Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-03-01

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Finally be said: al can give you my
impressions OF what / saw, but am mol
prepared to give the causes for the
state of things in Ireland. / lef
here determined when once 1 reached
Ireland to thoroughly examine the
influences at work in the country, and
did so. / went to Ireland With Q
desire and intention Of striving, as fai
as possible, TO form some intelligent
idea OF the condition of the country,
and the spirit Of the people, with re
gard to their opinion as to the merits
Of Mr.. Gladstone's land bill. saw
laymen and churchmen. Catholics and
Protsstants. With the exception OF
. small portion OF the west Of Ireland
and travelled over almost the en-
tire country-the FIRST impression
made, and that impression continued
during my travels through the south
and west OF Ireland, was that there
was something radically wrong. This
impression was caused by the condi.
ton in which / found the people
They were living in novels of the most
wretched character, their surround
ings were poverty in the extreme,
and their clothing, appearance and
general condition were the same. The
poverty was such as an American, ac-
customed-to to American comfort, could
not believe possible to exist and such
as does not exist in any other part Of
Europe. Beside this, ! passed through
in harvest time. The whole country
was teeming with abundance. I found
the fields filed with men, women and
children, industriously engaged in
gathering in the harvest. AsI came
toward the north ! found the homes
and general appearance Of the peasan-
try improved. When 1 came up into
Ulster found, in addition to this,
that cheerfulness and content. indica-
tive of comforts and even the refine.
ments of moderate life. | also found
there, and especially in Belfast, con-
siderable Of manufacturing interest,
and something of the stir of commerce.
This was entirely unseen in tho south
and west. Everywhere I found gen
eral commendation of the object OF
the Land League by all parties, Cath
olic and Protestant. I found also q
general condemnation of the wild and
radical views of many connected with
the Land League movement, and
universal condemnation of murder and
The murders Of Lord
and Secretary Burke were
also universally condemned, and there
existed general sentiment that what
Ireland was to gain would come out of
a cool, calm, steady discussion of her
troubles, and persistent presentation
of the condition of the country to the
world at large, by such means as
the press, the House of Commons and
public agitation and discussion could
furnish.
III met seven of the Bishops and two
of the Archibishops Of Ireland, to-
gether with a large number of the
clergy, and they, the laity and the
peasantry that / met, all spoke in
commendatlon of Mr.. Gladstone's
land act as far as it went. They said
ii was a revolution in the relations of
the tenant and landlord, and one in
favor of the tenant. Some Of them
claimed that the tenants were not in
a position, owing to their poverty, to
get all the benefits of the land act.
But this arose from the tenants con-
dition and not from the act itself.
There was also feeling that in the
course OF . little while, when the ten
ant would begin TO receive the benefits
OF the act, his sspirit would be changed,
his ambition excited and the guaran-
tee that the improvements made by
the tenant, and the landlord could not
now arbitrarily chAnge-the rent, would
in few years place the tenant in
comparative comfort, such as exists in
the North, where, under what is known
as the Ulster Tenant Right, the ten
ants are guaranteed pretty nearly the
same right Us the land act guarantees
now toahe ret OF iceland That il
about all I care to say"
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