The Washington times., 1922-12-31

~ ONE forty years ago a tur-
bulent, brilliant and witty
~ young Irishman was sent to
prison for six months for making
an inflammatory speech in Ire
land. Today that same Ireland,
after having been fighting Eng
land for forty years in the
British Parliament, at the age Of
sixty-seven, is the first governor
general of the Irish Free State.
The world knows him as "Tiger
Tim," and his compatriots call
him Tim" for short.
HIS CALLING TONGUE.
Without doubt Mr.. Healy is
the most brilliant living Irishman.
He Is violently Irish and conse-
Quently terribly witty and polite
ally wise. Although during his
forty years of uninterrupted at
tendance in the House of the
British Parliament he constantly
lacerated the House Of Commons
with his barbed shafts of irony,
yet the members Of the British
Parliament learned to love him.
When Tim" rose on the floor
Of the Parliament the House
listened, and "Tim" rose very
frequently. He made his maiden
speech in the Parliament just
exactly fifteen minutes after he
was sworn in for the first time,
and from that time on, until a
few years ago when he withdrew
from the contest in favor Of an
ether Irish Republican, he has
been the terror of the Commons.
There wasn't another man with
q reader or more CALLING tongue,
and when he spoke it cut deep.
When Tim" spoke everybody
wanted to listen to him with the
exception of those who were the
subject Of his attack.
ONLY SUITABLE FRESHMAN.
One night when the late Joseph
Chamberlain, having left Glad
stones Government, commented
humorously in the Parliament,
Gladstone being absent. "in the
absence Of the cat the mice will
play. Tim" readily came back
and the rats"
Timothy Healy's appointment
20 be the first governor general
Of the Irish Free State by King
George was certainly a wise
move so far as England was
concerned. 1t is true that there
were other Irishfhen as weighty
as '"Tim" Healy with considera-
BE local following. such as Sir
Horace Plunkett and DR.. James
Ashe, but there were plenty of
republicans in Dublin with plenty
Of revolvers in their pockets and
land mines in their Gladstone
bags, even II there were few
Charlotte Cordays among them.
Plunkett might have made a
more dignified first governor
general. Ashe might have been
moro scholarly, but King George
must have taken into considera-
ton Dan Breens and his merry
pistoleers who obeyed strictly
their Napoleonic injunction to
take two looks behind before TAX
ing one look ahead. That is, IL
the second look behind revealed
tho Free State oonstabulary with
the business end Of his bayonet
pointed in their direction there
would be no coup d'etat.
DISTINGUISHED ADVOCATE.
In other words. in Ireland there
were few materials Of governor
Generalship caliber who would
not have inspired republican ha-
tired. The new governor general
had to be certain things and not
to be others, and Healy, Ire
lands most distinguished living
advocate. is not only a most suit
able person for the office. but
was actually the only suitable
person in sight. 1t was highly
desirable, in the first place. that
the new governor general should
be one whom the republicans
would shoot with only certain
amount Of reluctance.
This naturally ruled out all
Protestants, Unionists, land own
srs, persons Of title, laymen sus-
pected OF close personal affila-
tion with the Roman Catholic
hierarchy and identified In any
way with the signing of the alb
horred treaty which made tho
office OF governor generalship
possible. Had such a. one as
sun,ed the distinguished office
nothing short Of the constant ad.
ministration OF a battalion Of
shock troops and an impenetrable
Gordon of c. I. ID. men would