Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-07-10
are with us. thought at first that the fact was
due to the breed of chickens but on inquiry


Australia. To what cause this is due I do not
know.
1t is known by every one that there are no
snakes in Ireland; but it is free, or comparative
ern people are subjected. have not seen, in
all my. wanderings about in the Emerald Isle,
single house-fy. asked if there is no such a
thing, and was told that sometimes there were
free from flies, gnats, mosquitoes and candle
flies, as we'll as reptiles vile.'
Ireland is full of strange things. Its lakes,
rivers, mountains and bogs all have some legen-
Diary history connected with them. Even around
it's scrubby thorn-trees tradition relates that
fairies formerly danced. When Ireland was flrst
inhabited no one certainly knows. There are
many things which indicate that it was the home
of human beings long before the Christian era.
For several centuries it has been destitute of
trees, except what are planted but evidently it
once was covered with large oaks and frs. The
trunks of these old trees still sometimes dug
out of the bOgS.
It is difficult for the stranger to determine in
his mind what of the many remains of the past
generations which inhabited Ireland is the most
curious. In every section of the island may be
found monuments of the almost forgotten past.
The ruins of old churches and old castles, old
caves and old towers, are frequently met with.
These old ruins, dark and dingy though they be,
are all that remain in the age in which they were
constructed.
The natural scenery of Ireland generally is
very fine. There is, it must be admitted, same
ness in the scenery which produces feeling of
wearisomeness. All the mountains and valleys
this, all the fields in every neighborhood are
fenced in the same way, planted IN the same
crops, and these crops cultivated in the same
mode. The legends perpetuated concerning the
teresting, but too longte Pc written at present,
hence the attempt will not be made.
The impression which has been made upon the
minds Of that portion of the present American
citizens. who are the descendants of the old
Scotch-Irish immigrants to America, is that Ire
laid is the richest and most fertile isle on the
globe; but that the inhabitants are the most OPP
pressed. The latter is perhaps true the former
is not. Generally, Ireland is very rocky, and
the climate cold and cloudy. Such being the
case, even with far richer soil than Ireland pos
sesses, it never can be made the richest and most
fertile isle on the globe. In fact nature has not
done great deal for Ireland, but art has made it
what it is, especially in an agricultural point OF
view. A system of landlord rule, or, rather,
domination, has existed in Ireland since time
immemorial. In the United States nothing, so
far as know, exists which resembles this land
lord system. Such being the case, only the few
est number ofeven intelligent and we'll informed
persons in our country know anything about
either the origin or practical workings OF the sys-
tenn. The majority of persons in our country
regard the difficulties which are constantly
springing up in Ireland, as religious disputes
between the Protestant population on the one
hand, and the Papal adherents on the other hand.
It is true that in Ireland Protestants and Roman
Catholics are hostilely arrayed against each 9TH
er, enthusiastically and politically but they have
sore grievances in common. In the United
States we have been taught to believe that the
Protestant inhabitants of Ireland are happy and
comfortable, while the Papists are restless and
miserable. Such is not the case All are OPP
pressed. The Protestant population as compared
with the Papists, are comfortable and happy
but the landlord system is calculated to crush
the manhood out of any race Of people on earth,
except the Scotch-Irish.
This landlord system may be explained by
saying that the whole island belongs to a few
persons, and that the multitude of the inhabi-
tants consists Of menial >laborers and renters.
The renters, who constitute the bone and slnew
Of the inhabitants, both morally and socially,
are called the farmers of the country. These
men and women, who make the island all that
it is all that it has been and all that 1t ever Will
be, are nothing on earth but renters who pay an
annual rent for the soil they till and the home in
which they are sheltered from the rains and
winds of winter, twice as much as the natural
value Of the soil. Their ancestors, for genera
tions, have toiled even to drudging, to improve
the fertility of the soil and make cold, cloudy
island inhabitable by human beings of high
order Of civilization; and now, for generations,
they have been forced by naughty eXtraVagant
and often grossly immoral landlords, to pay an
annual exorbitant rent for these improvements.
Under such system, no man whose manhood
has not been crushed out, could be happy ana
comfortable. The result has been that there IS
in the countenance of every one of every class,
except it be the misserably poor, sober, sedate
aspect, which is very peculiar Even those OF
the farmers, they are called in 1reland-but
in reality the renters-wear the countenance OF
the man in our country, who, although III the
enjoyment of good health and who is prosperous
ly engaged in business, has, by the hand of Prov
idence, been bereft of a near and dear relative.
He may smile, or even laugh loud and long, but
it is the smile of sadness and sorrow. The renters
generally have an abundance, and some OF them
,lafa hr1fN
can they become owners Of the soil. The MAORI
ty Of these farmers are only renters for number
of years. Some are renters at the Will OF tne
landlord, while a few are renters forever Inc
word "forever," as used in an Irish farmers
lease, has very different meaning from what
it has in the land titles of All American planter.
In American titles it means that the lands which
the titles convey are the owners to all lntents
and purposes, to the exclusion of all and every
one else. In the lease of an Irish farmer for
ever'' only means that the landlord has, tor a
certain sum Of money, agreed and bound him.
self and his heirs never to raise the rent. In addl-
ton to this landlord rent, the farmer Is taxed 1or
the support of the government just as if he had no
rent to pay for the land. 1t will be seen that the
farmers Of Ireland poor to support themselves
and families, support the government when IS
very extravagant, and supporta set OF landloras
1t is no wonder that the smile of the generous
hearted Scotch-Irishman is sad. The political
result Of this landlord system has been to split
the inhabitants of Ireland into number of par
ties The Fenians or Landleaguers, and Dyna-
miters are composed of the Catholic population.
The Orangemen are composed Of Protestants.
The Fenans and Dynamiters are, with the eX-
ception of their leaders, the ignorant rabble OF
the country, who are ever ready to tear down,
but always unwilling to build up. The Orange
men are misguided, misinformed, prejudiced
and crouchng menials. They are the friends of
the landlords and the landlords are their friends
only in appearance. In reality, they, for pur-
poses purely selfish, crouch beneath system
which thew have not the manhood to resist in an
open and righteous way.
Besides the political parties, there is still
another party. This is made up of the best men
and women in Ireland. They are all, or nearly
all, Protestants, and are in reality the support
and stay of the country. This class ofthe inhab-
itants are more loyal to the British government
than any of the other parties, and they love Ire
land as child loves it's mother. The thing which
this party desires is that in righteous and
enquitable way, both for the farmer and the land
lord, the landlord system may be abolished. II
must be admitted that many of the political and
social evils which fall like spring rains upon
Ireland, have their origin in ecclesiastical antip-
athies, and by these they are fostered and per-
petuated. Part Of the Papal portion Of the in
habitants hate the Protestant part to eXtermlna-
ton, and some of the Protestant part hate the
Papal portion as bitterly. There are multitudes
of Protestants who would deprive the Roman
Catholics of every right as citizens, and in the
same way would the Roman Catholics treat the
Protestants. Such is Ireland politically.
There arc three things that every American of
Scotch-Irish descent has often heard of, but few
have seen. They are an Irish Wedding; an Irish
Wake; and an Irish Fair. The first means a
general fist and club fight the second means
"big drunk'-everybody drunk. Neither of
these have been so unfortunate as to see; but
have seen an Irish Fair This was at the town
Of Broughshane. From the neighborhood a
number of cows hogs, horses and sheep were
brought in and exposed for sale. The individ-
ual owners Of the stock and the stock-buyers
made their own trade, and when the trade was
conclnlad thaY struck each other on the hand.