The Irish standard., 1910-11-12
Judge George Turner, the famous


kane with his brief, convincing plea
for Irish Home Rule, and his most
graceful tribute to Mr.. O'Connor, "We
greet" he said, mot only the Irish
Envoy and the brilliant Parliamentary
ian, but We also welcome to Spokane
the best known and most brilliant
man of letters of his time In every
land and cline where the English
tongue is spoken the name of our hon
ored guest of tonight is household
word, and the magic influence OF his
eloquence and humanity is felt
And this city of Spokane, which had
neither a local habitation nor name
thirty years ago when Davitt and Par
nell formed the Land League, rolled
up a subscription of $4,100 for Home
Rule. At the Jesuits College next
day, Mr.. O'Connor spoke to nearly six
hundred students and professors, and
the enthusiastic cheers that greeted
his remarks told how much young
Irish-America is in sympathy with the
Motherland.
After the public meeting Mr.. O'Con-
nor was the guest at supper of Mr..
and Mrs. Patrick Clark. Mr.. Clark
has been always a princely contribut-
or to the Irish Party. Thirty-five
years of exile from Ireland and life
of storm and stress and achievement
have made him love the old land all
the dearer He dwells now in a most
beautiful home by the rushing waters
of the Spokane, surrounded by a num-
erous and accomplished family. When
his youngest daughter, beautiful
girl in her teens, played with exquis-
ite feeling the matchless melodies OF
Ireland on her harp, the guests were
filed with emotion and admiration.
Owing to other most pressing en-.
gagements, Mr. O'Connor had to rush
back East over the Soo-Spokane
through British Columbia, Alberta,
Saskatchewan and Dakota. He found
however, that he would have three
hours between trains at Minneapolis
and st. Paul He wired Archbishop
Ireland from Spokane, and the great
Archbishop took good care that those
three hours should be busy ones for
Mr.. O'Connor. Archbishop Ireland's
career can be. compared only to that
of st. John Chrysostom, or to that of
the great patriarch Of Alexandria, st.
Athanusius.
He has had the missionary spirit
of his great prototypes, and his
achievements are not less wonderful
than theirs. He went out into the
wilderness fifty years ago, when there
was not a church spire, convent
bell, or chapel between the Missis-
sippi and Oregon, and from the Rio
Grande to the Mackenzie. Today this
wondrous country is dotted from end
to end with cities, hamlets and homes
of an advanced and enlightened civ
ilization, with schools and converts
and colleges and churches by the
thousand
The SHOWS of seventy odd winters
are OH this venerable prelate's brow,
but he has the strength, the vigor,
and the zeal of an apostle, and when
he learned by wire that Mr.. O'Connor
was passing through St. Paul he i'm
mediately issued invitations to some
twenty of the leading men of St. Paul
and Minneapolis to meet him. I
wish I had space to give the full text
of the graceful and eloquent speech
Mr.. O'Connor, and in which he bade
him tell the Irish at home that the
priests and people and bishops of the
great and growing West were ever
and always ready to help the Irish
Parliamentary Party to achieve the
noble ends they aimed at.
Sometimes l wonder whether the
people in Ireland realize the great
ness of the ardent love and devotion
Of the exiled Irish for the Motherland.
In the midst of their own immense
achievements in creating and upbuild-
ing a New World, they can always
find time to work for the Old Land.
They cannot forget it even if they
would, and though at times they
grieve over the miserable outbursts
of cranks and factionists their purse
strings are ever open when Ireland
calls for aid, and what is more these
great empire-builders of the West,
men like Archbishop Ireland, Arch
bishop Christie. Premier Mcbride,
Thomas H. Shevlin, Timothy Foley
and Sir Thomas Shaughnesy, tell the
world that the exiled Irish race is in
the vanguard Of the progress of the
world.