PATRICK EGAN.
It will be seen that when "United Ireland" was "on the shaughraun"
during the time that William O'Brien was in prison, though he was able
to send communications out regularly, the direction very largely
devolved upon Patrick Egan, who had taken up his quarters in Paris for
that and other purposes of the Land League. I may say that I have been
in frequent communication with Mr. Egan ever since, and it is but
recently that I got a letter from him touching upon this matter. In
making some valuable suggestions as to the contents of this book, he
says, "There just occurs to me as I write, a point that you might
introduce as an added feature, namely--all the leading articles that
appeared in 'U.I.' during those fateful months (or almost all of them)
were written by William O'Brien _in Kilmainham Prison, smuggled out by
the underground railroad, which ran upon regular scheduled time_, and
were despatched by trusty messengers to me in Paris, which messengers
brought back on their return journey the matrices to which you refer for
the next issue of 'United Ireland.'
"There were four messengers, in order to avoid attracting attention--two
of them the Misses Stritch, whose father had been a resident magistrate
in Ireland. They were fine patriotic girls, and active members of Miss
Anna Parnell's Ladies' Land League. Both are now dead."
After a time Patrick Egan returned from Paris to Ireland, calling upon
me in Liverpool on his way home.
On more than one occasion he has visited me at my home in Liverpool. It
was always with sincere pleasure that I saw the alert figure, the keen
yet smiling eyes, the trim moustache and beard, which were the first
impressions one got of his personality. His unvarying suavity and
politeness might have deceived a casual observer into supposing that he
was not a man of abnormal strength of character; they were only the
silken glove to conceal the hand of iron. Emphatically a man of
determination and practical common sense, he united to these qualities a
remarkable degree of tact. In addition to much routine matter, which
need not be specified here, although grave enough at the time, our
meetings were concerned with important work in which we were engaged,
as, for instance, the O'Connell Centenary, the political prisoners, and
combating the measures being taken to swell the tide of emigration from
Ireland.
In dealing with the eventful career of Patrick Egan may I be allowed to
go both backward and forward in my dates, in order to bring the story of
his life into, as far as possible, one consecutive narrative.
Born in County Longford, he was brought to Dublin by his parents when
quite young. His shrewd business qualities enabled him to make his mark
early in life, and his fine administrative abilities admirably fitted
him for the post he attained as managing director to the most extensive
flour milling company in Ireland.
He has always been a practical patriot, always ready to work for Ireland
by every honourable means that came to his hand, whether the means were
those of moral or physical force. Consequently, he was an active worker
in the ranks of the Irish Revolutionary Brotherhood from the early
sixties. He was one of the founders of the Amnesty Movement for the
release of the political prisoners of '65 and '67.
When the Home Rule movement was started in Ireland he entered into it
heartily, and was elected a member of the Council. He enjoyed the
confidence of Butt, John Martin, Justin McCarthy, and all the other
leaders of the movement, besides being trusted by Nationalists of all
shades of opinion. Like most of us, without abating in the least his
love and esteem for Isaac Butt, he soon recognised the coming leader in
Charles Stewart Parnell, who used to refer to him in private
conversation as his "political godfather" on account of the prominent
part he had played in securing his first election to Parliament for the
County Meath, in succession to John Martin.
During the early part of the Land League agitation he was three times
nominated, for King's County, Meath, and Tipperary, for Parliament, but
he refused election, on the ground of being an advanced Nationalist. I
have more than once talked this matter over with Pat Egan, and, as I may
say in everything else, we were in complete accord; we neither of us
could bring ourselves to swear allegiance to what we considered a
foreign power. At the same time, as practical patriots, we helped every
movement, inside the constitution as well as outside of it, calculated
to benefit Ireland.
When the Land League movement was started in 1879, Egan became at once
one of the most prominent figures in it, and, besides acting as Trustee
along with Joseph Biggar and William H. O'Sullivan, he was Honorary
Treasurer.
In the famous trial of the Land League Executive, in 1880-1881, he and
Mr. Parnell and eleven others were prosecuted, the jury being ten to two
for acquittal.
In February, 1881, when coercion was so rampant in Ireland, he left his
business in the sole charge of his partner, James Rourke, and went to
Paris, by desire of Parnell, Dillon and the other leaders, to keep the
League Funds out of the hands of the enemy. While he was there I was
brought into close relations with him in my endeavours, as I have
already described in this narrative, to carry out the honourable part
allotted to me by our leaders of keeping "United Ireland" in circulation
in every corner of the land, notwithstanding the watchfulness of the
entire British garrison.
