The Irish standard., 1907-11-02
ROAST FOR BlGOTS.
Miners Magazine Flags the Independ.
ent Order Of Americans.

Miss Mary Cunningham, the pretty
Irish lass whom the late Augustus st.
Gaudens, the famous sculptor, chose
as his model for the new American
coins has Won the lasting good will
Of all lovers of fair play in this coun
try since the opposition to her by an
organization calling itself the Inde-
pendent Order of Americans was made
known. OF this opposition and the
motives which actuated it the follow-
ing vigorous expression appeared in
recent number of the Miners Maga-
zine of Butte:
The Independent Order of Americans.
carried away by race prejudice, has
protested against the image Of a Celtic
face being engraved upon the glitter
ing coins that are 50 dear and precious
to the heart Of Wall street Shylock.
1t is very probable. however, that the
ire Of the Independent Order of Ameri-
! cans has been aroused over the fact
that Miss Cunningham is wage slave
and doomed to manual labor, in order
to live. 1t is probable that this order
Of patriotic American citizens cannot
behold tbat, dignity of labor" so much
talked about by politicians on the eve
of a, staAe or national election. Had
Mary Cunningham been able to trace
| her lineage back to some licentious lord
or gouty duke, or did she come to "the
land of the free and the home Of the
g; brave" heralded as an heress to mil
lions that were extracted from the
sweat and blood Of pauperism in Eu-
rope, in all probability she wudrd have
been banqueted by the Independent
Order of Americans and her beautiful
face would be a subject that would
command the attention of our most
eloquent orators.
But Mary Cunningham was the child
of Impoverished parents. She felt the
sting of want and penury in the land
that gave her birth. She looked with
longing eyes across the waves of the
wide Atlantic and in her dreams there
was pictured to her land of promise,
where the cry of hunger was unheard
and where tyranny had been crushed
by the giant hand of liberty.
Mary Cunningham has a face that
attracted the attention Of the artist.
She brought with her to this country
that priceless gem of won1anhood,
known as virtue, but virtue clad in
calico, is but little appreciated by the
Independent Order of Americans Had
she been the belle of a ball room or Il
society queen in the smart set" or
of the steel trust. or had she been
courted by a. worthless dissipated Count
Boni, her face upon the gold coins of
this country would have been appre-
ciated by every lihertine and sanity
hypocrite who worships with an insane
passion at the shrine of beauty
But Mary Cunningham is poor She
belongs to a race Of people that have
struggled for centuries against wrong
and oppression. She belongs to an
island in the sea whose people have
endured desolation by fire and sword
by famine and scsffold to right the
wrongs that have driven the Irish
race as exiles to every cline beneath
the sun. She is a victim of toll and
her girlish hands bear the callous
scars Of toll. and the dignity of ou,
proud, patrician American citizen must
not be wounded or humbled by Mary's
face resting upon the yellow coins tha,
bribe courts. purchase legislatures and
puts trust magnatc in the senate Of
the United States.
... Many Irish Heroes.