Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-10-25
DAILY -INTELLlGENCfR
IRusH EsYCoTTrse.

.
That new and peculiar cosrciye force,
the boycott, has attained development
in Ireland which ia extraordinary. TIE
accounts Of the way ia shieh the
weapon 10 being nsed are almost in
credible. F1oh things surely could aos
be In any country bat Ireland; bu; tbs
conditions 10 that unfortunate spostry
are Just such a. TO encourage the sroztb
Of sach an institution a. the boycott,
which, It will be remembered. IL iudi-
sen0us 10 the Irish soil, asd vbieh
seems sbsbls to attain perfection IN
any other part o. The world. through
out Central and Southern Ireland the
people are almost unanimous in fassr
ing she national cause. Ihe fev loyal
lists, a. they term themselves, are 80
scattered that IL IL possible for their
psiQhbors 20 isolate them entirely. 20
cot them of from all intercourse With
their fellow men. TO ssarvs them in The
midst Of plenty.
When g laeklesa individusl falls under
the dispieasure Of the National League.
be might as we'll leave hrs home and
bis property and endeAvor % hide him
self in q foreign land. None OF his
neighbors will bay anything that be
has 10 sell, none Of them will sell hin
anything tina. be wishes TO buy. No
one will hold any intercourse With him.
No matter how much some Of his neigh
bors may sympathizs With him, they
dare not assist him Ia any way; they
dare not even speak 10 him, for fear OF
having the dread sentence passed upon
them also. The victim, though be may
be living in the house in which he was
born and may be surrounded by those
with whom he has associated all his
life. 10 AZ thoroughly isolated and eat of
from all human intercourse ~ II be
we're playing the role Of Robinson
Crusoe. No position could be more
distressing. and he must be bold man
Who would not surrender or fly - soon
a. the fateful sentence is pronounced
against him.
The experience Of widow living
near Limerick will show how far the
sentence Ii carried. She Was 80 unfor-
sunate as 10 lend horse and car to
magistrate. Although this was done
thoughtlessly, she was at once boycott
ed. She found 1t impossible to get
food. Shopkeepers refused 10 supply
her; mail carriers would not deliver her
letters; no one would work for her; her
oldest friends became strangers. To
save some grandchildren who were liv-
ing With her from starving she sent
them TO the house OF brother, but he
could not receive them. being warned
that u he did 50, be, too, would be boy
oot,ed. How the poor lady finally made
her peace with her neiRhbors is not
known. but it is hoped that she was not
allowed TO starve to death. An Incl
dent of which an account was recently
autographed from Cork. shows still more
foroibly the extent TO which the boycott
Ia carried. At McCro0m, county Cork,
while funeral procession was on its
way TO the cemetery, a relative of tie
deceased drove up and fell in behind
the line OF carriages. This relative was
among the boycotted. As soon as his
carriage joined the procession. the
others began leaving IL. Finally all
were gone. and the man who had been
received in 50 inhospiiable manner,
also left. The hearse proceeded 10 the
buryinR ground, accompanied only by
the priest. and the burial service WI 9
performed without hearers or witnesses.
The boycott had been carried even TO
the edge of the grave.
Such a state of things, "a has be- n
said, is possible only in Ireland aud in
the present condition of the public
mind in that country. 10 is tho weapon
with which the Irish peasants meet the
weapons Of the English soldisry. IL IL
justiiiable Is il right One may ask,
but be would be wise man who could
answer. In many instances, of course,
IL is not just. II is always iniolerant
and syrannioal. II is eowardly. IL kills
free speech and smothers free thought.
That much, one will scarcely deny. On
the other hand, however. IL may be
urged that the people Of Ireland are
iustihable In picking ny any weapon
which comes to their hands. The boy.
colt 10 not lovely weapon. bus IL Is an
effective one. When one Is looking for
o club, he does not choose the most
beautiful stick TO be found; he picks
sut the strongest and hardest. The
boycott 10 such club. As metho Of
carrying on war !. is surely preferable
10 dynamite. and 10 certain eircum-
stances II IL gate a. effective. Il is the
tyranny Of the people matched against
the tyranny Of government.