The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-06-03
THE UNYIELDING MAN
IN IRISH POLITICS

IN IRISH POLITICS
Sir Anthony MacDonnel is the man
of the moment in Ireland. With that
determination, that aggresslVehess
which characterized him in India, he
is crushing all opposition to the plans
of devolution he has put in operation
Unable to stand against him, ChleI
Secretary of Ireland Wyndham mas
been forced to resign his ONCE anu
Sir Anthony MacDonnell, the under
secretary. stands out more prominent
ly as the man upon whom the future
of Ireland very largely depends
Around him wages one of the nerc7
est conflicts that has ever arisen IN
connection with Irish affairs. This
was not unexpected when he returned
from India about two years ago to
undertake a task from which others
shrank, and with failure freely pre-
! Ccted by even his closest friends
But Sir Anthony has never learned
what failure means. During more than
| thirty years of service in India he had
solved problems that meant life or
death to millions of people. At one
! time he was chief ruler of 47,000,000
people, and he was destined for higher
honors in that country But when the
government determined to introduce
an Irish land measure Sir Anthony
was looked to as the one man to put
| it in operation. He had served under
Lord Lansdowne when the latter was
viceroy to India, and Lord Lansdowne
now urged upon Shief Secretary
Wyndham and Lord Dudley, the lord
lieutenant of Ireland, the appointment
of Sir Anthony. When the call came
he responded.
An Irishman and a Catholic, Sir An
thony is one of the most remarka Bile
personalities in Great Britain today,
and the career of no other man is being
watched more closely. He is strong,
unyielding man, who for over forty
years has been almost constantly en-
gagged in overcoming obstacles, some of
which appeared insurmountable. From
his school days he has been a leader
AS boy he was a little bit apart from
his fellows, always prize scholar the
leader of his class. Throughout life
he has held this position, even in COM
pany that boasted the highest titles
and carried with it the prestige of long
years of success:
What Sir Anthony undertook to do
was to effect reconciliation between
the two parties, which, it now appears,
do not want TO become reconciled.
With the land bill there was little diff
ficulty As prepared by him it was
accepted by landlord and tenant
alike: but when it became apparent
that his scheme of devotion might
mean the transfer of the government
of Ireland to the Catholic majority.
the trouble began. The Protestant
minority scented home rule at once,
and the result has been the outcry
which has embarrassed the govern
ment, and may have a more serious
effect. Chief Secretary Wyndham ap-
proved of the course of Sir Anthony
up to few months ago. Then diff
ferences arose between them. and the
contest became so bitter that there
was much speculation as to the posi- |
tion of other influential persons. Lord
Dudley. viceroy of Ireland. supported
Sir Anthony, and King Edward, who
is said to have practically given Mac
Donnell free hand to do as he
pleased in Ireland. still stands behind. ,
Chief Secretary Wyndham. who sided
with the Orangemen anxious for his
downfall, was forced to resign his
Office
The present storm was not unexpect- I
ed by Sir Anthony himself. Soon after
ne accepted the office of under-secre- :
tary he wrote to a friend: My best
friends tell me that ] am deluding my |
self, that L shall be abused by Orange |
men as Roman Catholic and de- /
nounced by home rulers as a renegade: !
that shall do no good, and that | shall !
retire disgusted in a year But l am
willing to try"
Born in 1914, the son of the late Mark I
Garvey MacDonnel of PalmIield |
House, he received his first instruc- |
ton in a little boarding school in Ath- !
lone, where he was one of a number of !
Irish lads who afterward became fa- |
nous. Sir Anthony was the most dis
tinguished of the group. T. P. O'Con- :
nor who was a pupil in the same
school, and. although few years
younger than MacDonnell. saw a good
deal of him, says that he was easily ,
the head of all his classes, strong in |
classics and mathematics. and carried |
off the prize for general excellence. the /
most coveted honor in the gift of the +
school From Athlone he went to +
Queens College in Galway. where he
carried off the prizes within his reach
and took gold medal at his degree /
examination.
1t was about this time that the In |
dian civil service was thrown open TO |
and young MacDonnell
who had already given proof that his
future was going to equal his reputa- :
tion as student, looked forward TO
civil service career.
70 secure one of the forty mr. 6ftv
places in the civil service, MacDonneIi
with his training received in the little
western college, was obliged to enter
into competition with the first pupils
OF the great schools of England. He
was able to hold his own with the hest
OF .hem, and among the hundreds com
peting he had place very near the
top.
1t was after taking up his work in
India that he developed the qualities
that render him at present invaluable
IN ireland. His position was peculiar.
He was Catholic, a Liberal in poll
tlcs. ana, more than this. he was an
Irishman with very decided views IN
all matters. Yet he crushed his way
10 the front and proved his worth in
every instance. He conquered famine
ana pestllence, and ruled 47OOO. 600
people with rod of iron. He was
made chief commissioner of the West
erh Indian provinces; then, in 1889
governor of Burnah. and i'm 1892 a
Nau n e.