The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-02-21
THE LAND or IRELAND.
Some Of tho Causes Of Discomfort ard Dis-
tress in That Country

i.
mlngham, snid: "There arc In Ireland n little
over 2O,OO0OOG acres OF land, and 292 persons
perhaps M many people ~ occupy ono OF
these side galleries occupy G,bnn0s9 acres
being close on ono-thlId 81 the whole area ~
| the country. In zach of tho galleries before
and behind mo there arc probably GOO or 100
| persons. Now TIA persons In Ireland are tho
| owners Of pGt2,oe0 acree. and l22 persona do
not blame them Mt all. am speaking of tho
aystetn- none of us would have been to
blame had ws been tho Fortunate inheri-
| tors Or the property-but 129 persons occupy
more than tDs,5op acres each. Tho whole
| Of tho prOprietols Of Ireland - 90 not
| mean proprletora of gardens. but what arc
| called landed pruprletnrs- are probably 10000
| or 1000 What are tho tenants2 They arc
600. 600 In number There Ia ono real praprn
| tor to sixty farmers. Besides those 100000
farmers there arc 3.nn0.00o of people or prop
ahly 2.5on,ooO tenants at Will, who are liahe to
have ~ lanaea liable W have their rents
raiaed VII notices Or eviction served on them
| and 4 proceas VI cjeetmeDt to follow at ak or
twelve montha, Mt tho Will OF the person with
| whom they are connected. lShame.l But
that la not all ] must tell you that they are
n very large proportion some people say
ono haf-but | hope 1t Ia not 80 many. The
truth Ia that a very large number OF tho pro-
prietnrs nro absentees They do not ltve IN
Dublin pr In Ireland. Many ~ them live III
this country, and apend their Incomes IN
London; others In Parts and other parts of
France. But they arc absantees. and need
| not tell you that the rents follow the owners.
and II tho owners are In London or In Paris Tho
Irish people are absolutely deprived Of sew
eral millions OF money. the produce Of the
soil, by owners, who perform no part Of their
duties a. owners. and indulge ~ 10 axpendi-
t,re Oh tho spot where tho wealth ~ created.
or tend To encourage the lndustry 81 the eoun-
try and afford employment to the people.
You will say all this la bad enough. but this
la not the whole OF the bad. INTERRUPTION,
and cry of Turn him out Do not turn
him out. ICheers. You may rely upon 1t
whoever makes any objection on the score of
need to stay In to he little instructed.
Loud cheers and laughter.l said there is
another matter 10 be remembered when they
are speaking Of discomfort and disioyalty-
that there Ia the shadow OF paat and previous
wrongs over tho whole of tho irish tsnantry,
aud over tho whole land-owning and land
peaaantry. In the reign Of James ] the people
went from England and Scotland tnostly from
tho Province III Ulster. Under that transac-
tlnn 81 900, 900 acres were taken from tho native
owners Of the soil and were put into the
hands OF these new ooinors from this island.
Later on, In the tineof Cromwell, II ia said
| hops tho statement ts In excess OF the
truth but cannot ilhd that 1t Ia something
like 1000, 900 or 100000 acres were trans
ferrrh from the native owners TO those who
followed tho Crom wnllian arms and settled
III that country, and later Oh, In the time Of
another million acres were coniiscated. and
placed In the hands OF persons from this
country who we're supposed likely to be more
faithful to the new government and tn the ar
tion. Now, II this be- true IL follows that
nearly all the land Of Ireland, and its divis-
ibln and rNal property, was taken from those
TO whom II Of old leaitlmatcly belonged. and
was placed In the handsot strangers lshamel.
and since then, following after that cruelty
and Injustice, there came tho additional cru
city OF tho penal laws. which remained until
the end OF tho last century, and Inflicted un-
told and lndescrbable injustice and wrong
and cruelty upon the Catholic population Of
Ireland The fact is, to such m extent did all
this work that have seen " stated that not
more than one-tenth to One-Seventh Of the
land of Ireland OF late times has been In pos
session of Catholic proprietors. Well. then,
these traditions, are floeking about the coun
try, that they are all tenants Mt will nearly,
that they are subject to the fiercest competl-
ton for land, aud that there is no other In
dustry for them except ~ tho North Of Ire
land, IN The linen country. There is
no other industry for Thorn. or almost
none, and therefore they struggle for
the bit of land they hold as being their
only chance OF living, and you may Imagine
how men In such q condition do thus become
excited, even to desperation. and ready even
to accept the widest theories that offer them,
hy any possible chance, relief from the SUI
ferings which they endure With this fierce
competition there ls a constant tendency to
the rise Of rents. | do not believe that rents
In Ireland are any higher. think they are
not SO high rs In England and Scotland, but
then the cultivation is infinitely worse, be-
cause under these circumstances there can be
no general good and successful cultivation.
The effect OF this state Of things is to breed In
every tenants mind feeling Of uncertainty;
he becomes careless and slovenly In his cul-
tivation, because he knows that he merely
invites m addition to the rent. ! need not
tell you that there Is great suspicion en-
gendered by this system-a suspicion that
breeds u state almost Of war between the
tenantry and the agent and landlord