The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-05-05
THE CONDITION OF IRELAND

The most interesting OF consular re =
ports on the condition of the Irish, which
the state department is about to publish,
is that of John J. Piatt, the poet, our
consul at Cork He says, among other
things: att may be set down as a fact
that there is always distressing poverty
in the western and southern parts of Ire
land, a rocky and mountainous sea coast
region, where, remote from larger towns.
a great number of people live on very
small agricultural holdings in dwellings
Of the poorest kind, fit only, but hardly
fit, for the brute beasts which, in many
cases, make part of their household. Tt
is a life of distress year in and year out
that these people live. This may be Civ
en- as the normal state of things. Of
course, under the political and social CON
ditions of the last few years, with dis
couragmens of all kinds of enterprise
throughout the country, with many evic-
tons and hardships including loss of
employment which have resulted, the
normal state must have become much
worse. Add to this partial but very
serious falling off in last years potato
crop, which is the staff of life, in good
years, of the Irish 1t is perhaps
not an ignoble trait in the Irish
poor that many of them would
starve, and they do starve, rather
than accept the humiliating hospitality of
public charity establishments. Besides
this resort with the doled out pittance of
the relieving officers, for which the prop
erty holders in town and country are taxed.I
largely-if 1 may judge by the so-calcd
poor rates which / myself pay on. the
house L occupy as my residence amount
ing to nearly quarter of It's valuation
besides this, say, the only present
help for many of the suffering poor is |
from voluntary contributions. AS forsthe /
prospect of the amelioration of the pres
ent aggravated condition of chronic dis
tress, it may be presumed that the spring
season, which is here already manifest, |
with weather favorable for blowing and
planting since the latter part OF February, |
viii tend to mitigate the evil Many out |
OF employment will find something TO dol
in renewed farming operations, and lfber-f
al minded men here and there seem tn no |
showing disposition to make employ |
ment for such as are willing to ACCEPT of /
1t. Still long period must elapse before |
the earth itself will offer any direct help
and supply the detect of last year, and at |
BEST the situation in the more afflicted 10
calltles mustremain very bad Meanwhile |
1t may be felt that there is some prospect |
or amelioration of the chronic Distress of /
ireland MI Gladstone's land act is con-
ferring large proprietary rights upon
farmers, much larger than that class three
years ago. The operations of the act in |
matter of fixing judicial rents. are, how
ever, but slowly carried out, and it is es-
timated that it will take some wears be-
fore the rents of all farmers are fixed for
the statutory term of fifteen years In |
connection with the benefits thus con
ferred on farmers, the laborers' position |
is being son ewhat improved, and further
Legislation on behalf of laborers is prom
lsed in the near future. This will tend
still further to lessen the cause of Irish
distress, and prospects of its ameliora
ton may be regarded as hopeful. These
results it will even under the most fay-
orable circumstance, take some time to
bring out, and meanwhile distress in Ire
land will more or less fluctuate with good
and bad harvests. With regard to the
effect of the existing state Of things upon
emigration from Ireland. 1 have been led
to the conclusion from careful inquiries
on the subject that the tide of emigration
this year from the south of Ireland will
be quite up to the average of late
years. What proportion of emigrants
will seek the United States as the land of
their adoption. it would be impossible to
say with certainty, but undoubtedly the
United States is preferred by the Irish
themselves, and thither those who emf
CRATE with their own means and at their