Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-29
IRELAND RULERS
NominaIly Governed by a Lord
Lieutenant.
ACTUAL CHIEF SECRETARY
He Stays lin London, Member Of
Kings Cabinet.
THE MAN ON THE GROUND
The De Facto Head of Executive Ad-
ministration Is Known as the
Under Secretary.
The MAN ON THE GROUND
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.

Under Secretary.
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and tn,
| Chicago Record Herald.
| DUBLIN. June 23.-Ireland is nominally
governed by a lord lieutenant or viceroy
Of the king. who. since December, 1905,
and at present, is John Campbell, Earl of
Aberdeen. He occupied the same position
for several years in the nineties, and has
since been governor general of Canada.
Both Lord and Lady Aberdeen are we'll
known in the United States, where she
has taken an active interest in the work
of the Women's Christian Temperance
Union and benevolent and social reforms.
She will be particularly remembered as
the promoter Of the Irish village at the
Chicago exposition in 1903. and for her
successful endeavors to Introduce Irish
homespun, lace, linen and other products.
and to make them fashionable among the
American people. She is woman of
great energy, executive ability and deter
mination. and is applying those qualities
very effectively in local reforms. She is
organizing societies of women throughout
the island to encourage the virtues and
restrain the vices of the people, to relieve
their distress and advance their welfare,
physically. mentally and morality, by a
dozen different movements of which sne
is the leader and director. She has start
ed crusade in Ireland against the great
white plague, and has DR.. Arthur Green
from New York over here as an organizer,
while Nathan Straus of New York is CO.
operating with her In setting up establish
ments for the sterilization OF the milk
sold on the streets of the city. She Is
president of almost everything: has a
dozen secretaries and agents carrying out
her orders; and is altogether the busiest
woman in the United Kingdom. At pres
ent it is sad to say, her ladyship has been
compelled to drop her benevolent work
and abandon her social duties to attend
her brother. Lord CreedmOuth. who has
broken down in health and has been COM
PEELED to retire to a sanitarium near Lon
don.
The Lord Lieutenant Sinecure.
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland has
very little to do except to open fairs. give
dinners and look pleasant. He is nominal
ly the head Of everything as the repre-
| sentative of his sovereign, the king, and is
supposed to rule Ireland In his majesty
| name, but, like the Governor General of
Canada. the office is a sinecure. Its in
| cumbent receives salary of 100000, a
CcSlc III Tic Clty anu d COuHtTy IOuBc Ill
Phoenix Park to live in a liberal allow
ance to maintain them and to expend in
hospitality. O. staff Of secretaries and aius
de camp, full outfit of servants and
various other perquisites which would be
appreciated by our President and ali
others in authority. And all this without
any responsibilities except to be tactful,
amiable and diplomatic, and to make
friends with the people.
The actual ruler of Ireland is the chief
rntn <I1~ t.
a member of the cabinet Of the king and
spends most of his time in London, where
he devises and directs the political policy
OF the government toward this distracted
but improving portion of his majesty s
empire. looks after legislation in parlia-
ment and attends to whatever Is neces-
sary for the good of the island. Mr..
James Bryce. British ambassador at
Washington, resigned that position to ac-
cept the honors he wears at present. and
his successor now in Office is the Right
Honorable Augustine Birrell, who is
carrying out the same lines of policy that
Mr.. Bryce 1naugurated at the incoming
Of the present liberal government. The
chief secretary is expected to spend a
portion OF each year in Ireland. where
he can be in touch with the people and
get his cues from public opinion. He has
salary Of $4,000 and residence, fully
equipped and appointed, near that of the
lord lieutenant in Phoenix Park.
The De Facto Head.
The man on the ground, the general man.
ager of the government and the de facto
head of the executive administration is
known as the under secretary who also
has a handsome residence in Phoenix
Park and all worldly comforts provided
for him. He presides at the ancient ca st lie
In the center of the city of Dublin. sur
rounded by a staff of subordinates and
clerks. and supervises the work of the
several executive departments, most of
them being scattered in rented quarters
In different parts of the city The gov
eminent has long ago outgrown the cas-
tie and has appointed officials and boards
or commissioners and organized execu-
tive departments without erecting
any new buildings to accommodate
them. AS in tn United States and
according to the usual rule elsewhere, no
office is ever abolished in ireland and
when its actual duties are accomplished
the incumbent is expected to find some
thing else to do or at least make a show
OF activity and usefulness. One of the
officials told me the other day that there
are forty commissions Of one sore or an
other connected with the government of
ireland most of them doing nothing but
mission
The present under secretary is Sir An
thony Patrick mcdonnell. an Irishman
who has spent his entire life i'm the serv-
| hiS mug. the greater part OF IL
In India, where he was governro of four
inherent provinces in succession and
showed remarkable administrative ability.
retiring voluntarily. he came home to
ireland and was soon appointed to fill a
| vacancy in the office of under secretary.
Where he has been very active. very posi-
I'VE In his convictions, very determined in
| MS methods. He has made numerous
| recommendations that have not been
| adop!ed and has attempted to carry out
a poicy that has not been acceptable to
the politicians of Ireland who have re-
1ected his plans for self-government and
| nave refused his overtures.
Author of the "Devolution Policy. ~
Sir Anthony Macdonald is the author
or what Is called the "Devolution
policy. That's big word. and one
that We in America are SO unaccus-
toned to that it has little meaning ia
US out over here it is in common use
and fuIl of significance. first being ap-
phed 10 certain political project in
! ireland by Lord Dunraven in 1904 If
you Will look in the dictionary you will
see that devolution means the act of
devoIVing. transferring Or handing over;
transmission from one person to an
other. passing or falling to a success
sor. as or Office authority or real estate -
In Its application to the Irish situa-
| ZION oeVOIut1on means the devolving