The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-03-19
Dr. John 6. Coy|e

by the strange OeSIluy or the lrlSn people it has fallen to their lot to experience a tragic deprivation of all ordinary political, civil and religious rights in their own land, and to be foremost in the establishment of po- litical, civil and religious liberty in many other lands.
 Christianity was established in Ireland by the glorious success of the mission of St. Patrick without the loss of life. The cultivated people with established laws, with storied history, with polit- ical institutions which indicate a high degree of advancement and culture, accepted a new fath, abandoned an old religion and with the fervOr and enthusiasm of their race, became most active in the spread and maintenance of the faith of our fathers.
 That such a people, home-loving, devoted to Catholicism, imbued with love of learning, a people who sent missionaries to all parts of the world, who left Irish names in all the coun- tries of Europe, whose fortunate in sular position enabled them to pre- serve literature and learning when barbarians were ravaging the capitals and libraries of civilized Europe, should, by an alien government suffer such degradation as to be forbidden to exercise their faith; deprived of a voice in the government; penalized for wearing their national costume; robbed of their lands; when possible forced to take English names; pill laged, persecuted, starved and plum dered until, in a land of plenty their deaths from famine and plague world; until the people whose litera- ture and learning were and are a source of European pride, became among the most ignorant and Hitter ate in the world; until every mater ial and natural desire made thousands upon thousands forsake their land, seek refuge and opportunity else where, and that. exile led to the won derful material, political, industrial development of this and other coun- tries through Irish immigration, is one of the tragic romances of history, and striking chapter in the story of Christian civilizations progress.
 The first IriShman known to have landed in America was killed here. He was William Eyres, of Galway, one of the crew of Columbus, left be- hind as a part of the garrison, all of whom were murdered by the Indians. And from that first drop of Irish blood to sprinkle American soil until this hour, Irishmen in peace or war, treasure and suffering for the develop ment of this land industrially, polit- icaly and otherwise
 Those who had felt persecution and privation of so many kinds in Ireland were tolerant themselves. The Irish Catholics had suffered far more than the Irish Protestapts. While Protes- tants could hold office, serve on jur- ies, sit in Parliament, serve in the army and navy, worship in peace, and enjoy numerous other privileges, Irish Catholics were not only denied all of these, but, in addition, were taxed for the support of the Protes- tant Church, forbidden to send their children abroad to be educated, and for long time, were not allowed to have priests by law.
 Yet Maryland, the Catholic colony, founded by an Irish Catholic, Calvert, was the first to give freedom of wor ship to all Christians-a freedom ob- liberated and destroyed by the very Protestants who, through this toler- ance, were permitted to worship as they please.
 Governor Dongan of. New York, in 1883, granted freedom of conscience to all Christians by law, and permit ted the Jews to worship unmolested. Yet r years afterward New York, by statute, forbade priests to enter into Or remain in the colony under penalty of life Imprisonment, and such was the law until after the Revolution.
 The great mass of Irish immigra- tion to the colonies was Protestant in faith. Presbyterians or Episcopalians, the conditions of American life made them of similar ideals as to polity. With the other races of the land they redeemed the wilderness. They con- Quered the savage. They felt the stirring impulse of freemen.. They drank in the invigorating air of the new country. They created custom. They were forging bonds of political union long before they realized it. And when they sprang into revolt at tyranny reaching across the sea to deprive them of natural rights with out giving them voice in government, Irishmen were among the leaders both in war and in administration.
 Charles Thomson, Charles Carroll, Thomas McKean, George Taylor, James Smith, Matthew Thornton, Ed ward Rutledge, George Read, John Hart were among the, Irish-blooded men who signed the Declaration of Independence. John Nixon, grandson of an Irishman, first read It. Jere- miah O'Brien and his brothers, of an Irish sather, captured the first Brit ish vessel of saltwater, at Machas. Maine. Matthew Lyon, of Wicklow, sold on the block in New York for s300, traded in this State at Litch- field, for a pair of bulls, captured the first vessel on inland waters on Lake Champlafn, became. Representative rom Vermont and Kentucky, also rom Arkansas, and cast the vote which made Jefferson President. His prosecution by President Adams re-
 ulted in the repeal of the Alien and
 edition law.
 John Barry of Wexford was first