The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1920-03-09
THE LONG CANE IRISH
PROVE TO BE PURE SCOTCH
4 Abbeville Press and Banner.

SCOIS DeSCclludlLS III -hii0hASe@,
which is now in course of publication.
The article is of such interest that it
has been published in advance in
'.The Caledonian," magazine pub
lished in New York devoted to the
interests of Scotch History. The
Judge makes interesting reference to
the "Long Cane Irish" and tells US
'>at they are not Irish at all but
pure Scotch. Judge R. E. Hill is the
Abbeville man who changed his mind
on the question Of Home Rule.
The story Of the Irish potato and
how Maxton got his name is interest
ing. We wish it were possible to
copy the entire article for the enter
tainment of our many "Scotch-lrish"
readers.
"At the outset let US summarily
dispose Of the "Scotch-Irish." This
is easily done, for no such being nor
race of beings actually exists, nor
ever did or ever will exist. 'Presby-
terian-C Catholic"-that is what the
"Scotch-Irish" would properly imply,
and that is compound as unlikely to
occur as one if oil and water, or Of
Orangeman and Ribbonman. The
term ::Scotch-Irish" is Of American
manufacture, and is misnomer Of
a most misleading and mis- nevous
character, which ought to hc. dismiss
ed from our vocabulary.
"But the Irish in America are not
alone in being misled by the term
"Scotch-Irish." The descendants of
the Ulster-Scots themselves, in many
states seem to be similarly misled.
When in the early seventies Home
Rule for Ireland was subject Of
worldwide interest, while the Ulster
Scots in Ulster were to- man Bit
terly opposed to it, the Ulster-Scots
in American were largely in favor
of it. This was supposed to be due to
their Irish blood. I recall one strik-
ing instance: Discussing the subject
with very intelligent man whose
grandparents had come from County
Down, assured him that if he would
20 over to Ireland and visit his
cousins there, he would find them
opposed to the Home Rule scheme,
and that he himself would become an
opponent. He did as suggested, and
the result was as l foretold.
"Another illustration: In Abbeville
County, South Carolina, there is a
rural settlement on Long Cane Creek.
The people are known as the 'rLong
Cane Irish.'' They are trpe-blue
Presbyterians; in blood they are all
of Ulster-Scottish descent; there is
not an Irishman in the community;
nor does anyone have an Irish name; {;
yet the influence of the term, ".Long
Cane Irish," was so strong that they
were strenuous supporters of Home
Rule for Ireland, and liberal contri-
butors to the cause.
at is curious that there is another
Hibernian misnomer in use only in
the United States-the so-called
Irish potato which is no more Irish
than are the Ulster-Scots. Although
it is South American tuber, found
first in Peru, l believe, the name mis-
leads many to think that the potato
came originally from Ireland. The
history of the n1isnomer is. interesting.
In the early forties of last century,
famine was caused in Ireland by
the failure of the potato crop. A
blighting disease, previously un-
known, had destroyed the potatoes.
AS it had first appeared in Ireland,
the potato blight was generally call
ed the Irish potato blight"
that the potato was Irish, but the
blight. Before long the word
"blight" was dropped, and the "lrish
potato" was left.
Zone or two illustrations will show
how thoroughly Highland are the peo-
pie of that region today. While hold
ing court in Marlboro County, South
Carolina horder county. / have
found as many Highland names on
the jury lists as one might find in
a court in Oban or Inverness. And a
banker there, himself a genuine
Mac told me that until he was
twelve or thirteen years old, ne
thought every white persons name
began with Mac
Still more striking is this: A
small North Carolina town in that
<C.4. Co,,,4r,-, ,,co6 tO ha called