The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1880-03-05

| meant absolute catastrophe. Gptutoea
rotted in the ground, and were dug up
ns masses OF corruption barley and
oats aud beans, exposed to untimely
Atlantic storms, were loyeicd with the
ground or torn up by the roots; turnips
sieliened in the sour soil-tliere they
are still, some Of them, and pig would
hardlp deign to root them mp; while
the inceasant rain made il impossible to
lay IN n store Of tulf. As for the fish
ing industry, the poor people have nei-
ther tho boats nor gear requisite for
deep sea fishing in winter, and 30 they
arc cut of from every means Of earning
livelihood Knowing all this, was
prepared for sad scenes st kildonay,
hut even il / had given imagination
| ful. play il could not have conjufed UP
those which actually met my eyes. Our
route lay for some timo through dreaTy
and neglected country, sodden with wet,
undiaincd, and in some cases fast going
back to state Of bog. Here and there
larger farmstead than usual, sur
rounded 10y wellkept fields, showed
that capital, as well as industry, was at
work but these were very exceptional
instances, and only by contrast, deep
cned the prevailing melancholy. Pres
entity we came to large house, with
woods around il, late the residence Of
the Protestant rector, and few hun
dred yards beyond, on what used to be
the glebe, and in full view Of the rag
ing Atlanlie-then truly "melancholy
ocean" we found the village. need
not describe an Irish hamlet. It's shift
lessness and Equaior are chronic, and
everybody must be familiar more or less
with the scene. But let me tell Of my
experience among the dwellers in these
wrciched homes, for homes they are,
although the English eye fails to Iecog-
nize in them amy homc-like quality.
sy presence in the place was soon told,
and it appeared as though the whole
male population, old and young, turned
out. to discover the reason. They had
nothing better to do, poor fellows, and
il may have struck them that stranger,
whatever his immediate business, must
mean to do them good, since no other
evil, save the dreaded eviction, could
bei,,l But, whatever the reason, from
my arrival in the place until left il,
had train Of bsdly.elothed and badly
FED men and boys at my heels, all eager
TO supply information, all anxious that
| should sec the wretchedness Of others
rather than their own, and all full Of a
beautiful sympathy for those in the
place who we're even more helpless than
themselves These poor Irislmeu inn
pressed me nost favorably. They made
10 foolish complaints ,hcy praised
their landlord as 'sdacent ipan," who,
being only dis,illery foreman in Der.
~, could Ill afford TO lose his rents
and they could only hope, with resig.
nation touching 10 witness, that the
good Lord" would cause something to
be done for them, aud that soon. The
: first cabin into which / went was =
place that an Eng.ishman would think
too had for his pig. It's iloor of earth
!. at.sl sioi.es reeked with damp. aud wa.
: t.r even stood in the hollows the only
{ furniture was few cups aud saucerS, 8
! stood or two. and as many tubs and
t,ogs; in one corner mass of dirty
Z straw had evidently been used as bed
g and GA the wrotched hearth smoket
y rather than burnt an apology for fire
g The man Of the hcuse-shoeless ant
c.a,l.sn, pals and haggard-sat idl,
: upon lag Of Indian meal, beyon,
!. which his food resources did not 60
e and through the gloom around th,
i heauh-theEe was no window to speal
s of-could be dimlY made out one or tw,
= crouching female figures. | never saw
anything in the way of home in
of civilized country--and l have seen
&c good deal-more appalling than this
of Yet there was the case Of man rent
y ing three acres of land, and usuall
is getting what he would bc content :
IN call living out OF them. Now, alas
a he and thousands of others like his
have reached the end Of their miserabl
last seasons crop, and beyond them bu
{; little way lies starvation. The hal
N bag Of Indian meal was all the famil
I'd had, nothing more remaining upo
ie which, by sale or mortgage, money conl
I'd be raised, and to the question, WIS
will you do when the meal gives out
came the despairing answer, "The goo
Lord only knows"
Not far from this ! was shown b
J, mymelancholy attendant into an equal
= wretched hovel, where a widow wit
~ .'r seven young children was fighting Il
:. - bittersbattle oflife, and rapidly gettin
~ !. worsted in the struggle. She herse
~ =, had gone out gathering what she coul
- Of stuff to make fire wherewith
= cook the family dinner, consisting
:. = my brothers in comfortable Englis
- - homes-of single cabbage ! But ii
y : poor little children, halfclothed, thi
.. and hollow-eyed, were there TO plea
i.o ;a with heart-rending eloquence for al
- - Once more ] heard the old story. III
IS land had yielded nothing no tn
- - could be obtained for fuel short Of
- journey of eight miles, and the fani
- had touched absolute destitution. Ov
- - tho way, in another apology for dive
- :. ing place, / found three poor womt
=, - trying to kiLdle fire with damp be-
- =; stalks, their only crop, in order to co,
- dish Of Indian meal, their only foe
y Cor. London Telegraph.