The Irish standard., 1888-07-28
THE FRESHMAN IN POLITICS.
His Capacity for Self Government
is Of a Superior
Order.
DENIED HOME RULE AT HOME,
They Come to America and take Their Full
Share in Carrying on the Affairs
Of the Republic.

! 1t is asked: Has the Irishman the
same capacity for lf-government as
| the citizen of an American State
Many Englishmen seem inclined tc
answer the question negatively, and to
regard this answer as a fatal bar tC
Home Rule. But an American Of 1885
can scarcely understand you asking
this qestion. He has constantly before
his eyes the strongest proof CT the Irish
aptitude Tor political discussion. Moth.
ing, he would assure you, from his own
experience, suits the Irishman's tenn
perment better than the constant exer.
else of the faculties which are best
adapted for local politics. A political
sphere suits the Irishman's versatile
genius, and employs his s'gift Of the
CAB" What your Irishman wants
most of all is some outlet for his politi-
cal steam, and this he finds in The pro-
fusion Of the small details of local gov
eminent.
Strange as it may seem, this rsce,
which is at present denied Home klle
at home, actually controls, partly by
its power Of numbers, but still more by
dint of its capacity for political debate
and by electoral organization, the gov~
eminent Of most of the great American
cities from New I crk to San Francisco.
AZ this moment the moving experiment.
Of Irish Home Rule is visible across the
ocean under The 1nost free and demo-
cratic of all governments. New York
is said to be the largest Irish city in the
world. Even learned and elegant Bos-
ton has it's Irish Roman Cath ollc mayor.
The dzst daily newspaper which ap-
peared in America, the Pennsylvania
Packet, was published by an Irishman,
and from thac day to this the irish have
exercised enormous influence through
the American press. As senators, re-
presentatives, State governors, mayors,
they have taken their full share in car
rying On the government of the Repub-
lie. It would be superhuous to multi
ply instances in every departments OF
life in which Irishnen in America have
come to the front rank. The impor-
tant part which the 'Irish vote" has
played in the presidential elections
from the time Of Andrew Jackson, the
first Irish President, till to-day, is
known to all. And looking in gener-
al way to the quality Of the Irish imni
grants, almost any fair-.minded Ameri-
can would tell you that the Irish COM
pare fayorably at the present moment
with the immigrants from other coun-
tries, with regard to their fitness for
being entrusted with the political rights
which America gives to her citizens.
If not immediately upon landing at Cas-
tie Garden, as an effect Of the ocean, at
all events in a generation, the wild
Kerry immigrant is transformed into
the most law-abiding citizen IN the
Union. From the statistics of the last
census (1ssW in America, it appears
that the total number Of citizens of the
United States who were born in Ireland
is l,S50,571, as against 1888 born in
Great Britain and 1896, 742 orn in Ger
many. But while Germany only con-
tributes 4,469 German-born persons to
the staff of officials and civil employees
Of the Government, and Great Britain
S,039, Ireland is represented by S,231
Irish-born persons III the civil service
of the State. Statistics of other occu-
pations in the yoluminous reports of
the last census are equally striking.
Samuel Lover wrote of the Irish peas
ant that ''his enemies representing him
as fend stimulate his friends to paint
him as an angelo The truth is that
the Irishman at home is a failure, and
abroad, speaking generally. a success,
an indication, one would say, that his
crimes at home are the results of politi-
cal circumstances peculiar to Ireland.
It has always seemed to us that a
strong argument exists for Mr.. Glad.
stones original proposal to allow Ire
land, if she so wills it, when Home Rule
is given her, to remain unrepresented
in the Imperial Parliament for time.
ireland will have enough to do and
more than enough to set her own house
in order to begin with. She is not
keenlY interested in Imperial matters
at this juncture. She might well afford
to take time to settle her proper rela-
tions to the Imperial Government.
We do not mean to contend that the
American cities are always model COM
.munities. They are too well known,
after scandals like the recent disgrace
full disclosures in New York, to be
occasionally the scenes Of jobbery and