Omaha daily bee., 1918-09-29
Views and Reviews
Fighting Qualities Of Archbishop
Ireland Probably Kept Him from
BECOMING q Cardinal
Becoming q Cardinal

II is too bad the ambition of Archbishop
Ireland to wear cardinals hat could not have
been realized in his lifetime, though, As usual,
now that he has passed away, assurance is gwen
that he was slated" soon to be made cardinal.
Archbishop Ireland during the civil war won
the name and fame of the lighting chaplain
and he was a tighter for the Lord and tor what
ever he thought to be right at every turn OF the
road 1t was doubtless this hghtlng spirit, the
giving and taking OF hard blows which make
enemies as we'll as friends, that kept him from
the still higher place in the Catholic hierarchy
which he rightly deserved.
Archbishop ireland was a warm personal
friend OF my fathers, and they lnterchanged
occasional correspondence, and after my father
death the friendship continued with me- he
last time the archbishop was in Omaha had
the honor OF call from him in company with
Bishop OReilly Of North Dakota, and Father
Harrington. The archbishop had made spe-
cial trip to attend the funeral OF the late Bishop
Scannell but his train had been delayed by
storm and he arrived too late to participate IN
the ceremony We talked pleasantly over
variety of subjects, and especially the then po-
litica situation. Archbishop Ireland was an
uncompromsing republican, fighting repub--
lican, an intimate OF Mckinley, an admlrer OF
Roosevelt and devoted to Taft.
Il come to you just as did to your father
to find out what is doing in politics" he SAID,
and described to him what seemed to me signs
OF the development of popular demand tor
Hughes for our next republican candidate tor
the presidency. In this he evinced particular in
tcrest, agreeing that Hughes best promised to
unite the divided factions of the party and
would make an excellent president. lhis was
III the early winter of 1916.
The naming of Albert Strauss to the men,
0ership of the Federal Reserve Board, made
vacant by the retirement OF Paul Narburg, puts
IL. vh,N lyf,nt
omaha tirst-hand. Mr.. Strauss has been for
many years the active head OF the great New
York and international banking firm OF J. q w.
Sehgman, and was one OF the trustees OF the old
Omaha Water company, having been largely
responsible for the plan OF reorganization that
took the plant out of the recelvershlp OF the
American Water Works company and re-
financed it. | do not believe he or his firm had
any substantial holdings of their own, but MIR.
Strauss was vlgilantly i'll touch for his clients
with the proceedings that evenuated in the pur
chase of the property by the city on terms to
them very satisfactory In any matters relating
to Omaha's place in the federal reserve system
we may be sure we will have in Mr. Strauss
man conversant with conditions here and ready
to accord us an absolutely square deal.
Here is one that my old friend, Al Sorenson,
hands out in his Examiner, and which is too
good for me to pass up without passing along:
"A smart aeck customer asked newsboy
if he had fifth edition of The Bee. Nav,
but if you wise guy will wait here few
minutes I'll go up to the shop and have EN-
get it right out for you That was the reply
OF the ready-witted newsboy. You may tie
him, but you can't beat him."
Another prominent figure Of other days dis
appears through the recent death of the former
Senator Joe" Blackburn of Kentucky During
the winter of 1888 which l spent in Washington
as page i'll the United States senate the Blue
Grass state was represented in the upper
branch of congress by two of the most fOrceful
senator's there-"thc two BIS as they were
sometimes referred to--Beck and Blackburn,
aud they were on the firing line nearly all the
time Beck was burly ScotChman full of facts
and figures. Blackburn was an athlete in APP
pearance and an all around good fellow gener-
ally, polished talker and one of the most pop
ular with his colleagues. irrespective OF their
politics. Although dyed-in-t he-wool democrat
who later Organized and went wild for free sill
yer, he was appointed by President Roosevelt
on the Panama Canal commission, and at the
time of his death, his eghtieth year, was head
of the Lincoln Monument Commission, which
has charge of the construction of the beautiful
Lincoln memorial projected for Washington