New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-30
NIB. DONoTANS MIXED ACCOUNTS.

We suspect it Will have to be accepted as a
settled fact that no man can llberate lreiahd
and keep hotel at the same time. The ex-
pertinent has been faithfully tried by that de-
voted and unscllish patriot Mr. jeremiah Don
ovan. otherwise "O'DonOvan Rossa,' and with
only the most unsatisfactory results, as shown
by the present halt in the movement and the
appointment of n committee to go in search OF
the national exchequer. There is reason to
believe that had Mr. Donovan given his entire
time to either one of the pursuits between
which he unfortunately divided his energies,
ne might have succeeded. Had he left Ireland
TO her fate he might now have been in posi-
ton rs keeper OF public house to revenge tue
wrongs of his native land upon any English
tourist who should tackle his whisllcy or
wrc,tlc with his hash. On the other hand,
had he devoted himself exclusively to the MIS-
sion of libcrating Ireland that doUntrodden
couutrv would have been by this time out
from under the despots heel, enjoying repuo-
lican form Of government, with President from
Tammany Hall, two Houses OF Congress iIom
the County Democracy, VIM. l.. Robinson
Secretary of War; and Samuel Cox Keeper Of
the Elarney Stone and the Great Seal. Mr..
Donovan attempted too much. We have con
seouently a bankrupt hotel keeper and an en-
shaved Ireland.
The great lesson of the failure is that the
REDEMPTION of Ireland is to b. achieved in front
Of the bar aud not behind it, The details OF
the hotel business, the rnsinS OF tumbiers
and polishing up of decantcrs, and above an
the vcxations attendant upon system OF book
keeping in which on one side payments Tor
drinks and contributions to the national treasury
and on the other expenditures for hotel sup
plies. loans 10 the impccunious, funeral eX-
Denses for deceased patriots and approprla-
tions for rams are ineXtucably miXed-aI
these things are liable To Withdraw the mind
of the patriot from the great business OF lDer-
ating his native land. We must look, alter all,
TO the patriots before the bar and not behind IT
TO carry the enterprise to successful ctnciu-
sion. There's no inspiration IN the rnslnS
of tumblcrs whatever there may he IN the emp
tyinc OF them. The story " Which Mr.. Donovan
tells of his efforts during the past ten years to
liberate Ireland and keeT II hotel ut the same
time il somew vt incomplete, but so far as 1t
poes i full of pathos. lie tells it in part IN a
letter to Mr.. John Dewey, who IS one OF the
seven trustees to whom Mr. Donovan turned
il here. II is sufficient to say that Mr. Donovan
claims to have lent Mr.. Deyoy-whom he de-
scribes rs an "ungratetul wretch " OF "yery
blackguard breeding some 500 OF $500,
and that he offers a receipt III full II Dewey
will pay Edward l.. Casey hundred dollars
- for coal that | got from him when running
4" that hotel of mine which you patronlzed )
- CANAAN Plunkett hundred dollars for cigars ";
- lanes Walsh hundred dollars for meat ;
and f. X. Thurbcr," whom he says he owes
"mOre for wines aud bIandieS than owe ali the
.world.T Herein the hotel and the bal and the
treasury and the cause seem lneXtncably mixed.
Clearly the cause of Ireland and the hotel
business cannot bo run Cgether successfully.
Bookkecping that mixes up in this way Captain
Plnnkctt's bill tor cigars, Walshs bill for
meat. Thurbel's bill for wines and brandies,
EXPENSES of funerals, the cost of rams, money
lent, and nobody knows what besides. deiie7
the gcnins of any expert to unraveL We doubt
if even Senator Davis Of West Virginia would
undertake it. The one fact that seems thus
far 1 ot to be disputed is that there is 100000
in the national treasury. But nobody appears
TO know where the treasury is at the present
moment. 1t is not certain that the trustees
are not engaged in the hotel business aud mix
iny I'D the cxchequer still further with bills
for cigars, meat, coal and liquors. The COM
mittee sent ont last Sunday from the Third
Avenue satisfactory are expected to find ont
about it. And if they find there has been mis-
appropriation it is understood that somebody
will be hung for treason. One thing the Third
Avenue Parliament should attend to mt once,
and that is divorce the cause of Ireland from
the hotel business They do not mix salts
factorIly.