Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-01-04

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with the social rinderpest of landlord
ism, than speeches of land league
orators or leading article writers in
national journals. The figures need
no comment ; they tell US as plainly
as language can speak that unless
landlordism is driven out of Ireland
soon there will be no people left for
that destroying system to exterminate
That this is no mere figure of speech
or pessimistie assertion can easily be
demonstrated. Should the decrease
in Irish population that has gone on
since the year 1916 until now contin-
ue until, say, I should reach the allot-
ed life-span of three-score years and
ten, Ireland will then have less than
1000, GOO of people. This one terri
bic fact alone should be sufficient to
induce all sections of Irish land re-
formers to bear 8 great deal with each
other rather than weaken the forces,
without which, resolute and united,
this destruction cannot be stopped or
the system that is working it be over
thrown. This census report of 1881
is mine Of facts and statistics for
the Irish land reformer. The number
of inhabited houses in the whole of
ireland on New Years night last year
was but 914.10S. or Al, 272 of . de-
crease since 1871. The average num-
Der of persons in each house was from
5 to s. If every man. woman and
child in the country at the present
time were given an equal share of the
land, so thinly is the same populated
that there would be more than 3 acres to
each individual. Cork, Antrim, Dublin,
Down, Mayo and Galway counties rank
IN proportion to population in the
order named. Dublin (city) has but
246, 500 people, while Belfast, so far
ahead in many other respects, is also
rapidly coming up in population, hav-
ing now 20S, 122. Cork has only
70.124. There is an average of fifty
police barracks in every county in
Ireland, with from six to seven con-
stables in each. The returns under
the heading of religion show that cut
of total population of 1886
there is rs per cent Catholic, II to
SO Protestant Episcopalian, Presbyte-
rians 9 to 10 per cent, while the
Methodists have but 43, $40 belonging
to their faith in the whole of ireland.
The Catholic members of the police
force are three times the number Of
the Protestant and six times as
numerous as the Presbyterians. The
returns as to the married portions of
our people are significant and highly
unsatisfactory. Out of million and
three quarters of marriagsable women
and girls not more than Al per cent.
are wives, while over 100000 mar
riageable men out of total of over
10000 are still ungaliant enough
to remain unmarried. Out Of every
hundred women, from the age of 20
to 25. there are only eighteen married,
while but 7 per cent Of the men of
similar age have entered into bondage
These statistics upset the pet theory
of the Malthusian school, that early
marriages are the rule in poor
country, but they also show that the
married state is becoming alarmiugly
unpopular in Ireland Among tho
very poor class this is not
to be regretted at the present time,
but among the cause responsible for
this in the ordinary farmi ng class is, [
am inclined to think, the comparative
ly heavy marriage fees that have to be
paid ere the matrimonial ceremony can
be performed The number Of illsgi-
innate births throughout Tho whole Of
Irland is only "a per cent. of the
total recorded number of births, and
this striking testimony to the morals Of
our people will more than favorable
compare with those Of any other
civilized nation in existence. In
round numbers there are $50, 900 hold
ings at present in Ireland of these
165, 900 do not exceed one acre, $4,000
ditto five acres, ISL, 900 are less than
ten acres, $4,000 do not exceed
fifteen acres, and $4,000 are not
exceeding twenty-five. The numbers
given as under one acre are mostly
laborers' plats and small gardens
surrounding villas. Over 20 per cent
of the population of Mayo live in
holdings the average valuation of
which is only 4 pounds sterling per
year. The same ratio may also apply
to Donegal and the holdings along the