New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-26

| Alderman Edward L. FltZpaulch, in"'
at the outrage upon his native land' reiuSeu
| to take any part in the proceedings.
Those of us who believe that the Bridge was
| conceived and built in honor of Queen victoria
and that all the plans of its Originators, Duiiu-
| crs and trustees were made with the sole vie"
| of making an occasion for clarifying British
tyranny and riveting the chains OF despotlsm
unon downtrodden Ireland, contemplate
with uncommon satisfaction these aleVla.ins
circumstances And though we CANNOT heip
feeling keenly the outrage upon our pa'flouo
sensibilities in the final refusal OF the trustees
70 change the day fixed upon In accordance
with the demand of the statesmen from ne
land who conduct our public affairs, we con-
slider with some satisfaction that partial rep
aration was made lis in the forced acknowl-
edcment of the trustees that when they fixed
upon the day for the opening they did not
know what was the Queens birthday, or, IN
| fact that she ever had one. Whether shcero
or not, we have accepted the explanation' an"
the Queen has probably by this time iearheu ny
cable dispatches from the British Minister thaV
| nothing but this explanatory and apoiogeuc
/ statement saved the Bridge from being blown
into the air with everybody engaged LII inc
| opening ceremonies. Her Majesty's emssarles
| in New-York and Brooklyn could not give her
a mortgage upon the Bridge without this some
what serious flaw in the title. Moreover, we
can imagine with what profound chagrn Tier
Majesty learned as she must have done by this
| time. that Alderman Edward L. Fitzpatrick
stood coldly aloof and took no part In the ex-
| ercises No one who knows Alderman Edward
| Il. Fitzpatrick, and who knows Queen victoria
and who knows how well Queen Victoria
knows Alderman Edward T. Fitzpatrick, can
! for moment doubt that Her MajestyS hrst
| question upon beng informed that the Bridge
| had been opened was "Dld Alderman Ed
ward r. Fitzpatrick take part in the exercises
And what humiliation she must have felt when
Mr.. Gladstone, in trembling accents, conveyed
| TO her royal ears the harsh, unwelcOmc truth
that Alderman Edward r. Fitzpatrick was not
there. All. citizens of America! Did you but
know how much you owe, and how much
| the cause of free institutODs-whlch Is
| only another name for the Irish Republic OF
! Amerca-owcs to Alderman Edward /. fltzpat-
rick, the fly in the ointment Of the Queen
The Bridge vas not blown up. Whether 1t
ought to have been under the circumstances
will always remain an open question. Inc
| Clarendon Hall philosophers will discuss 1t
with their usual vig0r for great many sun
davs. II is certain, however that 1t has mad
4 narrow escape. Mr. Patrick Joyce, Secretary
of the Revolutionary brotherhood. which Is
now engaged in governing New-lo and os-
tablishng the independence of Ireland, gives
rs the reason for it that the brotherhood gem
crously accepted the explanation OF the tIuS-
tees that they were MOI aware that the 24th
of Nav was the Queens birthday in the
absence of any proof to the contrary On
! this account the Brotherhood decided as an
organization not to blow up the Bridge,
| though he could not say what individual MEM
hers miaht do on their own responsibility.
! But is there not a lesson to be learned from the
| imminent peril we have so narrowly passed
Shall it not he understood that no public cele-
braton in this country hereafter shall take
place on the oath of May or any other day on
which any member of the royal family or OF
the English nobility was bornl The gentlemen
from Ireland who have generously consented
10 manage our politics and conduct our public
affairs are sensitive and impulSve and easily
provoked to the use of dynamite and other
explosives Let us be thankful for our present
escape aud bc very careful to give them no such
cause for offence in the future. And would 1t
not be wcll-we throw out the suggestiOn-to
erect colossal statue of Alderman Edward l..
Fitzpatrick near the Bridge, with his nose
turned ND at III That would embalm historic
performance i'll appropriate brass.