem ator O'Sullivan.
 I MT McAdoo said that the presiden- cy-general of the society was an honor greater than any the municipality could bestow upon him, and added, i'll humorous vein. referring to some Of those present:
 If I seemed to be late tonight it was because l was kept at headquar- ters by the receipt of general alarm from Boston informing us that Jeff Roche and Old Man Smith were about to invade our town. I've got the re- serves ready for them if anything oc- CUTS"
 On previous occasion it took the Boston contingent three days to get home. Mir McAdoo continued:
 You know the objects of this society and it has been great regret to me that these objects have not been for warded better. l believe that this So- ciety should have many branches, and with such splendid material elsewhere all of Us are anxious to see it grow and have branches started in Boston, Chi cago and San Francisco. If we take hand now we can more than treble oru members. We owe it to our race to do this. Our object is to vfndicate, illustrate and set forth the part which the Irish have taken in the formation. preservation and continuance of this American republic.
 1sThe Irish have been more handi- capped than any other race that ever landed uopn these shores. They had gone through TOO years Of struggle. Condemned to bc illiterate, hampered in their conscience through enforced bigotry, libelled in literature and cag- featured on the stage, the poor Irish man put his foot on the American shore armed with nothing but his vir- tues and defended simply by his cour- age. His first act was to preserve this country. He filled the army of Washington. An Irishman struck the first blow on the sea. But, un-s fortunately. in the history that fol lows, Irish names have been obscured and lost. There are millions of names that have been Anglicized out of all recognition of their Irish ances- try, and the glorious part their ances- tors played has been either forgotten or maliciously destroyed No coun- try in Europe has given such glorious support to this republic as Ireland.
 II claim for the Irish this: That in the performance of the duties of cit izenship there are none so undeviat- ingly loyal to the principles of the constitution as the Irish are. If you raise the moral issue to touch the, con- science of the public there are no cit izens so quick to feel 1t and so ready to respond as the Irish. I Gentlemen, the Irish are on trial now in this country. This Is the first age when Irish genius has had a chance to win on it's merits. We will be judged by what we do here. We must not be allowed to suffer by the act of any Irishman. The worst enemy of the Irish in America is an Irishman who proves unfaithful to of ficia1 trust.
 We are to preserve the true history of our people in the United States. We are to teach the third and the fourth and the tenth generations that they are not only descendants of q proud and glorious race of the old world, but that in the new land from the days of O'Brien of Machias they may be proud of their forbears and feel that the 1rishman in the United States not alone stands for the flag, but that in his citizenship and in his fidelity to official obligations shall be accounted among those who have not only raised this country's material greatness. but have also helped her toward higher moral ideas.'
 Dr Andrew M, Sherman of Morris town read paper on Captain Jere- miah O'Brien of Machias. "the first man to haul down a British flag upon the seas.'' Other speakers were J. I. c. Clarke, Thomas Gargan and John D. Crimmins.