The Irish-American’s Plea.

THE IRISH-AMERICAN’S PLEA.

“ERIN GO BRAGH.”

OH! were you exiled from your dear native land,
Your time and your life at another’s command,
Ah! would you not think it uncivil indeed,
When for your just rights you would honestly plead,
Instead of kind words and brotherly love,
You should find those around you quick to reprove;
Or count it all wrong what your conscience deems right,
And look on your heart-cherished faith with affright?
No fault it can be, if we hither have come,
By the stern hand of fate, sad exiles from home,
To better our fortunes by honest, hard work,
In a land of the Christian, and not of the Turk.
And may we not surely add, too, our claim,
That “the earth is the Lord’s,” without any blame?
That “the fullness thereof” to his children belong;
Of whatever nation or kindred or tongue?
The Indian before you long held as his right,
The domain that you now possess in your might,
And he for away in the wilds of the West,
Seeks a home where the eagle buildeth his nest,
Away from the hand of intrusion and spoil,
While you are the lords of his ancestors’ soil.
We are willing to work, but we also demand
The freedom once promised to all in this land.
Most surely the wrongs we so long have endured
In the land we have left, we hope will be cured.
Of your blessings we claim a very small part,
In return we assure a warm Irish heart;
Our maidens are fair, and your sons soon will find,
By the great natural law, they’re quite to their mind;
So if in the future one race we shall be,
It surely is wise that we now should agree.
‘T is love that gives justice, and no selfish end—
The spirit of Truth can in no wise offend.
Our God-given rights are the most that we claim,
And for this, most truly, we are not to blame.