GENTLEMEN:—The Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of New York, an
association of Irishmen and Irish-Americans coeval with the founding
of this government, sends to you its heartiest fraternal greeting
through your representative, Mr. Lawler. We fully appreciate the
great value of the work you have undertaken—a work that involves the
preservation of the record and achievements of men of Irish blood in
the building and preservation of the American Republic.
The record of our race on this continent is glorious with patriotism
and self-sacrifice; it is a record of honest toil, of love of
freedom and religion, of devotion to God and country.
In preserving an authentic account of these achievements, the
American-Irish Historical Society is performing a work of justice to
the Irish race and an invaluable service to American history.
With every wish for your success, we remain fraternally yours,
MORGAN J. O’BRIEN,
President, Friendly Sons St. Patrick, by John J. Rooney.
Hon. P. A. Collins and Gen. J. R. O’Beirne dissented, courteously but
firmly, from the proposition that justice is to be won from England by
patience and a campaign of education. Recalling Parnell’s first visit to
Boston, General Collins told with impressiveness how Wendell Phillips
attended the great meeting, in order, as he said, “to look upon the man
who had made John Bull listen.” We must make John Bull listen, was the
theme of General Collins’s eloquent address. Though he had come
unprepared to speak, he was in excellent form and showed no diminution
of his old-time vigor and clearness of expression.
General O’Beirne, whose erect, soldierly figure and noble countenance
“showed him no carpet-knight so trim, but in close fight a warrior
grim,” spoke with burning words of the cause that is defeated but not
lost, and never can be lost while Irishmen preserve their racial
character. History for seven hundred years has shown their undying
fortitude, and he predicted that it would record the same through all
the years to come, whether Freedom come soon or late.
Admiral Belknap, U. S. N., Rev. Edward McSweeney, of Bangor, Me., and
other gentlemen made brief impromptu remarks, and the meeting adjourned
after passing a vote of thanks to Mr. Robertson for his entertaining
discourse.
_New Members Admitted._
The following new members were admitted: His Excellency Elisha Dyer,
Governor of Rhode Island; Hon. Joseph T. Lawless, Secretary of State,
Virginia; Hon. Elisha W. Bucklin, ex-State Auditor, Pawtucket, R. I.;
Hon. Wauhope Lynn, New York City; Recorder Goff, New York City; Hon. W.
F. Reddy, Richmond, Va.; Col. James Armstrong, Charleston, S. C.; Col.
C. C. Sanders, Gainesville, Ga.; Mr. Edward Fitzpatrick, staff of the
_Courier-Journal_, Louisville, Ky.; Hon. John F. Finerty, editor the
_Citizen_, Chicago, Ill.; Mr. M. J. Dowling, secretary National
Republican League, Renville, Minn.; Mr. Michael Walsh, LL.D., Ph.D.,
editor _Sunday Democrat_, New York City; Mr. James D. Power, Washington,
D. C.; Capt. John Flannery, Savannah, Ga.; Hon. Matthew O’Doherty,
Louisville, Ky.; Mr. Edward L. Hearn, South Framingham, Mass.; Capt.
John J. Coffey, Neponset, Mass.; Mr. Stephen J. Casey, Providence, R.
I.; Mr. John B. Kehoe, Portland, Me.; Mr. Anthony J. Philpott, Boston,
Mass.; Mr. William Lyman, New York City; Dr. Daniel I. O’Keefe, Jamaica
Plain, Mass.; Dr. Thomas J. Dillon, Roxbury, Mass.; Dr. James E.
Keating, Portland, Me.; the Rev. J. Phelan, Rock Valley, Ia.; Capt.
Thomas J. Hogan, Portland, Me.; Mr. Thomas J. Lane, East Boston, Mass.;
Mr. John Ahern, Concord, N. H.; Dr. Edward J. McDonough, Portland, Me.;
Mr. Hugh J. Lee, Pawtucket, R. I.
Mr. Thomas B. Lawler, of Worcester, presented the following New York
gentlemen as candidates for the society, and they were all admitted:
Hon. Joseph F. Daly, Hon. Morgan J. O’Brien, Hon. Frederick Smyth, Hon.
E. F. O’Dwyer, Hon. Thomas S. Brennan, Col. William L. Brown, Dr.
Charles J. Perry, Dr. Constantine Macguire, Maj. John Byrne, F. C.
Travers, M. A. O’Byrne, John Crane, J. M. Fitzpatrick, D. P. Murphy,
Jr., Robert E. Danvers, Stephen J. Geoghegan, James P. Campbell, Daniel
O’Day, John J. Rooney, Laurence Winters, William Cranitch, James G.
Johnson, William F. Clare, Edward J. McGuire, Daniel F. Colahan, Edward
D. Farrell, William M. Penney.
On Feb. 1, 1898, the following invitation was issued to the members:
DEAR SIR:—You are hereby notified that the annual meeting of the
American-Irish Historical Society will be held at the Hotel San
Remo, New York City, Thursday evening, Feb. 17, 1898.
The San Remo is owned by a member of our society (Mr. Michael
Brennan) and is located at Central Park West, Seventy-fourth and
Seventy-fifth Streets. It is easy of access and excellently adapted
to a gathering such as we have in view.
There will be a business session of the society at 7 P.M., at which
the annual election of officers will take place. At 8 o’clock the
society and guests will proceed to dinner.
Gen. James R. O’Beirne, Vice-President of our society for New York
State, will preside.
The delegation from the New England states will include the Hon.
John C. Linehan, State Insurance Commissioner of New Hampshire; the
Hon. Thomas J. Gargan, Boston, ex-President of the Charitable Irish
Society (founded 1737); James Jeffrey Roche, LL.D., editor of the
Boston _Pilot_, and other prominent gentlemen.
At the business session an amendment to Article XII of the
Constitution will be offered. This article at present provides that
the executive council of the society shall consist of _ten_ members
(in addition to the general officers). The proposed amendment, if
passed, would change the language to read “not less than ten, nor
more than twenty.”
During the post-prandial exercises Mr. Joseph Smith, secretary of
the Police Commission, Lowell, Mass., will read a paper on “American
History as it is Falsified.”
Fraternally,
EDWARD A. MOSELEY,
President-General.
THOMAS HAMILTON MURRAY,
Secretary-General.
The annual meeting of the American-Irish Historical Society was held on
Thursday evening, 17th inst., at the Hotel San Remo, New York City. A
large and representative gathering was present. Six states,—New
Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and New
Jersey,—sent delegations. Fifteen states were represented by letters
expressing congratulations and good wishes.
President-General Moseley, of Washington, D. C., was unable to be
present owing to a press of duties as secretary of the Interstate
Commerce Commission, but his annual address was read to the society by
Gen. James R. O’Beirne, Vice-President for New York. It was an eloquent
production.
The society made its headquarters for the occasion at the San Remo, a
magnificent house, owned by a member of the organization, Mr. Michael
Brennan. It is situated at Central Park West and Seventy-Fifth Street,
and is one of the finest hotels in the world. The banquet hall where the
annual dinner of the society took place is located on the tenth floor
and was lighted by over a thousand incandescent electric lamps. The
scene was one of great brilliancy.
[Illustration:
T. E. A. WEADOCK
MICHIGAN
]
[Illustration:
IGNATIUS DONNELLY
MINNESOTA
]
[Illustration:
JAMES E. LOWERY
COLORADO
]
[Illustration:
JAMES CUNNINGHAM
MAINE
]