Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-03-16
THE DISTRESS IN IRELAND.


the extent and the intensity of the suffering
of the faminestrickcn people of Ireland.
The districts chiefly affected are those of
Donegal, Mayo, Galway and Glare. In one
parish of The frst-named county, for little
time at the opening Of Winter there was
milk TO be had and Indian meal and a scanty
supply of potatoes. One by one these luxu-
ries disappeared and the seaweed, on which
the pigs had grown lean, became the staple
food of the parish, and its seven hundred
people have been dragging out this prolong-
ed Winter on that highly unsatisfactory diet.
In one hovel u visitor found a cat fighting for
the scaweed some unhappy children had for
their only food. A newspaper correspondent,
writing from the same county, says; "As l
stepped into one dark and dismal cabin sort
of shudtlcr crept over me. Could the wrc:ched
occupants be dead? There was not trace
of fire on the hearth. The floor and the
walls were bare. All was still Turning
my eyes aside for moment, | behcld a
narrowing spectacle. On wrctched bed OF
straw lay q woman not even dccently cover
ed, and with the traces of hunger in her
pinched face, colorlcss lips and sunken
eyes / addressed the poor creature in such
words rs occurred to my mind at the mo-
mcnt. She told me in few words her sad
history Her husbandiwas dead. lie had been
once respectable small farmer, but the high
rent and successive bad seasons made it i'm
possible for him to meet the heavy demands
upon him. lie was evicted, and his unfor-
tuna,c widow is now occupying this insight
y shanty, for which, it seems, rent is de-
manded. dare say none is paid, because
the woman is utterly destitute. She has
only one child in ireland, daughter, who
had gone out at the time l called to collect
some faggots. OF one thing was fully con-
WINGED, that the woman was fast sinking into
the grave"
Another correspondent writes; SIN all
Connemara, the vast multitude are simply
starving for want, not only OF the common
but of the commoncst necessaries OF life. The
fishermen of Kinvsra are either starving or
on the threshold Of starvation. One of them
whom visited in his wretched cabin, inform
cd me that he had not done anything in his
trade for the last SIX months. One of his
children died, it is feared, through want OF
proper food and nourishment. The others
are in miserable state of hunger and neglect
There was not particle of fire in the
house Indeed the scarcity of fuel in the
district is terrible Until my arrival in Kin
vara had not seen unfortunate people living
in roofess houses, which in other places
would be deserted. fear | can not draw
a sufficiently accurate picture Of the distress
which unqucstionably prevails in the neigh
borhood."
From all parts of the faminc-stricken dis
trict come like sorrowful stories-stories OF
suffering and restitution that seem well-nigh
incredible to American ears. And the RENE
dy for these loDg-drawn, pcrpctually-rccur-
ring woes? 1t is now plain that it is not to
be found in Mr.. Gladstone's measures. 1t can
not be found in emigration, for her popula-
ton is already sparse and her fields arc idle
for want of tillers. 1t cannot befound in re-
lief works, for the country can not stand in
the attitude of beggar for ever, and these
at best are mere temporary cxpcdicnts 1t
can only be found, We arc ready to believe,
in the withdrawal Of Ireland from the
blight of an alien rule. As has well
been said, Ireland needs TO have her interests
guarded by men Of her own race, men who
are concerned to sec that her miscrles shall
not he constant reproach to the civilization
of our time. Until that course is followed,
Ireland will still remain the one spot where
in proud and prosperous empire, men, wo-
men and children die almost every year of
hunger.