The Irish standard., 1903-08-15

yet devised by man, and is surely
leading to perfection. Wherever it
most fourishes man is most secure in
his rights and most blessed with op-
portunity-where it prevails in vigor
man is nearest civilized, says the Gin
cinnati Enquirer. The statute known
as the act of settlement was one of
the grand monuments erected to hu-
man progress, Il glorious triumph of
parliamentary government. 1t was by
proclamation that England is self
governed people, and since 1858 the
House of Commons has constantly
grown in Importance and power until
it has come to be recognized that its
will is the British constitution. 1t is
no vain boast that it is the greatest
senate in the world, for it can COM
mand all the forensic ability of the
realm that is not in the other house,
of Parliament, and that is an advan-
tage that is denied both Houses of the
American Congress. Error is uncov
cred and truth discovered in the de-
bate of mind with mind. Delibera-
tion is the womb of excellence. The
defect of our system is that our ablest
men are subject to the whim of a
single constituency. Stephen A Doug
las nearly lost his senatorship. Allen
G. Thurman did lose his. A man
named Lapham got Conkling's place.
A man named Deboe got Carlisles.
Scores of our ablest men have been
banished from the national councils
at the fretful caprice Of tickle con-
stituencies. Not so in England. And
hence it is only truth to admit that
the British House of Commons is the
greatest senate in the world. 1t is
foolishly announced that w. Bourke
Cochran is to enter the British House
of Commons because he went across
the waters to recuperate. He is a
wonderfully gifted man, and would
ative body. Personally, he is not pop
ular. He seems to make enemies with
great facility and with exceeding dis
patch. He is devoid of the quality
that is called magnetism. He is not
even "a good fellow" When he was
the ablest man in the New York dele
CATION in the American Congress he
could not count half-score Of friends
in the whole house. Tammany EN-
ployed him for his ability, and refused
him the reward he had earned because
it was envious of his brilliant parts.
The press had no love for him, and he
was mark for its deadly shafts. He
was driven from public life, and now,
it is said, he is to champion the cause
of Ireland on the theater where Graf
tan and O'Connell crowned Irish elo-
Quence with tens Of thousands of
laurels. Bourke Cochran was born in
Ireland nearly so years ago. He was
educated in France, and came to Amer
ica when a youth of II. He became a
teacher, and while so engaged studied
law and was admitted to the bar in
1876. His wonderful eloquence at
tracted attention and brought him
success. He was thrice member of
the American Congress. and the first
orator in body that numbered OH its
roll Fellows, Breckinridge and Bryan.
Cochran is more than the rhetorican.
He is a thinker Nature was generous
and gave him all the adjuncts of an
orator-the imposing presence, the
handsome person. and voice surpass-
ing all the others, rich, deep, musical,
commanding, with just enough of the
brogue to ''hark a fish out of the
water" But this Achilles is vulnera-
,hle-tact was denied him. and he knew
he was a genius. He has read much
and has reflected profoundly. He is
rot superficial man. and he is Il
logician. He studied with immense
Irofit Isaac Newton. John Locke and
Adam Smith. He saw the profundi-
ties in the satire of that greatest of
Irishmen, Jonathan Swift. He knew
Burke from lid to ld-all history was
his. and all literature opened its stores