Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1913-12-27
The Making of a Real National
Character For This
Country.
What Would Happen II They
Returned to Native
Lands.
Where Some Materials Come
From and New Elements
Are Sought.
WHAT IRISHMEN HAVE TAUGHT

In a recent issue of the Kentucky
Irish American there was review
of the aims and objects of the
Junior Order of United American
Mechanics, and that their opposition
to immigration was un-American,
this being the chief contention in
the article. Here is an article from
| the New York Sun, in which a,
would be in bad quandary without
| immigration and tells how benefit
cial the tide of immigration is for
the life and habits Of our people:
North of the Potomac and Ohio
rivers and east of the Mississippi
river live about half of all the peo-
pie Of continental United States.
Within that section, included in the
foregoing half, are ten million per-
sons who when the census man
comes round give him some place
in foreign country as that of their
birth. Hence, when starting out,
for the day, if one lives in this in
dustrial section of America, one is
likely to run up against a foreign
born person in nearly every fourth
man or woman one meets. And the
stream of immigration has not dried
up! There is no danger that it
will do so, but just suppose that
these ten millions of men and
women were to pack up their be-
longings late on some afternoon and
that night depart for the lands
they came FRONT Reared in rural
regions of Europe, these people
can have no special fondness for
our sitting tenements and our un-
protected coal mines. American
cities can show many quite as un-
pardonable tenements as can Euro
pean cities, and American mines are
constantly imprisoning helpless and
hapless men and taking big tolls in
tragic deaths. Why should immi-
grants remain? What base of COM
plant would Americans have if their
bakers, confectioners, clothiers, ice
men, coal beavers, railroad and
cellar diggers, their almost every
form Of manual labor, and SMALL
tradesmen, did go back to scenes of
their childhood? But the days i'm
mediately following their departure
would be desolate ones for those of
us who remain. A bad night for
America indeed!
This is the day when Americans
look to their water power, their
soils. Boundless in resources,
Americans have been prodigal in
the use, often in the waste, of them.
But now all is changed. What we
have we have decided to take care
Of What we have not, but may
have by proper handling, we are
training ourselves to get. Eff
cheney in shop, on farm, in mine,
in publicity, in salescraft-such is
the order everywhere. One COM
modify of transcendent Importance
is left out of these conservative
| considerations by a good many
people That commodity is Ameri-
can national character. Where did
America get it? It is unlike the
character of any other nation. For
tunately these foreign born peoples
who might go away between some
sundown and sunrise can not take
with them the contribution they
have made to American character.
We are lucky to that extent. These
millions more who enter at New
York and other ocean harbors are
bringing more characteristics to
dump into America-the most re-
markable melting pot the world
ever knew.
Those who know say we got our
hustle in politics from the Irish.
The English have politics, but 1t is
not the American kind. Our kind
is the Irish kind, the land on top
quality. Cramped In a small fertile
island Irishmen had need for larger
quarters and they found them here.
Irishmen came here and taught us
how TO fight and win at the ballot
box. A few unworthy men and
methods floated in, but by and
large the contribution of the Irish
TO American political character has
been tremendous In volume and
value. And through America al
practice place Irishmen In pol
itics have Influenced almost the
whole world. even Ireland and Eng.
land themselves.
Politics was by no means all oi
the contribution TO our national
traits made by the Irish. any NOR,
than the Christmas tree, sausage
beer and music were all of the con.
tributions OF the Germans. Politics
sausage and beer we're things Tris1
and German brought with them ovel
the ocean chiefly because II nevel
occurred to them 10 leave them be
hind And America is infinitel,
richer because OF their thoughtless
ness. Germans have given to Amer