Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1868-03-05

/ ting our own citizens
Lord Stanley declared on a recent
occasion that "Treland was never so
prosperous as now, nor was she ever
more disatlected." That she .never
was more disaffected is probably true,
but il Is not true that she is prosper
Gus. Belfast is the only city in Ireland
whose population is as large as it was
twenty years ago My friend from
New York [ Mr. Robinson] will correct
me if | am wrong. ireland has run
down from population OF 100000
to 5,764 900, by the census of 1861, 4,
and is probably still less to-day than
in 1861. There are more Irishmen in
America than in Ireland. They would
come in throngs if they were not too
poor to come. Nothing but poverty
detains them at home.
Here the Speaker announced that
the gentleman's time had expired, and
he took his seat Subsequently, on
the 9th February, the same bill being
before the House, Mr. Woodward con
cluded his remarks as follows
Mn. WOODWARD Mr.. Speaker, when
my remarks were cut off by your in
evitabe hammer last Thursday, | was
examining Lord Stanley's declaration
that "Ireland was never so prosper
GUS as now, or was she ever more dis
affected" You know, sir, that Lord
Stanley is not only the son of Lord
Derby, the present Premier of Eng
land, but is himself the Secretary of
Foreign Affairs, and speaks as one
having authority. His assertion that
Ireland was never so prosperous is
sufficiently refuted by the recent
declarations of Mr.. Gladstone and
Lord John Russell to theeffect that Par
Lament must take efficient measures
very soon for the relief of the we'll
grounded complaints of Ireland. 1t is
refuted also By the declining popula-
ton of the island to which | alluded
on Thursday. The two great facts to
which the discontents of ireland are
referable are the church rates, and the
land monopolics. These are the forces
that are driving them TO our shores
by hundreds of thousands. The es.
tablishci church, TO support which
Irish labor is taxed, is not the choice
Of probably more than one twelfth.
perhaps one fifteenth of the Irish peo-
pie. The mass of the people are Ro-
man Catholics. That is the Church
of their choice and their affections,
and to that their votive offerings are
cheerfully given. But, in addition to
the contributions which affection and
piety dictate there are the church rates,
the poor rates, and all the public tax.
es which the Government imposes to
eat up the earnings of the Irish peas
ant. When to these there is added
the land rent, equal to about seven
dollars and fifty cents of our money
per acre, is il strange that Ireland is
disaffected y-strangc that lrishmen
should seek our most happy country,
where all church contributions are
voluntary. and where cheap land can
be found
The other source of discomfort, the
land monopy, is a sore evil to ireland
| learned last summer from very
intelligent Englishman whom ! met
in Ireland several interesting facts, a
note OF which ! made at the time and
on the spot; and as they bear upon
the question under consideration,
beg the attention Of the House TO
them:
According TO my informant there
are twenty million acres Of land in
ireland, of which six millions arc un-
der cultivation and nine millions in
grass. There are six hundred thou
sand farmers, of whom four hundred
thousand hold farms of thirty acres
or less About twenty thousand
men own the six hundred thousand
farms, and receive therefrom an
annual rental of from fourteen 10 fif-
teen million pounds, equal TO about
seventy million dollars of our money.
Irish landlords do not expend more
than one-and-a-half per cent. of their
rental per annum in improving their
estates. The rest of their large in
comes go into the funds or into i'm.
provomemonts Of the home farms, the
parks, the game, the hounds, the
horses, houses, equipage, &c. was
surprised TO learn that leases for
terms of years are almost unknown
in Ireland. The tenantry are tenants
at will, and liable to be turned out at
the caprice of either the landlord or
his steward. The consequence of this
is that when a farmer, compelled by
his growing family to cultivate every
rood of ground within his little farm,
clears out hedge rows or rreclaims bogs.
and thus adds few acres of new land
TO exhausted fields that have been
cropped a thousand years, some new
bidder is ready to offer the steward q
shilling an ncre more rent, and the
tenant who has done the work must
pay the increased rent or turn out.
He has no lease to protect him. Thus
is he punished for his extra labor.
Another reason for not giving leases
is political. All these small farmers
who pay a rental Of ten pounds per
annum are voters, and when they 90
to the polling places, where the vote
UiUd uoce, the steward is there with
his book TO register each vote, and
woe betide the tenant who presumes
TO vote contrary 20 the wishes of his
landlord or his landlords steward.
Having no lease to protect him, he
must vote as be is commanded, or give
up his cottage, which, however poor,
is the only shelter for his wife and
children.