Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-07-29
THE LAND QUESTION.
an Eloquent Presentation of the Sub
ject By Rev. MYron w. Reid,


ject By Rev. MYron w. Reid,
The following speech upon the
Irish land question, recently deliver
ed By Rey. Myron ". Reid, pastor
of the Second Presbyterian Church,
Of Indianapolis, Indiana, was handed
to Us few days ago, BY Mr.. Francis
McKenna, OF Moscow, with request
that We republish it. Mr.. McKenna
says that he considers it the ablest
and fairest discussion Of the Irish
land question which he has ever
read.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN A few
months ago | picked up copy of
the London Times and read the
speech Of a noble lord on the Irish
agitation. He inquiries what bust
ness it is of ours? What do Ameri-
cans have to DO with it? In the
same speech, a little further on, he
says that one-third of the rents paid
il county Kerry come from Amer
lea. We seem to have a little some
thing to do with it. In the great
famine in Ireland from 1916 to 1919.
we, here in America, had something
TO do in its relief. In the famine Of
1879 and 1880 we again had some
thing to do with it. When the fam
! inc comes again we shall have some
thing to do with it.
Now, when a neighbor of mine
here in this city has no food nor fire,
and | supply him, and that happens
again and again, it strikes me that it
is my business not only to relieve
his necessity, but also to inquire into
the cause Of his coming to such
grief. Charity means mot aims but
a friend" Charity goes back to
causes. 1t is we'll to feed the hun
cry, but it is better to put the hun
cry in a way to feed themselves.
What we have done for Ireland in
times Of her need, gives Us the right
to inquire as TO the causes of that
need. When these are found, il is
our right and duty to seek to remove
these causes. Between 1911 and
1851 the loss in population in Ire
land was 100000. Where have
these gone? About 100000 have
crossed the ocean, and 100000 have
gone 70 their graves; Ia died III
Cork work-houses III single week
that is, one died every hour; bodies
We're scattered along the highway;
whole families, alive at night, were
found dead III the morning, and
buried without collins. Out of one
parish in Kerry Of 5000 people, 800
persisted in six months. This, at
the time, attracted our attention, and
brought their cause to our notice.
La 1917 there were 10000 cyicted-
that is, 10000 heads Of families.
From 1919 to 1852 there were Pei
SIS evictions. While this is going
on, Ireland is exporting TO England
food, sheep and cattle. What was
the action Of the landlords during
the time? We see what it was.
They flung the starving out to per-
ISL along the road-women with
babies, the sick and the old. Well
might men inquire, is God dead? of
the million and half who fled from
this famine to the ocean, the death
rate on the voyage was sixty to the
thousand. | do not know as there
is any need to look at this feature
longer With the details of the fam
inc of 1879 and 80 we are quite IA
miliar.
Under what government does all
this sorrow happen? England l
find haa had this island 700 years,
and this is what she made of it.
In 1879 three whole counties III
which there was not a laugh-one
visitor who had entered hut said
the people did not even look up at
his entrance.
1t is not simply starvation Of the
body-it is of the mind and heart.
Nothing 50 ingenious has ever been
contrived as the English method Of
slowly killing the body and soul. |
When Il man is put under the tor
ment il Russia, the surgeon stands
by and feels his pulse; it will not do
to let him slip out of his agony into
the peace Of death. Do not let him
die, keep him alive TO suffer. It'll
seems that England has stood ~
Ireland for seven hundred wears.
Hell cannot be much worse. La a
good year the wolf is at the door;
let there BE any failure Of the crops
and lie Is within the door, and creep
ing to the cradle; nothing but pota-
toes and not even third rate pota-
toes. Can any diet BE contrived 50
exactly fitted to kill the spirit, to
make men abject, covering and help
less?-What kind Of a soldiers ration
IS that?
Suppose that you, living in
rented house, ask the landlord to
make the needed repairs, suppose,
then, that you made them, and when
they were finished he raised the
rent, because the house was worth
more. Suppose, indeed, that you
made the house and barn by the
sweat of your face, gave all the value
there is to the place. took bare, IN
redeemed bog and made it field
Of oats, and then suppose you are
not only asked to pay rent for the
value you have created, but are told
70 move out and move back to an
other piece Of bog and redeem that,
and so ON till you are dead. Is this
calculated to nurse cnterprise-to
foster industry?
CarIysle says that, considering the
case OF Ireland. it is time that Eng
land receives sentence; that she
stand up, and saying no word, re-
ceive sentence, and be led out Of
court under conduct OF officers.
The question is, whether land Is
gift Of God to few pet children, or
to the race But here in America
we are not in the thiek of the ques-
ton vet; but we are on the edge Of
1t. Land is a valuable thing even