The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-05-03

dress you" / submit to you that it
was modest introduction, but it had
my professional card in 1t. Gaughter.)
He went over it two or three times,
and then he came and asked me to
give it to him again, and 1 went over
it. Then, as if fearing he might for
get it, he FASTENED to the desk and,
rapping, called the meeting to order.
THE meeting will now come to order.
Mr.. O'Bryan will now spake.' (Laugh-
ter and applause) / have looked back
to this introduction as the best that
have ever had Oaughter). because it
simply threw me on the mercy of my
audience and left me to hoe my own
row. Uaughter)
Irish in America.
I appreciate, my friendss the invita-
ton extended by this body which en-
ables me to thus meet and address
you.
This is the Hibernian society, and
there are two qualifications for men,
bership; one that you must have some
Irish blood in your veins, the other
that you must be connected with the
Catholic church. Therefore, L think
tonight l might be justified in saying
just word in regard to Irishmen and
a word in regard to religion. l have
get into this organization Gaughter.l
My blood is all right; my religion
might bar me out. (Applause.) But,
like Senator Gore, 1 am proud of the
fact that l have Irish blood IN my
veins. 1 hope it will Never be nee
essary to find out Just how much
for the life of me | could not say.
My ancestors have been in this coun-
try so long that have not been able
to trace a single ancestor TO the wa
ter's edge. l can go back in four di-
rections; but 1 cannot find an ancestor
who crossed the ocean, but ] got it
from my father that the organs We're
from Ireland. We are so mixed with
other races and with people from other
parts of the world that ] have no way
of knowing what proportion Of my
blood can be called Irish blood, but l
have enough Irish blood in me to add
something, possibly, to my apprecia-
ton of the Irish character. And if
Senator Gore had not covered the sub
feet so completely would like to have
said what he has said in regard to the
value of the contribution which Ire
land has made to our own population
and to the strength of all the 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) / am sure
that no people who come here from
any other country have shown Il great
er ability to adapt themselves to what
ever conditions they find and to take
up and do well every kind Of work that
is necessary for a nations progress.
am sure / am within the truth when /
say that no nationality which has con-
tr-ih tnI 70 LOT ion Oh
greater versatility than the Irish. You
win find them in every calling, in every
profession, in every occupation. There
is nothing that they cannot do, and
there is nothing that they have not
done we'll. (ApplauSe.) This IS saying
a great deal, but is not saying too
much. Take any department of our
nations activity, and you will find the
Irishman conspicuous. Is 1t in agri-
culture? The Irish have contributed
an enormous body to our agricultural
population. Is it in the factory? What
nation has given US more or better fac
tory hands? Is it in commerce? What
nation is as conspicuous in all the de-
partments of commerce as the Irish
man? Is it in merchandising? You
find him in every part of the work.
from the country merchant to the
great wholesaler. Is it in the. profess
sions? The medical profession contains
many names that are distinctly Irish.
And the law-my friends. the law
seems to have offered the Irishman a
field for which he is especially fitted,
and there is not state In the Union,
l think, that does not number among
its prominent lawyers men OF Irish
birth or Irish descent. OratOry seems
a natural gift with the IriShman. Is
Il in politics? (Applause) Well, who,
who is in politics but the Irishman?
daughter and applause.)
Jackson Nearly Foreigner.
We had one president who came very
near being a foreigner, and who was
it? Andrew Jackson, (Applause) lie
only lacked a few months of being an
Irishman. daughter and applause.)
So that the Irish have come as near as
nation can come to having one of for
eign birth as president of the United
States. (Applause.) AS governors Of
states, as senators, as congressman, as
legislators, as judicial officers, as eX-
ecutives in every part Of the nations