Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-04-15
SUFFERING In IRELAND.
address Of the Erseutius Board of the Irisl
Relief Committee TO the People Of the United
States.

/
address Of the Executive Board of The Irisl
Relief Committee to the People Of the United
States.
i The undersigned, appointed TO act as the Ex.
ecutive Board Of the Irish Relief Committee,
beg leave to appeal In the neme of our COM
mon humanity to the people Of the United
States to assist them 10 the energetic efforts
they are making to send, with all possible dis
patch, supply OF money and food TO the peo-
Pile OF Ireland, now threatened with the most
dreadful of human affections, famine; and the
undersigned feel confident, when the facts are
known, that prompt and generous response
will be made. The calamity which has most
Unexpectedly fallen upon the Irieh people Ia one
which no foresight could have guarded against,
and 10 industry or hulbandng of means could
have averted. From lS47 until the commence.
ment,- but three years ago,-of the causes
which have produced the present state of
things, the people of ireland hadbecome mark
ed for their energetic industry, their general
application to agricultural and manufacturing
pursuits, and for their provident habits. In
the year 1860, however, there wa, total fail.
ure Of crops in numerous dssricts from the
continued prevalence of rain, both before aud
during the season of harvest The extensive
failure of the hay crop, and the general want OF
food for the support Of animals, led 10 the
course of the succeeding winter to an enormous
loss OF cattle-tbst most necessary auxiliary
| to the labore of the husbandman--and materi.
ally crippled the resources of the farmers In the
succeeding season. This calamity, however,
could have been easily borne; but, to the
CONSERVATION of the agricultural classes, af-
ter the crops were In the ground during
the next year, q rainy season again act
In, from July to October, over nearly the
whole of the west and south of Ireland, so con-
tinuous that the unripened grain rotted in the
fields. The people still bore up manfully
against this new calamity, and with greatly d.
minished resources prepared for another season,
when, as 1t were destined that their cup of aflc-
tion should be filled to ovetfowing, visitation
of exactly the same character again occurred,
but this time more widely spread and deaola-
ting In its effect What was before limited to
certain districts now extended over the whole
island, involving in one general calamity richly
cultivated and prosperous parts of the country,
where want has been previously unknown.
Even 10 these sections, people hitherto blessed
with abundance are now living upon q single
meal day of the scantiest kind, and in the
gloomy prospect of the future the chance of
even getting that is diminishing, while in the
less favored districts deaths from actual starva.
tion and Ia large numbers have been avertel
only by the prompt action Of the benevolent
"Hundreds offamilies would have starved"
says gentleman writing to member of this
committee, chad it not been for the timely aid
you sent u.s." There is every indication that
famine is impending which, unless averted, will
be more extensive than that which occurred in
Ireland in the years 1916 and 1s47, when over
10000 human beings are estimated to have per.
iata I'D fnar M ktan e. -
on by want and destitution-2l,7 ITO from actual
starvation. The famine during that period
was owing mainly to the failure OF the potatoe
tho chief reliance of the poor-but as all
other crops were luxurisnt, there we're many
districts where the famine was unfelt; but at
the present period every crop has failed, and
there Is no part OF the country which can be
said to be exempt from causes which have been
general in their effect.
Nor ia the distress limited to the agricultural
classes. There Is the greatest privation in the
manufacturing districts growing out OF the civil
war in this country. The cotton spinners in
the North-a most numerous and industrious
clsss-are suffering exactly in the same degree
and from the came causes ss the Lancashire
operatives in England. In one manufacturing
district alone over nine thousand persons hsve
been for long period wholly without employ.
ment, and are now suffering degree of wretch
edness the details of which are narrowing. It
is this double sffiiction which makes the Ca
lsmity so widespread and universal ; and It is
earnestly hoped that the appeal Of the under
signed, for people In no way responsible for
the sad visitation of uniaithfu fields for three
successive years. or for the fact that largo bod
les of operatives have been Unexpectedly de-
prved of the means Of sustenauce, will receive
the Consideration to which it is entitled. The
spectacle Of hsrd-working, provident, and
moral people, brought to the verge Of famine
through causes which hey could not control,
which might have befallen any people under
similar circumstances, presents one of the most
touching of human appeals. 1t is earnestly
hoped that our people will not wait until their
charity is invoked as il was in lS47 by the siok-
ening details of human beings dying OF famine
by the roadside -of wreched women and
pershing little children calling in vain for food
but that, in the large heart that belongs to
our people, our benevolence will be as timely as
II is spontaneous. Secured in our own land by
wide diversity of climate, and the varied pro-
ducts of our soil, from such calamity, We can
scarcely realizs the effects produced by such
cause, and the fact that this has occurred to
the Irish people for the second time within q
quarter of o century, should awaken for them
pphi uooPSh pJmPouuys w q thh hVpp AOt uO
response to this appeal except from that part OF
the United States now engaged in an earnest
struggle TO maintain the territorial unity of the
nation against the attempt that has been made
to dsmember 1t, and we feel hoa much We ask
of our brethren u der such circumstances; but
we feel at the same time that no more beHtt ng
answer can be given to those who have maligned
our motives, misrepresented our cause, and
sought to divert European sympathy from us,
than to show by our response to appeals of this
nature that, Feighty as ia the struggle in which
we are engaged, and many 40 may be the bur.
dens ID imposes upon US, we will not turn deaf
ear when the suffering people of other lands
cry cloud to us for assistance.
CHARLES p. DAILY, Chairman.
RICHARD BELL, Treasurer, 80 Pine street.
H. l.. HooUEr, Rec. Secy, 26 Barclay street.
JOHN SAVAGE, Cor, Sec'y, Al William street,
Joseph Stuart, Samuel Sloan,
William Watson, Daniel Develin,
Eugene Kelly, Arthur O'Donnel,
James 7. Brady, Edward c. DOnnelly,
Walter Magee.