The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-11-24
James Fl. Higgins is the First Catholic Ever
Elected Governor of New Eng
land State
Patrick j. Mccarthy the First Irish Mayor
of Providence was Born in Sligo
Ireland.

into the real estate business.
He was systematic, accurate, as hon.
est as a bar or iron-and quite as
! difficult to bend or swerve. He had
the ambition to become a successful
business man. He looked upon politics
as the result of success in other lines
of work, and not as a life-work in it,
self, absorbing ones energies and
thought and almost destroying his use
| fulness as a citizen of the best type.
Many Of the men about him would
sit in comfortable idleness around the
real estate and law offices arranging
the affairs of the nation and consum-
ing unlimited supplies of bad cigars.
Mccarthy sold real estate, won the
respect and affection Of his neighbors,
and laid by a tidy surplus at the bank
that could be seen by the naked eye.
He was frugal and rigtdly honest
and things came to him with a whoop.
He didn't gp into politics-politics
i.eane-to him. THAT ths way il should
be. Politics isssl,e ,cremeede nlenthe
Of life. If you attempt to substitute
1t for the solid roast beef, you are ant
to grow thin. Then you vanish from
,, the arena-or go in for graft and grab
and CAB. -.
Mccarthy made money in real estate,
but lie soon awoke to the fact that the
symphonies are made up of the lin
giles of the coin. He kept his eve on
the ball, Of course, but he didn't fall
on q dollar and clutch at it with a
death-like grip until the referee had to
push him off the pile. He had an am
bition tucked away in his soul. lie
wanted legal llonors, so he went to
Harvard University Law School, and
after several years of hard work he
was able to crafty his ambition.
Mi. Mccarthy has had wide en-
perience. a view of political affairs
that is practical and efficient, and the
people Of Providence in electing him as
their chief executive have made an
excellent selection.
He is a member of the University
Club, Knights of Columbus and st.
Vincent de Paul Society,", Like Gov
ernor Higgins, he will have a Catholic
clergyman as chaplain on the day that
he is inaugurated.
! With d population that is so pe,'
cent Catholic in religious anlliation,
Rhode Island witnessed the unexpect-
ed election Of its first Catholic Cow
ernor, James III. Higgins of Pawtuck-
ct, and the city of Providence it's first
1rish-born Mayor P. j. Mccarthy.
The youngest governor in the coun-
try and the first Irish Mayor Of Provi-
dence are ardent Catholics. devout but
not intolerant in religious affairs. They
are able and honest citizens.
Both were elcted OH platforms the
principal planks of which were de-
cency and cleanliness in political af
fairs, and both, while nominated nv
the Democratic party, We're in reality
elected by the combined votes of the
great factors in political life
The story Of the life of both men
reads like a page from a romance. Tn
one respect their story is similar. Thev
were both born of Irish parents, Gov
ernor-elect Higgins In this country an
Mayor-elect Mccarthy in Sligo, Ire
land Both men attained their pres
ent positions, of trust and honor by
their own struggle, after q battle with
the world which would have bested
other and less indomitable spirits
They are both self-made men in the
best sense of the word, and while Nav
or Mccarthy is fairly we'll along in
years, being Sc years old, and Govern. .
or-elect Higgins is only 30 years
neither has swerved from a faithfu,
attendance at the services Held in their
respective churches or BEEN bewildered
by his success. The first act Of both