The Irish standard., 1908-04-18

The following address was delivered
by William Jennings Bryan before the
Ancient Order of Hibernians at Wash
inton, D. c., March 26:
as Senator lGore to address you as
"Fellow Irishmen." His ancestors. like
mine, came from Ireland a long time
ago. Before the revolution; but he can
prove to you, whether 1 can or not,
that Irish wit can last many genera
tions after it leaves the old sod.
He has put me rather upon the de-
fensive to start with when he brings
against my ancestors the charge of
emitting the Co." 1 hope, for his own
sake. that he will not repeat that
among the Irishmen of his own state,
for the Irish are Il well-informed peo-
pie and they quickly detect mistakes,
and the Irish know that "O'Bryan' is
simply new name that was formed
from Brian" after Brian became
prominent in Ireland. daughter and
applause.)
If I am correctly Informed, no
OBryan can be found back of Brian
Boru. I have made a careful investi-
cation Of this matter because it is not
the first time that the charge has been
made against me. I consulted the high
est Irish authority that I could find,
and was assured that when Brian be-
came king his descendants. proud Of
his prominence. put on the co. to in
dicate that they were the descendants
of Brian; and that those who retained
the name Brian We're the common
people, who did not get stuck UP about
a little thing like that. daughter and
applause.)
This is the Hibernian organization,
and there are two qualifications for
membership: one, that you must have
some Irish blood III your veins: the
other that you must be connected with
the Catholic Church. Therefore.
think tonight I might be qualified in
saying just a word in regard to the
1rishman and word in regard to re-
]gion. have half of the qualities or
qualifications necessary to get into this
organization. MY blood is all right:
my religion might bar me out. But,
like Senator Gore, I am proud OF the
fact that have Irish blood in my veins.
j hope it will never be necessary to
find out just how much, as for the life
of me T. could not say. My ancestors
have been in this country so long that
I have not been able to trace a. single
ancestor to the waters edge. ] can go
back in four directions: but ! cannot
find an ancestor who crossed the ocean.
but l got it from my father that the
Bryans were from Ireland.
We are SO mixed with other people
and races from other parts of the world
that I have no way of knowing what
proportion of my blood can be called
Irish blood, but 1 have enough Irish
blood in me to add something possibly
to my appreciation of the Irish charac-
ter. And if Senator Gore had not COW
cred the subject so completely I would
like to have said what he has said in
regard to the value of the contribution
which Ireland has made to our own
population and welfare of all nations
Of the world, for 1 am satisfied that no
single strain Of blood has been of
greater value to the American people
than that strain that comes from the
Emerald Isle. (Applause.) And l am
sure that no people who come here
from any other country have shown a
greater ability to adapt themselves to
whatever conditions they find and to
! take up and do we'll every kind Of work
that is necessary for nations pro-
gress.
am sure am within the truth when
I say that no antionality that has con-
tributed to our population has shown a
| i ~ ssss h.