The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-09-19
He Tells in a Racy Way of the
rlen and Women he Has Met
In His Career.
A Sketch of Biggar and the Part
He Took in the Downfall
of ParneIl.
80 ~. 5ss+ ,"e.

l ~AO@AA~&3
| Days of the Great Leaders
/ ... Career. .. -. ~
Continued from last weekly j..
Another of the men who helped to de-
stroy Butt and to start the new Irish
movement had also been much underated
by Butt. And no wonder. A look ait Par
ne1l's face, even when he was young,
ought to have shown any physiognomist
the stern stuff that was in him; but there
was nothing whatever in the appearance
or manner of Biggar to- suggest man
who would play great part in g political
movement. Physically he belonged to the
unhappy class who are deformed; he was
q hunchback. and had the small, curious
physique and the rather strained ex-
preston of that class. The face was long,
featured, and at the same time mad
something of the tiny and childish ex-
preston which people of that class al
ways have. The eyes were very striking
very blue. very soft, and very clear.
There was little or no suggestion OF the
sternness Of the character in their look;
they showed the other side of Biggar's
nature-the soft and tender side. He was
emphatically a strong character. Far
| nell, have said, was one OF the Dravest
men have ever known; but Biggar was
a braver man than even Parnell. Indeed,
in studying some Irish types whom poll
| tics has brought into notice, one can very
| we'll understand some OF the scenes and
IS TNpp77 7oTa ROY
If Biggar had lived in the last century he
would probably have been a member of
| the Committee of Public Safety-not by
any means it's most merciful member
and, after his days work condemning
ar;stocrats and tyrants to the guillotine,
might be imagined returning to small
and modest apartment where the women
adcred and the children worshipped him.
Heiwas. in short, a political fanat1c-fear-
less, merciless and narrow
But when he started political life the
world. could. only see the grotesque and
| the inefficient side of him. He had In
herited from his father large and prof.
liable provision business business
that need scarcely say was translated
| in the vehemeace of political controversy
into pork-butcher or pig-jobber-just as
the other day the exigencies Of partisan
strife in Ireland translated a. member OF
the same business into "cat 's-meat
! man" In this business BiggT had ae-
uuired a moderate fortune-somethln
like thirty or forty thousand pounds:
When he entered political life he was still
in business; and I have heard two char
acteristic stories Of the period-one from
his own lips. Either the devotion to
Parliamentary affairs or natural want
of aptitude had converted his business
from profit to loss, and have heard that
| he got the impression that one OF, the
reasons for this was that he was Identified
as the great politician by plg-sellers, ana
that thus he was imposed upon. This
difficulty he tried to meet by going in
what he was pleased to think was dis
guise to the great pig markets; but Nature
had given him--poor mana means OF
Identification, and as he passed, uncon-
scious and. az he thought, undiscovered,
the sllrewd pig-buyers nudged each other
er, and had hearty laugh at his expense.
This story came to me from good
source; but, ,asI say it is not one for which
I can vouch. The other story is this: Cn-
willing to i've beyond his income, Blggar,
in those days of loss, used to leave the
House of Commons and, crossing West
minister Bridge, go to some restaurant
where he could get his dinner more
cheaply than in the House of Commons.
There was stern stuff in the man VINO
could exercise so much self control. No
place in the world is 1t so uncomfortable
and so demoralizing to poor man as
the House of Commons, with all it's splen-
dor, Its luxury its atmosphere OF great
wealth. / have seen many mans NOR
ality go down in it's temptations.
! When Biggar started politics his want
lsof articulate utterance Was a.most painful.
What little he had to say he had TO write
down and read from manuscript stuck IN
his hat-an immemorial trick Of the stun
bling orator He spoke OF his defect with
characteristic frankness. When he was
asked to make speech he repl:ed IN that
strange hard northern accent: L can't
speak a ID Bit And yet it is curious
what constant practice will do. He was an
eminently clear headed and clear slghted
man; ;She went to the heart OF subject. ana
by constant practice he managed to say
exactly what he wanted to Eay-not a Word
more, not word less. A SAYING OF MS
used to be quoted by Mr.. Healy, who was
one Of his int.mates, with great JOY. As
everybody knows, when obstruction Is at
work it is directed against the time Walca
! IS uSeQ Dy L06 SUVGiuuCAG7lo1 eno aNv
! of government business. Biggar was plen-
t.ful in speech whenever the government
was to be obstructed, but he was very chary
OF speech otherwise This pratice ne
| summed up in the maxim: Never speak
except in government time Biggar was
the real originator OF the policy OF political
lsfe that a. great and powerful political
party saw a tremendou disaster n1enacing
| them for fully ten years, and foresaM it
with clearnezs and mall the blackness and
widespread disaster which It afterwards
bro,1g ht, and yet were absolu oluteiy .poWerless
to move hand or foot to prevent its occur
renee. III the stress and violence Of the
controversy that afterWards arose. great
blame was attached to the colleagues Of
rarnell because they did not attack him lin
before hh,e j think a fairer judgment siss that
rarely, il ever, was there an Instance Z OF
such extraord dinary loyalt Of q body Of
In,5Ian tc their chief and 10 the cause Of unity
Ianil success which that chief embodied.
Il can Sc und derstood, then, with what
feelings men who held these convictions
were filledswhen there came telesrans from
IdaIMay announcing TO them ia confidenea