The Irish standard., 1906-01-13
He is Conspicuous Example Of One Who
Has Made Politics Study That :
He Might Bepefit Others
The Labor Party Of England is Now Loyal
:. and Powerful Ally Of the Irish
Parliamentary Party. ~

has been doing to better the con-
dition Of the working classes. Or he
stops to tell you in dramatic fashion
some true little story Of the tragedy
Of the workingman's life in the great
towns. Then he harks back to some
exciting and perilous moment in the
days when he was an agitator, and
carried his own and many other lives
in his hands.
There is one story of the dock
strike which I recall with particular
clearness, because it is such signif1-
cant example of his grasp Of human
character and his promptitude as a
man Of action.
The strike was at a very critical
and exciting moment. Passions had
risen as they do when hunger begins
to gnaw at mems vitals, and it re-
quired all the courage, all the re-
source, and all the vigilence of the
leaders Of the men to restrain them
from violence This is the moment
when the envious, the malignant and
the hot-headed see their chance, and
when by spreading violence they may
succeed in getting men out Of hand
places they crave.
One evening, when there was an ex-
citing meeting, one of these hot-head-
ed and ambitious men got up and, in
the course Of an impassioned speech,
proposed that they should try to bring
the masters to their senses by burning
the docks. It was just the kind Of
proposition that was suited to the
mad spirit of the hour.
John Burns did not reply by an i'm
passioned appeal to the good sense
and self-restraint Of the meeting. Any
such appeal would probably have been
in vain. He simply took out a box Of
matches from his pocket. handed 1t
to the impassioned orator, and bade
him begin the work. The project came
to an end as soon as it was born. The
docks were not burned, not even a
single match was lit.
Another secret Of the success of
John Burns has been his independ-
ence and absolute integrity. When
young barristers are starting on their
professional career, they are often
tempted by the prospect Of making
badly needed money Immediately by
contributions to the press. The wise
ones who can afford to wait pass this
temptation by, and they have their
ultimate reward which an absolute de-
votion to one particular business near
ly always brings.
John Burns has adopted the profess
sion Of politics in this same spirls
Over and over again during his career
he has been asked by newspaper 70
prietors (by myself among others) to
devote portion Of his time to Jour-
nalism, and he has been offered what
to him must have been severe tempta-
tions to do such work. There was no
reason, Of course, why he should not
have taken up such task. Nobody
would have dared to propose to John
Burns to write anything which he did
not sincerely believe. And in a news
paper sharing his views he might have
found good means Of defendtna
them.
But he has always steadily refts> T.
He has preferred to lead his simple
and plain life in the modest house In
Battersea which Is his residence, to
depend on his wages fund, and to con.
ces:rate himself entirely on his politi.
cal work.
like the story with regard to thu
new suit of clothes which has ap-
peared in the newspapers within the
last week. AS everybody knows-fo,
his figure is very familiar in the city
Of his birth and love-John Burns
! wears a bowler hat and what is called
REFER coat Of dark serge. It was
observed by his friends recently that