The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-11-24

Public sentiment has swerved at q
wide tangent since the days when the
Irish h-Catholic in an important State or
city office was a pathetic rarity in
New England, says the Boston Repub-
lic Today the Celt has won a recos-
nized place for himself in the political
world and the gratifying facts point to
a condition which reveals a healthfll
civic tone. Eight of the thirty-three
cities of Massachusetts have Irish
Catholic Mayors. Yet scarcely d quar-
ter century has passed since Hugh
O'Brien was elected, after a bitter
struggle, the first Irish-An,erican May
or of Boston. f---
Conditions which touch every cit
izen, tax rates that bulge bulkily and
the development of cities to the point
where the most alert brains must be
called in to guide and direct gave tho
Celt his opportunity i'll the political
arena That he has flourished eas. the
the green bay tree testified to the ssect
that he has met the demands made
,ipons his intelligence, sobriety Of judg-
ment and awakened conscience.
Rhode Island has shown that when
the people are tired Of boss rule and
its iniquities they turn to prudent,
safe leadership stripped of lysteria,
and yet strong to remedy evils. In
last weeks issue Of The Republic q
sketch of the personality and career
of Governor ELECT Higgins was pub
lished. 1t attracted much attention
and two newspapers, the Syracuse Sun
and the Neward Monitor, have asked,
and secured our permission to repro
duce the type and the illustrations.
This is a gratifying response to The
Republics effort to place in the fore
ground of national attention those
stirring and history making charac-
blood of the Celt.
The political upheaval in Rhode ISL.
and brought to the front another man
Of Irish blood. Mayor Elect Patrick
]. Mccarthy, was born in Sligo, and
came to America when only two years
old. Three months later his parents
died, and the child who was to advance
so far on the road Of success was left,
helpless, to battle poverty and the
gaunt wolves of want and hunger.
When mere lad Patrick came to this
city. He sold newspapers. He dreamed
dreams and battled his way until he
became one Of the most successful
newsboys on fremont street. That
was the main artery of the city's life
at that time, and when he had built
UP good trade competition became so
keen that it threatened to rob him Of
his profits. 1t didn't! He had his back
to the wall, and fought for that little
corner of the world Of trade that meant
substance and progress-yes, life it,
self to him. Life is a. series of cri-
ses," says this devoted Soldier Of the
Common Good who knows how to
smile persuasively-and how to fight.
His dreams and his fights taught the
boy many things. He would pass by
the lighted windows in the Back Bay
where there was warmth and glad
ness and the convincing odor of food.
He determined that one of these days
in that Never -Never-Never Land,
where all children live he would have
a holne-a real home. where kind
spoken people dwelt and laughed-and
fought for the right. He attended
school, too, and Boston may justly
claim credit for moulding the character
and mind of the aspiring youth.
The next period developed the BOY
into the man. There were again
struggles, vicissitudes and the full
gamut Of hardships. He went into the
plumbing trade, saved money, lived
strictly according to the copy book
maxims of success, and then embarked.