The New York herald., 1875-03-22
John Mitehers Dying Address % His
American Friends.

Mitchell, which reaches US the next day after
the announcement of his death by the Allan
tic cable, and while his remains are still
awaiting honored burial in the soil OF his
native land, which he loved so we'll, and amid
the tears of large proportion OF his warm
hearted and devoted countrymen. To his
American friends 'oeing dead he yet speak
eth in the letter which he begins by grace
full acknowledgment of the courtesy OF the
HERALD in allowing him to explain to them
his recent position in Irish politics and the
sentiments which were guiding his course in
what have proved to be the last weeks of his
eventful and unsettled life. We also print an
elaborate communication, received by the
same foreign mail, and written by dis
tinguished English lawyer, discussing Mr..
Mitcheis legal status and parliamentary dis
ability as an escaped convict. The practical
interest of these questions is pretty much ex-
tinguished by Mr.. Mitchers removal
from scenes of civil turmoil to that land
"where the wicked cease from troubling and
the weary are at rest" Peace to his ashes.
May the turf of the green island lie lightly on
his breast, and in future years, when his
brightest hopes for his oppressed country
shall at length be realized, let us hope that
many pilgrim of Irish descent will visit his
grave in recognition of his well meant en-
deavors to serve her, the boldness with which
he asserted her rights, and the sufferings Of the
exile and wanderer borne in her behalf The
occasion hardly permits us to deal critically
either with his letter. on the one hand, or the
legal arguments OF our London correspondent
on the other.
1t is impossible to contemplate the remark
able life which has just closed. without a SEN
timent of regret that it was SO unfortunate.
Mr.. Mitchel's intellectual gifts and accom-
4plishments, his unremitting industry and
ardent patriotism, ought to have made him
one of the most important men Of his time.
His career opened with great promise, and no
Just blame can be imputed to him that it was
arrested in his first line of effort by rigorous
sentence, which e1iled him from his ma
tive land and transported him to
penal colony at the ends Of the earth. His
escape was morally justified, not only in his
own estimation, but in that of all friends of
partial minds. When he came to our shores
he received o warm and sympathetic welcome
from the whole body of our people without
distinction of party or religious belief. Had
it pleased Providence to take him away then
he would have been sincerely mourned by
the patriots of all free nations. But his
twenty years in this country added nothing
valuable to his fame. 1t seems pity that he
did not emulate the example of another distin-
gu:shed Irish exile who came to this country in
the early part of the century and spent among
Us a rather longer period than Mr.. Mitchell
did, ending his days here, as Mr.. Mitchell
might have done with honor, if he had pur-
sued the same wise course. From the win
dows of the HERALD Building we look across
Broadway to the churchyard of St Paul's,
and our eyes rest upon the tall obelsk,
covered with inscriptions of eulogy, be-
meath which repose the venerated ashes
OF Thomas Adds Emmet-a name
which awakens the livelest recollections
of Irish patriotism and American good citi-
zenship. The great mistake of Mr.. Mitchers
life was his failure to follow in the footsteps
of Emmett when he came to this country.
Like Emmett he was bred lawyer, and, like
him, he might have attained distinction at the
American Bar 1t was a great error of judg-
ment, for which he paid heavy penalties, that
he devoted himself to journalism in country
Of whose public sentiment he was too new a
conner to be competent judge-the most in
dispensable qualification of successful Jour-
nalist being quick and accurate perception
of the state and tendencies OF public opinion
in the community where his journal is pub
Eshed. No mere literary ability however
brilliant, can serve as a substitute for this
ready and sure perception of what is moving
in the public mind. Some foreigners acquire
this after residence of q few years, but they
are generally men without any deep-rooted or
ardent convictions which impel them to look
at public questions from one settled stand
point The most hazardous thing man can
engage in on his first arrival in foreign cour-
try is to start new journal, of which lie is
to be the director-in-chief and almost the sole
writer. Without partner who has lived long
enough in this country TO understand it, and
to whose Judgment be is willing to defer, he
will habtualiy miss the mark unless he be
a man born with genius for journalism,
which Mr.. Mitchell was not. His journal
istic enterprises in this country were, there.
fore, all failures, and his disappointments and
vexations had most unhappy effect on his
mind There can be no more unfortunate
experience for man of natural self-respect
and good abilities than to be driven from
pillar to post by pecuniary necessities, aban-
doning one Improbable newspaper to estab-
lish another equally Improbable, changing
his residence from a Northern community,
whose tone of sentiment he had not yet begun
to understand to Southern community of
which be knew still less, and meeting with
nothing but III l-quccess and diqcou m cement i-,