In October, 1882, a National Convention passed a unanimous vote,
thanking him for his distinguished services and sacrifices as Treasurer
of the League, he having given gratuitously to the Cause three entire
years of his life, something like a million and a quarter of dollars
having passed through his hands during that time. These and many other
circumstances that came to my knowledge abundantly prove that no man has
more deserved the confidence and gratitude of the Irish race.
In February, 1883, Michael Davitt tells us "In order to avoid the
machinations of agents in the pay of Dublin Castle, he left Ireland."
I don't know if I shall ever meet my friend again, and for that reason I
shall always remember, as I am sure he will, our last meeting in
Liverpool on his return from Paris, when we fought our battles with the
forces of the Government over again, and had many a hearty laugh at some
of the humorous episodes that cropped up in connection with it. Neither
of us then thought that, before long, he would have to leave his home
again for another period of exile.
Up to this point I can include the chief incidents in Patrick Egan's
career, either directly or indirectly, in my own personal recollections.
In order not to break the continuity of this sketch of a noble life, I
will briefly speak of his career in America. It will be found,
therefore, that in some particulars I have had to anticipate the
ordinary course of this narrative.
On arriving in America in 1883, he settled in Nebraska, where he soon
established a large and prosperous business in grain.
In 1884, at a Convention in Faneuil Hall, Boston, surrounded by some of
the most distinguished of our race in America, he was presented with a
service of plate sent from Ireland, with a beautifully illuminated
address, paying tribute to the magnificent services he had given to his
country, and signed by three hundred of the national leaders in Ireland,
including the Lord Mayor of Dublin (Charles Dawson), Parnell, Davitt,
Dillon, Biggar. Justin McCarthy, Healy, William O'Brien, Sexton,
Harrington and others.
From 1884 to 1886 he was President of the Irish National League of
America, during which time 360,000 dollars were collected and sent to
Ireland. The salary of the President of the League was 3,000 dollars a
year. At the end of his term Patrick Egan returned to his successor in
the office 6,000 dollars as his personal contribution to the Fund.
His career in America has been no less honourable than his services to
the Irish Cause on this side of the Atlantic. Irishmen everywhere felt
proud when he was sent to represent the great American Republic as
Ambassador to Chili. They took it not only as an honour to the man
himself, but to his nationality. We who knew him best followed with
confidence his record during the four years of storm and stress in
Chili, the most troublous, perhaps, that country had ever seen.
That our confidence in him was not misplaced was proved by the tribute
of admiration paid him by President Harrison in his message to Congress
in December, 1891, for the splendid manner in which he had protected
the important interests confided to his care, and for his defence of the
honour of the flag of the United States, and the rights and dignity of
American citizenship.
All this was endorsed in the most emphatic manner by the leading
statesmen and naval and military commanders of America, including
Secretary of State James G. Blaine, Rear Admiral Evans, Admiral Brown,
Rear-Admiral McCann, and numerous other officers of the army and navy.
The strongest eulogies of Mr. Egan's conduct of the Chilian legation
were written by the ex-President of the United States, Theodore
Roosevelt, who, in 1892, gave a dinner at his home in Washington, D.C.,
in his honour. In a public letter Mr. Roosevelt said, "Minister Egan has
acted as an American representative in a way that proves that he
deserves well of all Americans, and I earnestly hope that his career in
our diplomatic service may be long, and that in it he may rise to the
highest positions."
When I started a new series of my "Irish Library" in January, 1902, I
received words of encouragement from John Redmond, from Michael Davitt,
and from other distinguished Irishmen, but there was none I valued more
highly than the letter of appreciation of my works from Pat Egan. Of
these he asked me to send him a set, including my "Irish in Britain."
In a letter he sent me in the May following, I could see the yearning of
the exile for news from the "old sod" when he said "Write me a line to
say how you are, and how goes the good old cause. I often think with
much interest of the last time I had the pleasure of seeing you in
Liverpool."
I have made my references to Patrick Egan somewhat lengthy, perhaps, but
it is because in no work that I have ever seen has an adequate tribute
been paid to his services to Ireland. Unlike other men who are better
known, he was little seen and not much heard of in the Land League
movement, but his influence in shaping the movement was second only to
that of Davitt. He was eminently the practical patriot, and his motto
was "deeds not words." If she had had in the past many men like Egan,
Ireland would be both free and prosperous to-day.