THE LATE DR. TANNER.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 129, 1 June 1901, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE LATE DR. TANNER.

To the British newspaper rteader the late Dr. Tanner. M.P. for Mid Cork, who died at Beading last Simday night, probably appeared merely as an excitable, awkward-tempered member, disorderly, and often illmannered. It is true that during any Irish debate which generated political passion—and most of them come within this definition —he was all this. He was an. ardent Nationalist, and very impulsive. But it was a generous impulsiveness, and when party warfare was suspended, the irritation which it engendered was as completely absent as if it had never existed; and he had many warm, personal friends among his staunchest political opponents. Of recent years his health had been very poor, and though he attended to be sworn in in February he had taken no part in the proceedings of this Parliament.

Consumption was the cause of death; yet he was one of the last men who five years ago would have been

considered likely to fall a victim to this insidious disease. With a large physique and remarkable strength he. was full of boisterous spirits, and .-.pparently in enjoyment of the most vigorous maoihood. In the height of Parnell's Land League agitation, Dr. Tanner was constantly "to the front," and his stature and youthful vigour made him at every meeting- conspicuous among- a thousand.

Dr. Tanner was the son of an eminent Cork physician, and himself studied medicine, pursuing his studies in Berlin, Leipsic, and Vienna. He was one of -the limited number of sturdy Protestants who, in the early .stages of Parnell's fight, linked their fortunes with the great Protestant leader. In Cork, Dr. Tanner was very popular, lie was Mayor of the city; one of the divisions of which he also represented in Parliament since 1885. His supremacy there was once challenged by a Unionist candidate, but Dr. Tanner -came out, of the contest with a majority of almost 5000 votes — one of the greatest, electoral majorities on record. The Unionist had only 10G votes. It -was the last challenge of the kind in Mid Cork. The incident which first brough Dr. Tanner into notoriety was the demonstration against the King and Queen (then Prince and Princess of Wales) during their visit in 1885. When the Prince and Princess reached "Mallow there was a very great anti-loyal demonstration —a carefully organised affair, in which Dr. Tanner took a prominent part.

As a Parliamentary figure, Dr. Tanner was remarkable. He was full of the frolics of a lad, as tender-hearted as a woman, an was one of the most popular habitues of the smokingroom. Only occasionally his courtesy gave way to boisterous humour, which landed him in some strange adventures. One of these at Boulogne brought him to the verge of a duel with an irascible Frenchman, who took the good-humoured Irish M.P. too tragically..

He figured in many little scenes of his own creation in the House of Commons, particularly lato at night: but in the House he was understood, and the Chairman of Committees generally prevented these episodes from going too far. His favourite method was to select some member with utiusual style of speech or manner, and mimic him by a series of ejaculations. It was a disturbing eccentricity. But apart from these vagaries no member was more courteous an;l amenable than Dr. Tanner.