New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-30
THE RECALL OF Mr.. LOWELL.

THE RECALL OF Mr.. L0WELL.
We take it that he will be recalled Or, II
President Arthur does not Immediately recall
him upon learning the action of our Board OF
Aldermen. that Mr.. Lowell himself will have
the grace TO recognize the fact that he mas
attended the representative body OF the
greatest Irish city on the globe" and, having
outlived mis- usefulness as Minister to England,
will resign. We confess that we have feared
for a long time that Mr.. Lowell was hardly up
TO the Robinson-COx standard as dlplomatst,
and so we cannot say we are surprised 10 hnu
that he has at length incurred the censure OF
that noble association of Irish patriots known
as the New York Board of Aldermen. 1t Is
pretty hard On him, to be sure, but who shall
say that he has not in some measure deserved
it There is probably no organized body IN
this country that understands so perfectly the
functions Of foreign Minister, and especially
of our Minister to England as our own Board
of Aldermen. Nor is there anywhere BODY OF
men who so thoroughly comprehend Tree IN
situations and the true mission of this RepuDllc
among the nations of the earth. These states
men look upon this country first as an asylum
for the oppressed OF all natiOns-with few ex-
is black: not for the Chinaman, for he is
"haythun" and cbeapens labor; not for the
Italian. for he also cheapens labor; not for the
German, for he drinks beer and does not sub
nit gracefully to the rnle by divine right of
the Mulligans and o Flahertys; not, indeed, for
anybody much except the Irishman. He is the
oppressed of all nations. The country is chiefly
for him.
For him we have municipal organization
with abundant offices in which to practise
craftsmanship against the time when Ireland
shall be free and he may return to govern his
own For him we have naturali alton laws,
and constructions of treaties and international
law under which be may without interference
from British tyranny make arrangements to set
Ireland free. For him we have a system of
representation at foreign courts, by means of
which he may be discharged from arrest when
ever caught forwarding the cause of freedom
in Ireland by shooting landlords or blowing
up Government buildings. For him we have
an Army and Navy ready to lay London in ashes
if ever minion of the Queen lays the hand
of English law upon him. The Board of Al
deimen understand all this, and that the mis-
sion of this country is TO furnish the oppressed
lrishman a home, plenty of employment, good
pay and fat Offices to the exclusion of negroes,
Chinese Italians Germans and all other ma
tionalities, while he completes his arrange
ments to free his native land. Mr.. Lowell
seems never to have risen to a proper
comprehension of this theory of the mission
of the Republic Naturalzcd citizens of this
country returning to Ireland and engaging
there in the patriotic enterprise of shaking off
the yoke of British tyranny by dynamite and
otherwise have been arrested like common
criminals, although under the Aldermanic
theory of international law American citizen
ship permits them to do anything anywhere
for freedom, and Mr.. Lowell has suf-
fered it to go on without declaring war.
The duty of an American Minister under
such circumstances or indeed whenever any
Irishman is arrested who has friends in this
county, has been broadly laid down by Con-
gresham Robinson, of Brooklyn: he should
Immediately lay London in ashes. Aud this
is the Aldermanic view. Else why should
there be an American Minister to England, or
indeed an American GovcrnmentP
Mr.. Lowell has failed to meet the require
ments of his position. Several Irishmen are
under arrest and London stands Is it to be
wondered at that our Board of Aldermen
should rise up and denounce his "pusilani-
nous conductn} Doubtless he has intended
well. Let us cha'itably hope SO. But he is
culpable in undertaking the English Mission
without knowing that his first duty as an
American Minister was to lay London in ashes
if ever an Irishman was arrested. II is
only just punishment for such Grass ig-
Io toll ho ic l,,r
Board of Aldermen, thnt his "pusillani-
nous conduct" "calls a blush of shame
and Indignation to the checks Of every
lover of the Republic" 1t seems rather
hard to be sure, but no man should go
abroad to represent this Government, and par
ticularly to represent Us at the Court of ST.
James, without getting his instructions from
the New York Board of Aldermen. The omis-
sion to do it, if followed as in this case by
failure to come up to the Aldermanic stand
ard in the discharge Of duty, cannot be too
severely punished. Mr.. Lowell has written
some good verses, and we feel sorry for him.
1t was obviously the mistake of his
life to have entered upon this business with
out consulting with the Aldermen. The Al
dermen have taken the extreme step of de-
handing his recall but we could hardly ex
pect them, with their views of international
law, to do less. Possibly he may not wait for
formal notification OF his disgrace from the
State Department, but will resign immediate
ly on learning that his action has called
blush of shame 20 a Newly Ork Board of Al
dermen. And that, after all, must be recorded as
one of the greatest triumDhs of American
diplomacy. Nothing ever made New-l ork
Board of Aldermen blush before.
May we be permitted to suggest in oonclu-
sion, in order to avoid similar mistakes here
a.Ler, that the Constitution be amended so
tuat the Minister to England shall he appointed