Wilmington argus. (Wilmington, Del.) 1880-18??, 1880-01-14
The Present Condition of Ire
land and the Irish.

There are lew countries that are
looked on with more interest at the
present time than ireland, and there
are few people so little understood as
the Irish. In fact, it is almost impos.
sihle for stranger to get fair under
standing of the cause for dissension,
restitution, and abiect want to he
found in an island noted for its fertility
and mild climate, and people remark
able for their versatility and ability
to meet all the emergencies of life.
No other people have ever made so
distinguished record in the history
OF tie civilized world and shed more
glory and honor on the pages of the
historian. In every civilized nation
amongst the most prominent men in
art, science, literature, military glory.
and the avowed champions of human
right and liberty are to be found
Irishmen. Tear out all the pages of
history that are emblozoned with the
names OF celebrated Irishmen and how
many pages will be lackinep Hence
the inquiry arises, What is the cause
Of SO much want and destitution and
the often returning seasons of starya.
tion and poverty?
Cobbett remarked that "the potato
ia at once the blessing and curse of
Ireland" To understand this il ia
necessary to take a short review of the
past history of Ireland and the impor-
tant part that tine potato performed in
the support of the dense population of
that country. Agreeably to tradition.
the potato was introduced by Sir Wal.
ter Raleigh, and first planted on his
estate at Youghal, County Cork. II
was introduced from Peru, and it ia
said that on first trial it was Condemn
ed, as the gardener had procured the
balls for the cook, which proved a
nauseous dose. But on digging over
the ground in the sc;s;:ang the ttibers
were found ed highly pr zed; in fact.
J it requires the moist climate of ireland
to deveiope the finest specimens of the
potato.
But some will ask, What has this 10
do with the present state If Irelandf
A great deal more than at frskagpears
From the facility with wiz u no,
sImorS slssal H. lll Y I !
article Of Diet both healthy All nutri-
tious, its suitableness to the poor
mans wants, neither requiring an ar
bitrary harvest, nor much expense fol
storing, no milling charges nor the
expenses that attend the raising oil
grain. 1t became the staple food Of
the Irish peasantry. And so easy wa,
it to secure enough of this staff OF Inf,
that early marriages were INDUCED in
and a vast number of workinRmer
were found in districts where Their,
was no employment for them, and the,
were forced to emigrate to other lands
Whenever failure of the potato crol
took place, thousands and ten of thou
sands were reduced to pauperism,
But to understand how a people car
be reduced to such abject poverty, il
is necessary to take glance at Tn,
rack rent system. The prices at which
land is rented in ireland is not so ex,
cessive as it at first appears. Goot
land is often rented for term of live
at from one to three pounds per acre
But then comes the subletting OF
rack rent, when the farm is divided
and subdivided, till in 1850 there wer
l,0l6, 1888 freeholds valued from &
pounds per annum. There are an,
amount of small landholders who's,
lots are from quarter of an acre up
Every marriage calls for subdivision
OF the little holding; and the heaC
landlord cares little so he receives hi
rent, which is generally spsnt abroad
In q speech Of Daniel O'Oonnell's
made in parliament in 1857, he STATED
that wages was reduced to four penc,
day, and in some districts to tw,
pence; that it was a singular fact tina
there were more agricultural laborerI
in ireland than there were in Grea
Britain; whilst in the latter 80, $50, 00
acres OF cultivated land returned re
venue of $50 millions of pounds ster
ling. ireland had only IA millions O
acres in cultivation with larger forc,
Of agricultural laborers than in all o.
Great Britain --yet ireland only re-
turned 36 millions in produce. Blu
the worst feature was the constan
drain OF values and money from th
island in the shape of rents paid Il
absentee landlords, which amounte,
to over twelve millions sterling. Thi
is by far the worst of the evils that q
percent distract that beautiful but un
fortunate island; and this is only Sc
cured by sowing dissensions amongs
the people and by inciting one elias
against the other.
Few can realize the i'll feeling tina
is so prevalent between the rival fac
tions on religious questions. Til,
Orangemen and the catholic popula
tion are at variance, aud this feeling
has secretly been fostered by the Bril-
fish government for the purpose Of
keeping the population divided 80 tina
they can control them the easier; ever
we find o rancorous hatred fosteret
between the north aud the soutl
amongst ourselves, by means of which
the masses eau be kept in subsection
and held tributary to the money rings
that are fast reducing the working
classes to the same state that the un
fortunate Irish occupy to-day.
1t should be torne in mind tina
whilst there is a constant drain o.
| 81 so per capita paid to absentee Irisl
landlords, the citizens of this republic
are paying SO per capita to foreign
bondholders. Will not the same cause
work out the same result?