New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-07-23
The Irish Census.

When the awful facts of the Irish Cen
sus were first officially announced, the
British organs of British Free Trade were
evidently staggered by them. They pub
lished the figures but refrained from com
meut, to a degree quite unusual They could
not face such facts with coolneSs, nor was
it clear what differences could be drawn
from them. But after weeks cogitation
the embarrassment Is removed and The
Times boldly puts forth the following reflec
tons, to which we invite the attention of
our readers
But why should not the population of Ireland be
reduced, say, to four or hyC millions should that,
indeed. come to pass, must and VIII involve great
changes in the social aud political state. not only of
ireland, but OF Great Britain also. IL must greatly
The raits Of LABOR, and the appreciation OF the
laborer throughout these isles. For awhoe genera
ton has btcH drug "a fhtS country and popula-
uon a nuisance. II mas scarcely entered INTO the
heads of economists that they would ever have to
deal With deficiency OF labor. The lneXhauStble
Irish supply has kept down the price of English
labor whether IN the neld the railway, the factory,
the army. the navy whether AZ the sickle. the
spade the hod, or the desk We believe that for nifty
years at The least. labor taking It's quality INTO
part of Europe and that alS cbeapaeSs oflabor has
contributed rGSv 20 the improvement and p0cr oftae
country, 10 the success OF all mercantile pursuits,
and 10 the enjoyment OF those who have money 10
spend This same casdPRcSS has placed the idborlag
classes most c1tctealy Ead'r me hand Of noR'y and
The heel Of pouer. But VIII there not be change and
beginning OF changes when our great reservoirs of
human labor DC TO fall short hen every employ
er OF the people, nom the authorizes al the Horse
Guards and the Admiralty 10 the occupier OF nifty
acres or the poSSeS>or OF hall dozen lace machines,
no., IN s,ftf ~ II I N
DC day OF change when, instead OF TWO men beng
after one master TWO masters VIII be after one man
Perhaps L VII DC thought that al al events the con-
dillon OF the laborCr Will De - much bctteTei that
there Will Re no English emigration Or that We are
not sure. What Keeps the English !aoorer al home
Is his profound ignorance, his " ant Of EerSauiy ana
his habits OF dependence. But these pec3larllles
VIII De much affected by any social cAsiSes tAdI
shall make Tic ltb0TeT more actually independent
than he nov > and we can conceive great demand
for labor skilled Or unsklled, increasing emigration
instead OF repreSSng u. such changes VIII give iae
laboreT the means, The COMBINATION, the Seli-man
agement, and perhaps also. IN TIE Increasing qHreis
bsfreca master and SerrG,i, The proyocaiion neces
saIy tor Iyirg Il new country
Is would be difficult to condense into so
MANY words 4 greater number of pernlclous
falsities than are contained in this extract,
and Vet il is only succinct statement of
the ideas on which the English system IS
based, and by which Great Britain is gov
erned. The Times does nothing more than
repeat what has been said thousand times
by British statesmen and economists, and
what has been the soul of British policy for
an indefinite length of time. And from
England these ideas have been spread into
other countries, till at last they are quite
generally regarded as indispusable axioms,
and even the shocking effects their practi-
cal application has produced in Ireland