Mr T. P. O'Connor.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 4, 22 January 1903, Page 20

Mr T. P. O'Connor.

Mr. W. T. Stead gives a character sketch of Mr. T. P. O'Connor. M.P., the most popular and perhaps the most versatile of journalists. Mr. O'Connor was born in Athlone on October 5, 1848. He received his education at the local Catholic college and at the Queen's College, (Jalwav. After taking his degree he was engaged as reporter at £1 per week, which was doubled the second year. At the age of 22 he arrived in London with £2 in his |p,qcket, and an absolute stranger. There \ was an old police sergeant employed at the Lyceum who hailed from Athlone ; there he had been a meat friend of the family To him went young Thomas, and by his advice he took his first London lodßin^, a small bod in n tiny room in Brydges street (now Catheiine MicK). Covent Gardens, for which he paid a shilling a d.»\ rent. Having thus acquired a local habitation, he set about the weary search for work. Morning and late he toiled up and down the streets, haunting news^nrier offices, trying to make his wav into the presence of editors ; for six weary weeks he tramped after work His funds ran low, despite the utmost economy His breakfast cost him twopence, his supper the same. His only other meal was dinner, which made a big hole in a shilling Sometimes he would economise on the penny mug of coffee and munch a dry loaf in his own room' Hope deferred made his heart sick. It was a scorch i no: summer and he suffered much from headache. Ho recalls the fact • — ' Oftimcs I used, in the afternoon, to have to lie down on the quilt — made, I remember, of the scraps of soldiers' uniforms — and sleep for hours in the exhaustion produced by the heat and my long and fruitless walks ' * At last, when he was reduced to almost his last shilling, ho got an introduction through Mr Charles Mackay to Mr. Thornton Hunt, of the 'Daily Telocraph ' His knowledge of French and German stood him in rood stead, and he was appointed as junior assistant in the foreign editing department of the paper. After a time there was a change in the organisation of the office, and T. P. found himself once more at the loose end. He was driver, to tak<e all kinds of woik by which the pen can fill the mouth. He first struck oil by what appeared the merest chance. He was casting about for some literary work, when it was suggested to him that he micht write a paving book on ' Scenes in the House ' Somewhat reluctantly he went to the British Museum and began to prepare for the proposed ' Scenes ' by reading up the story of Disraeli's debut in the House. He looked up the papers relating to his first election, and the subject took hold upon him. He abandoned ' Scenes in the House,' and devoted himself to the production of the ' Life of Lord Beaconsfield.' He worked out the subject with a feverish frenzy which sometimes enabled him to put in 24 hours" work in the 24. When at last he finished it he was prostrate f i oni nervous exhaustion The book, however, was an immediate and brilliant success. Edition after edition was sold out, and Mr T. P. O'Connor found himself not only famous, but comparatively opulent. * His friend, Dr. Ward, who sat for Galway, retired in 1880, and T. P. was offered the vacant scat Raising £200 from the proceeds of his ' Life of Beaconsfield ' and hi 9 ' Cyclopaedia of Irish Literature,' he started for Galway. and returned to take his seat in the House of Commons, where he became one of the most energetic and brilliant of Mr. Darnell's band of obstruct i\cs.' Of his Parliamentary career it is not necessary to speak at length. But in the 22 years during which he has occupied a seat in the House of Commons, he has done not a fow notable things. One of the most famous of his Parliamentary successes was the speech in which he replied to

Mr. Forster s terrific onslaught upon Mr. Parnell. Mr Forster being unmuzzled for the first time, simply sayaged the famous Nationalist leader, who, instead of d1? yy M ng> T>° rder ,^ u P - P to undertake *** defence Never nol n, Pi?rnellP i? rnell show better judgment or more ruthless- <£/!■ i?" r as aPPa-lled by the magnitude of the task thus suddenly sprung upon him. His nervous excitei^L !l? ush JL on a racking headache ; but his chief was inexorable. When Mr. Forster sat down, amid a storm of savage cheers, T. P. stepped downstairs and spent dinner-time in scribbling a few notes on a sheet of noteP l P( l r^- X, ° clock he rose to r eply, and delivered what Sir George Tr-^olyan afterwards declared ras the most effective Parliamentary speech he had ever heard. When I left the House to riino ' said Trevelyan • the effect of Mr Forster s passionate invective was ' overwhelming. Anything but the immediate arrest and execution of Mr. Parnell would have seemed an anti-climax. r v two hours later - and to my amazement lound the House roaring with laughter, and cheering enthusiastically Mr. O'Connor's uncompromising defence of his chief. It was a great Parliamentary ' tour de force when Mr. O'Connor, not for the last time, was able to play off the passion of the Tories against his Liberal assailants. » ,„+«?" + ( jt is ¥ ri °' c °l" ior as a journalist who is most interesting just now. His record as editor dates from the foundation of the 'Star,' which he edited from its iirst number down to June 27, 1890, when he sold out his interest for £15,000, and bound himself not to start an evening paper in London for three years ctnSff 1111^? was , th , e <Sund ay Sun,' which he * l 2 *i d VV 11 ™ 1891 - ™ hen the U"'ee years were up he started the Evening Sun.' on June 27, 1893, and announced that in less than 12 months both had become paving properties. He nearly broke down with overwork and after a few years he parted with the 'Evening Sun : and some months later he quitted the 'Sunday Sun.' On June 18, 1898, he published the first number of 'MAP' —a penny weekly of pleasant gossip, personal portraits and social news, .which has been and is to this day a great financial success. ' Mv ideal of a newspaper,' says T. P., 'is that every line of it should be leadable ; that it should be terse picturesque, and bring out the dramatic and human side ot everything. Above all, a newspaper should have a serious and honorable purpose in reforming -rievanco^ in advancing liberty and strhing for principles that will make humanity happier and better. Personally— 1 hough I make it a rule not to speak much about this— a newspaper to me is mainly attractive because of the opportunity it affords of preaching those principles which I consider to be right ' ' M:A P.' has been a great success. But it is not suflicient to exhaust the energy of T. P. So he has nrought out another penny weekly, known as ' T P's Weekly.' T P. is, in English journalism, a remarkable figure and his pre-eminent position is not a little creditable to a profession which has of late been much discredited by some of its members, to whom pelf is more than principle. For T. P has never faltered and never flinched in his devotion to an unpopular cause. And yet nevertheless and notwithstanding, he is almost at the head of his profession, peihaps in some things quite at th G top.