T. P.
T. P. O'Connor. By Hamilton Fyfe. (Allen and Unwin. 16s.) A" LIFE " of T. P. O'Connor was inevitable, and Mr. Hamilton Fyfe was eminently fitted to undertake the task. Ile has brought to it knowledge, understanding, skill and sym- pathy. Indeed, as one reads this volume—agreeably compact yet fully adequate—one recaptures the spirit, style and easy flow of '1'. P. himself in his anecdotage. Mr. Fyfe has contrived, by judicious selections front what T. P. wrote
of himself—and T. 1'. (how he hated to be called Tay Pay !) was much given to introspective analysis—and of the events,
at times fluctuating, at others striking, with which he was associated throughout a long and full life, to make '1'. P. him- self assess the value of his place in historv. As a man he was tolerant (except where Tint Healy was concerned), kindly, simple-minded, versatile, a charming companion with a lively gift for conversation. He had some remarkable, almost incredible, experiences of love, and when assailed by the absorbing passion, his mood was one of indescribable ecstasy.
Notwithstanding this, Mr. Fyfe reminds us that if he was a dreamy idealist, he had an eye to the main chance in his ulti- mate marriage, realizing that by means of it he might establish himself in a social world out of which he could make friend- ships which might be of help to hint in his undertakings. Ills generosity throughout life was proverbial, and was at times unbelievably misapplied. his aim, " since he found always that he needed a little more than he had, was to have just a little more than he needed," and to have it, if possible, without having to earn it day by day. Ilis one ambition was to be a writer of books, to have a niche in the temple of permanent literary fame, to be able to discard for ever the anecdotal, the fugitive, and ephemeral, and record his interest in abiding passions and problems in letters of gold. But he was in per- petual need of money and he was doomed to the end of his days to live a life of earning day by day. There was something pathetic as well as fine in the picture of this distinguished Irishman in his batheltair, the Father of the British House of Collations, penniless at the end of his life in which he saw fortunes go to others from his enterprises, honoured by the gift of ten thousand pounds subscribed by admiring friends and by old foes. He said then, as he surveyed old controver- sies in his mellowed old age, that be "felt no bitternesses left and on that day he " felt at peace with the world." But he noticed that Mr. Lloyd George, an old comrade and friend, was absent, and we read that "T. P., so tolerant, so ready to make allowances, could not forgive him." " I will always," he wrote, " decline to have any personal intimacy with him again." But it is only fair to state that at the last moment before the presentation Mr. Lloyd George found it impossible to attend, and he delegated to a colleague of Cabinet rank the privilege of being present and speaking on behalf of himself and the Liberal Party, then united.
When one has read this book through one asks, where does " the one and only T. P." (Curzon's phrase) stand in the life of the country ? What of value has he left behind ? There is no doubt that he was a great popular -figure, the great pioneer of that popular and personal journalism which made his name a household word and founded the fortunes of others. There is a fine fearless courage in the ideals which he set himself, to uphold if need be against the world, in the Star which he founded. Everything was to be judged front the Radical standpoint. "This means that a policy will be esteemed by us to be good or bad as it influences for good or evil the lot of the masses of the people." This warm-hearted humanity made him too often neglect " the cold-blooded currency side of these operations."
It was his Disraeli which really shaped the course of his life. It was in reality merely a successful political platform pamphlet, destined to be a mine for the Radical orators of the day, and to make his name known in every debating elub in the country. It was through it that he entered Parliament, to remain there to become the oldest, most respected, English Member. It gave him the reputation of a wild recklessness, and in his younger days (the Parnell days) in the House of Commons, - and • aS a spellbinder on country platforms, he
assiduously endeavoured, by the tone and temper of his speeches, to justify that reputation.
The most interesting part of Mr. Fyfe's biography is that which deals with this phase of the Irish "Cause." T. P. was Parnell's favourite. Ireland was the invariable touelistone that T. 1'. applied to persons and politicians, and from this point. of view the Leader, as Parnell was called, and himself, had much in eommon. But they had very little else in common, as the Leader read nothing but technical journals which dealt with engineering anti the chemistry of metals.
It was difficult to gauge how much power and influence T. P. had in the Councils ofthe re-united Irish Party after the Parnell split. His most useful r.:/e was probably that of negotiator, or as a begging ambassador to Irish America for funds for his Party, lie journeyed there several times on what Ellis Griffith, with his sprightly wit, called " the via dollar-osa." But no one could say that during the lust quarter of a century of his Parliamentary life lie was a really great Parliamentary figure. This was in part due to the fact that, as he often said, " No man can serve two Masters." He often appeared oppressed try the cares of life as he walked up the floor of the 114mse of Commons, hat in hand, having had- —inveterate snuff-taker that he was a pinch of snuff as he passed the doorkeeper.
It would have been a strange irony of fate if he had sat on the front bench as a Liberal Cabinet Minister, as he so much wished at the end of his life. What a change that would have implied in the Irish outlook as compared with the days of the Self-denying Ordinance. Ilk colleagues, however, would not tolerate even the suggestion. He had no ene ; he had created no violent. antagonisms ; he He'llti honoured and respected ; he knew the House of Commons and its ways well ; and if he had been granted that legitimate ambit hal, his appointment to Cabinet rank would have been welcomed. As it was, His Majesty honnured him with the dignity of making him a Privy Councillor, " the only dignity not con-
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