The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-22
"REMINISCENCES OF aJoE. R1eaAR.
The Father of the Irish Movement as
Man and Politician.
From he Neiu York Press

a
not be over estimimated. He was Mr.. Par
nelrs teacher in Irish politics, aud since the
pupil became TIE leader, Joe" has been a
looked-for mentor.
Mr.. Biggar was born in Belfast in 1928,
and until he reached manhoods stage be
had no fixed political ideas other than that
he knew his father was stanca Presbyte-
rian and anti-home ruler.
But joe was a bright you1gster. Nature
had slightly deformed him. but his brains
were allowed to remain in the right place.
and he gradually leaned toward the party
which was seeking Irish autonomy.
An incident connected with his adherence
to the popular feeling is not out of place
8 Mr. McGee, now in New York. an old
friend of Biggar's father, happened to meet
the old gentleman in Pemberton street, now
New Lodge road, Belfast. and said TO him,
''l'm glad to see that you've turned home
ruler, Mr.. Biggar."
Whereupcn the old man retorted:
d home rule. IT'S that fool of
son of mine"
And as a matter of fact his family be-
lived Joe to be a hopeless scholar. He was
always last in his class in everything but
figures. And perhaps this peculiar gift of
his aided him afterward in collecting i'll his
brain the wonderful amount of parliament
tary statistics which he had ever ready for
an Irish emergency in the House.
Mr. Biggar was A years old when he first
attempted to enter parliament. He knew
he would not be successful, but Just with
the same spirit of beneficial obstruction
that has since marked his political life, he
contested Londonderry in 1872, having for
opponents Mr. Lewis and Chief Banon
Gales. And he won his point; for the
wing was defeated. Two years later, at the
general election ne was returned for Cavan,
and be has since then been the member of
parliament for that constituency.
When Biggar reached parliament he was
not particularly well pleased with the status
of the Irish members there, nor was he in
love with the methods of the Irish leader of
the time. But he deliberately laid himself
out for purpose, and that purpose was to
master the rules of the House. This knowl-
edge he acquired, and his memory was good,
as the members of the House of Commons
will readily testify. He was always on
the watch for an opportunity to advance
Irish interests, and at last the time came.
A young member (ParnelD was elected
from Meath, to replace john Martin, and
from this juvenile stuff Biggar decided to
make his statue. He made a friend of the
young man and they often could be seen to
gether in the tea room of the House, usually
in the company of third-Joe Ronayne.
These meetings were the hatchingS of the
egg that has born the present Irish move
ment. Ronayne was young and enthusi
astic. Biggar was shrewd aud coil and
business-hke He indoctrinated his ideas
into Parnell's mind so thoroughly that the to
be-leader accepted them deliberately. The
trio set themselves to defy the English par
lament by obStructing its business until
Irish appeals were heard. And the aim of
the scheme was not to obstruct in way
that would offend the laws of the House.
How this scheme succeeded it is unnecessary
to tell here. Biggar's plan has been adopted
by every party, and his name will go down
as the originator of the best scheme ever
devised for making governments recognize
minorities. 1t was Mr.. Biggar's tactics that
made the English government pass the fla
nous closure" bill. But be has outwitted
this parliamentary structure"
And yet little was heard of this man ex-
cept as treasurer of the national league. He
had the habit not to put himself forward.
He was not a good speaker, but his words
were like leaden bullets or diamond drops
Just as he wished to place them. And in
the councils of his party everybody looked
for ''the last word" from Joe, for they knew
it would be pure as a diamond and as good.
He had only one aim in life, and that was
to oppose the British government in Ire
land.
remember we'll when. at certain NEST
ing in Dublin, he mentioned my humble
self to represent an Irish constituency. And
IN doing so he said:
Hes the best man in ireland, because he
hates the government just as much as l
do. y
This was probably friendship; but can
not deny the attribute, and it only serves to
prove the oneness of his character.
As matter Of fact, do believe that Joe
Biggar first loved goading the English gov
eminent and then he loved lrelaud-or, as
he himself used to say, II love Ireland, but
tits good when fellow can put fly in the
ear Of the government"
On April 27 1875. he said in the House:
81 espy strangers This does not appar-
emily mean very much, but it meant a
great DEAL The Prince of Wales was in one
of the galleries, and the rules of the House
were on such "requiry" from a member
that everybody must leave except those in
the ladies' gallery. There was consterna-
ton. But the royalty of the government
came to its aid; Mr.. Biggar was consigned
10 the society of tramps, and "his royal
nibs" and colonel were permitted to remain
Biggar was not discounted. He chuckled
with delight that he had put fly in the
ear Of the government" The score was his,
badly as they scored him.
Scores of anecdotes could be told Of Mr..
Biggar that would each deserve separate
paragraphing. In the lobby of the House
of Commons his absence will be sorrowfully
felt, for even his enemies liked him because
Of his open thrust antagonism. And should
complete stranger worry him on a busy
night by sending in his card, Joe was always
polite and gentlemanly, aud brought him
IN, and, in turn, worried his own friends for
ticket for the speakers gallery for his
companion.
lsaw him one night rushing from table to
table in the smoking room with a bundle Of
unsigned passes in his hand, frantically
ssklng for Tim Healy or 7. P OConnor-
or lie. Pc, as Biggar called him. | asked
hlm what was wrong9 was it something to
oesprung on the government and he good
humoredly replied:
No, Bob, some idiotic Yorkshire men
sent for me; gave away my passes and |
thought t. 2. or Healy might have some.
and thus it was all through Biggar'S life
ever doing good, ever wishing to help
every one except the government. OBrien,
farnell, Dillon and others have made names
llnperlshable Biggar was an inside man,
and did not in his lifetime gain this extra
ordinary notoriety. But the Irish people
VIII not forget Joe's services, and his name
l, as certain to live as one of the fathers OF
rue present movement as is ParnelPs.
whenever trouble arose in the party Big
gar was the peacemaker. Only once he
clicked and that was at the Galway election
VI capt. O'Shea. He was right. But when his