The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-04-08
TRIBUTE TO IRIsHMEN.
New York Times Pays a Splendid
testimonial to the Many Excel
lent Qualities of the
Sons of Erin.

| why IS 1T in these modern times
| When we all profess to abhor war that
II by chance statesman, poet. scholar
preached or teacher gets on his fest to
eXtol the virtues of a.5race, he straight
way begins to call the roll of those
| members of it who have, distinguished ID
| themselves in War?l+
No doubt President Roosevelt pleased
ms st. Patrick's Day dinner audience
when he told thsIqs how Barry had
helped to build up sour infant navy.
how Montgomery fell so gloriously at
C4uebec, how Sullivan conquered the
1rnquois, how mad Anthony Wayne
fought like tiger against the British.
and how Andrew Jackson of the old
irish stock bscame "the victor of New
orleans The tributes he paid to
tnoSe brave men, were deserved but
where one American of the Irish strain
mas won distinction upon the field of
battle ten thousand Irishmen guilt
less of their country's blood" or of any
other blood, have given their unspar-
ing toll to develop the resources of the
united states of America. We should
cut pretty poor figure if the fighting
OF our Irish generals had not been sup
plemented by the labor of Irishmen
who have built our railroads. cleared
our forests, worked our mines, and
manned our shops and factories. That
mas been the great work of the sturdy
irish race i'll this country; the .presi-
dent made mere reference to it whsn
he spoke of the Irish virtue of work
ms hard in time of peace adding, of
course, and fighting hard in time of
war. 1t would have been tempera-
impossible for Mr. Roosevelt
to leave that out,
The president may know. but he
would not disclose that knowledge, that
the Irish are frst-rate farmers-among
the very best that ever put plow into
American soil. Many an indomitable
toller of that race has taken farm
which successive New England Yam
KEGS had failed to get living on, and
by downright hard work with head and
hands has made it support a good
sized family and build up for him a
small perfume, as fortunes go in the !
farmers calling The Irish are great !
managers of man elsewhere than on
oattlef1elds. Great numbers of the |
most successful contractors in the |
country are Of Irish blood. Subtract |
Vhat these generals on peaceful fields |
nave done with their men and their
from the sum total of our
achievements, and we should be a good
ieal less advanced than this year of
'race finds US, New York would have
10 subway, for instance. The presi-
lent alluded in a perfunctory sort of
way to what men of the Irish race
laVe done for the artistic and literary
tevelopment of the country, and men
Toned in passing their standing at the
ench and at the bar, in business and
tatesmanshfp. But of all the races
ut of which this great American blend
as bsen made the Irish are. present.
ent in politics. The president knows
hat, certainly. His own skill in that
rt tends powerfully to confirm the
radition that there is an Irish admiX-
lre in the hot Batavian ichor that tu-
lultuously courses through his veins.
though the aptitude of the Irish for
oiitics is proverbial probably the
resident felt that he might be eonsid-
'ed rather delicate ground, and, be-
g much more regardful of the SEN
ments of his hosts than our present
at the court of ST. James L
1owed himself to be upon similar
icaslon, he kept within the safe line
complimentary platitudes, chiefly /
bout the Irish warriors. For our part
seams not at all right that the Irish
ms that have tugged and the Irish II
lcks that have ached in making this
'untry what 1t is, should be deprived
their due recognition and need of
aise. The Irish qualities that the
esident chiefly lauded, the qualities
at make the Irish hard fighters In
ar, are common to all the great races
the earth. The qualities that make
EN- indomitable in toll. that make
em so successful in innumerable arts
peace, are not so universally diff
sed among the branches of our hui
an stock that they may be lightly
sssd over by eulogists of the race.