The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-07-03
How ireland Is BEING Depopulated.


De HeSteTn chTiSttdn Advocate.
Ireland is not the low swamp that
many have taken 1t to be. There is
everywhere and abundance of lime
stone rock, and granite and trap rock
are by no means scarce. Most of the
country which have seen is a success
sion nofexquisitely beautiful landscapes,
and 1t is perfectly easy to understand
how an Irishman should be ardently
attached to his native land. Nothing
but pinching want drives him to seek II
home elsewhere. 4-
But why, it may be asked, should the
people of such a country be Obliged, by
want, to seek a home in strange land2
The causes at present operating 10 pro-
duce this result are very apparent. 1t
will be remem mbered that all the lands
in Ireland are in the hands of a few
rich landlords. 1t is utterly out ofthe
question for the poor to ever think of
owning lands ins Ireland. They de-
scend from the father. to the Oldest son,
and so on in succession. The rent re-
Quired by these landowners would be
considered, In our country, enormous.
Any thing like good land rents for
from ten TO thirty dollars per acre, the
rent for one year being enough to pur-
chase an improved farm in many parts
of the United States, while the yield
per acre is not more than with us. How
Is a man to support a family, after pay
ing such II sum as the above? The
few who thus manage to keep soul
any body together are obliged to live in
the plAinesI manner possible. The
question is simply how to keep the soul
in the body. Meat is out of the ques-
tion. Potatoes used to be the great
staple with the poor, but these have
never done SO well since the rot ap-
peared among them. Oatmeal is also
used, but who can pay twenty dollars
RtNr for NnHl md n
corn Is not grown here; the climate is
not warm enough. II an Irish family
thus situated can, by any means, own
Il COW, and save potatoes enough to live
upon, this is as much as can be hoped
for. Oflata years some Indian corn is
imported from America, but this, of
course, costs more in Ireland than
where it is grown. But even this state
of things, bad Hs IL is, is not the worst
of the case. There is a growing deter
mination on the part OF the land
owners to refuse limited rentals. 1t is
less troublesome TO them to rent the
whole estate to some stock grower than
to rent 1t in small parcels. The income
IS more certain, and more easily col
lected. So, as fast as one. miserable
hut after another goes to pieces, they
are cleared away, and the poor tenant
given to understand. that they must
shit for themselves elsewhere. So,
parcels is now thrown together into a
large pasture or meadow. This process
is rapidly going on in Ireland, and
when the peasantrv complain, they are
given to understand that it they are not
satisfied with their legal status, they
had better seek home in other climes.
The poor man thus ousted must now
seek employment as day labOrer. But
1t is easy TO see that the state OF things
just indicated diminishes the demand
for labor. Ten thousand cattle can be
fattened on AN estate through the sum
Iner, to be consumed in London in the
winter, without requiring a large
amount of labor. A laboring man on
Il farm can earn one shilling per day.
A hard weeks work will no more than
purchase II bushel and a half of pOta-
toes, or bnshel OF Indian meal. How
is poor family to get on with this
Where are clothing and fuel to come
'front.' What are the Irish peasantry to
do? They must emigrate or starve
in travelling over this country, by ma
ture so beautiful, to see the comfortable
farm house, as in America. There is
not one comfortable dwelling where
there would be hundred in America.
The Country Rentlemen"-the owners
OF these lands-such of them as live in
Irelend. are scattered at great distances
from each other. They live in tiue
style, have plenty of horses, and visit
from one estate to another among them
selves. Their children are sent away to
be educated, their sons get positions in
the army, and thus they manage to
keep nlOof from the great mass ofsocie-
ty around them. This state of things is
depopulating Ireland, and will con-
tInue to do so for long time to come.
The decrease is now steadily fifty thou
apn6