The Irish standard., 1906-10-27
Says WeAre at the Beginning Of the Greatest
Movement in America in Twenty
five Years.
To-Day, More Than Ever Before, All Races
and Creeds Stand as Unit Behind
the Irish Demand.

America of all races and creeds and
parties, stands as a unit behind the
Irish demand.
From the hotel-the most beautiful
hotel I ever saw-foated the green
flag, with harp in it's center, and ev-
erybody in short wanted by some act,
large or small, to let me know that he
was a friend, and friend Of our
cause.
Then came the meeting in the Acad-
emy of Music. 1t is a hall l know well.
Twenty-six years ago l stood on its
platform and as l looked up to its vast
size, to- its magnificent distances, to its
tier upon tier ending in boxes that
seemed so far off as to make the faces
of their occupants be dim and un-
recognizable throngs, 1 was seized
with stage fright, and for awhile was
unable to begin my speech.
1 might have felt the same sensation
now but for the splendor of the recep-
tion and the enthusiastic friendship all
around me- which cast out all fear. Mr..
Pennypaoker, the governor of the state,
occupied the chair, and Ryan read out
a list of names of governors and SEN
ators, something like forty in each
case. which showed that every man OF
prominence in the political life of
America wants to be identified with
the Irish cause.
When I contemplated the vast audi
ence realized the supreme fact that
the feeling for Ireland among our peo-
pie here is just as strong, just as res
olute, and just as ready to work and
to sacrifice as ever it was. Take this
from me, that if we do not get all the
financial, moral, and material sup
port from America we require to help
us through the last stages of our
struggle. the fault will be with us and
not with them. 1t is mainly, it is al
most entirely, matter Of organization
and of work, and especially Of fre-
quent visits of our members to this
country.
I pass over the proceedings of the
first day of the National Convention.
Everything in America is done with a
certain strict and almost legal ad-
hesion t., rule which rather surprises
one accustomed to our rough and
ready methods, and day is always
given up to the appointment of COM
mittees, whose duty it is to prepare
for presentation to the full convention
the different subjects that. are to be
debated. The platform to an Irishman
was full of poignant interest. 1t was
almost like living over again all the
history of the Irish struggle in its
various phases since the day when
first realized what the struggle was.
O'Donovan Rosa was there and at
once I went back to the hours of my
early boyhood, when breathless, excit-
ed, angry. full of hopeless pity, read
in the Irish papers the story of that
wondrous duel between him in the
dock and the miscreant Keogh on the
bench, with it's tragic ending in sem
tence for him of life imprisonment.
O'Meagher Condor, too, was there,
and his presence recalled that other
great trial which ended on the scaf-
fold in Manchester. and 1 saw again
the dock from which O'Meagher Con-
don uttered the words God save Ire
land" and gave to Ireland her battle
cry and slogan for many generation
to come. Well knit in frame, young in
face, with a small bristling mustache
well groomed, O'Meagher Condor
might stand for portrait Of the typi-
cal soldier in retreat. He spoke sever
al times at the meeting, public and
private, and this daring soldier, ardent
as ever in his love for Ireland, is now
one Of the most resolute supporters OF
the Irish party.