The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-05-17
NJ JOSEPH ,. o,sRIEs,

Member OF Frznklin institute. Wsshingfou, ID. Y
The unwilling Of the statue erected BY
act of Congress- to Commodore Jchn
Barry. Is the nnai act In . long series
OF steps to obtain proper recognition o.
the great services of John Barry. the
first commodore of the American Navy.
In the struggle Of the American peo-
pie for national liberty and independence
What Washington was TO the land forces
Of the Revolution John Barry was TO
the sea forces.
As citizen John Barry occupies
foremost position in the history Of Amer
lea. as an Irishman he represents the
best influence and fighting action OF the
Irish race in behalf CT human liberty.
Early in 1902 at a meeting Of the Rob
ert Emmett Club, In Georgetown. ID. r.
Finucane, presiding, N. F. O'Donoshue in
troduced a resolution to take steps to in
duce the government to erect statue
in the National Capital in honor of the
father of the American Navy. Commo-
do-e John Barry. This resolution passed
unanimously, and thus was the first step
toward the Barry statue initiated Presi-
dent F1nucane then appointed MIR. O'Don-
oghue to take the necessary steps to
obtain the passage of a Federal law tn
erect the proposed statue.
Public Meeting Held.
On the first Sunday of March. 1902.
at a public melting held in the Columbia
Theat Mr.. O'Donoghue presiding, tfe
resolution, conceived and passed by the
Robert Emmett Club. was publicly In
dorsed. and Representative NJ. E. Dris-
coll. Of New York. and Senator Thomas
Kearns, of salt Lake, Utah, were for
maIIy pledged to introduce bills In the
House and Senate. respectively, for the
erection Of the Barry statue, and work
for the passage of the DILL.
The first bill was drafted by MT.
O'Donoghue ami introduced in the House
on July !. 1900. by Representative DIS
coll and was introduced later in the
Senate by Senator Kearns- The bill car
ried an appropriation of $1,000. Senator
Searns. with the assistance Of Senator
Hansbrough. of the Library Committee.
obtained the passage Of the bill by the
Senate. 1t did not pass the House at
the same session Of Congress
Senator Kearns, having left the SEN
ate, d. F. Finucane. N. F. ODonoghue
and Frank p. Burke waited on Sena-
tor Knox, of Pennsylvania. and had him
introduce bill in the Senate. AT
the suggestion of Mr.. ODonoghue to
Senator wetmore. chairman OF the
Senate Committee on Library, the APP
was increased to 10000.
me NdIlOndl NOinHlouoit Sohh
Statue Association was formed late in
1902, at a meeting held at the Risgs
House, to concentrate the work in behalf
OF the bill, and the following officers
were elected: President. Patrick Egan;
vice president, ID. F. Finucane; secretary,
NJ F. O'Donoghue; treasurer. Frank P.
Burke William +. Downey, T. "
Powderly. n. II. Shea. Cotter T. Bride
and Lawrence Mangan were elected as
an executive committee.
Following this work of organiza-
ton an influential delegation, includ-
ing Mr.. Egan, Representative DriscolL
Burke Cochran, Rep
william Sulzer. and others.
waited on Speaker Cannon to urge the
passage of the bill. but the Speaker
expressed himself as unfavorable to
the passage of the bill at that time
Representative James T. McCleary.
Of Minnesota, was chairman Of the
House Committee on Library at that
time the committee in charge of such
bills, and an ardent advocate of the
bill. which was earnestly supported by
Ireland. a resident of Min
nesota. All the Irish papers and the
Irish societies were IN favor of the
bill. Mr.. O'Donoghue brought the mat
ter before the Daughters Of the Ameri-
can Revolution and the Sons of the
American Revolution, and both bodies
Endorsed the bill
Rnl Was PendinR.
During this time the bill to erect a
statue to John Paul Jones was pend
ing before Congress. and at the sug-
gestion of Mr.. O'Donoghue the forces
urging the support of the Barry bill
and the Jones bill united This union
proved happy and successful. At the
close of the summer session of Con-
yress Patrick Egan and NJ. F. o'Dono-
yhue wrote Representative McLeary,
chairman of the Library Committee in
charge of the Barry bill, urging the
Immediate passage of the bill, which
the Senate had passed as a result of
the efforts OF Senator Knox. Chairman
replied as follows:
Committee on Library.
House of Representatives,
Washington, d. C., May IS, 1906.
M. F. O'Donoghue.
Washington. ID. c.