The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-04-23
OBSERVATIONS ON IRELAND.
Rev. r. Latham in,tho Yorkvlus Enquire

One description, which has somet;mo,
been given of Scotland. is that IL ;s g !
"wee bit countrie." This will also do 20 e.,
ireland. It's greatest length-that from
Mlezen Head, in Cork, to Kenmore OF
fairhead, in antrim, is 800 miles, and IL.
greatest breadth, at right angles to this
line, from Wicklow, on tho irish sea. tc
ErIls Head, on the Northwestern coast
OF Mayo County, is 189 miles. In extent
OF territory, ireland is only little lareel
than the State Of South Carolina. The
population of Ireland, however, is more
man nVe times as great as that of South
carolina. The population of Ireland
was, at one time, nearly twice what it il
now. Since the year 1851, three millions
OF lreland's population have emierated
10 other countries. During the year 89I
1S.4l9 left the island. l have no meaus
OF knowing, with certainty, whore all
these emigrants went; but from what
learned, think that the greater part OF
the Protestant emigrar.s went to Aua.
tralia. The Catholics generally came to
the United States. ~
A few years previous to 1851, Ireland
was visited with what is known IA the
potato. blight. This blight continued for
several yeara, and the result was that
great numbers of the people were reduc.
ed to beggary, and many of them actually
died of hunger. The crops failing, made
it impossible for the farmers TO pay their
rents. The landlords, in many instances,
showed no pity. The tenants were turn.
ed, or rather driven, out of their
houses. Some of those thus turned out
OF their houses emigrated, others took
shelter under the caves OF their former
houses, while not few congresated in
the public highways and died of hunger.
The houses out of which these tenants
we're driven, or out of which they fed,
are, at least many of them, to day with.
out an occupant.
The failure of q crop in every country
Is attended with much suffering to the
poor. This is one of the marked features
OF Ireland. The Irish potato is the
principal food of TIE roor. In fact,
never, 30 far as / nos remember, eat o
dinner in ireland, outside of a city,
without potatoes being on the table.
The potato will not keep over tor Two
years. Hence failure of the potato
crop for two years in Ireland is certain
to produce famine among class of the
inhabitants.
OF the whole ponulation of Ireland,
more than one.twtlfth are paupers. AS
some one will, no doubt, cali this in ques.
ton, the facts are stated. The popula.
ton of Ireland in 1881 is stated to be
4,746, PA, and the number of paupers to
be 565,646. 1t is claimed that the larger
number of these paupers are Catholics.
DO not know that this is correct. I
think, however, that it is. The province
of Ulster, which is admitted by all to be
the stronghold of Professionalism in Ire.
land, and the largest of the four provin.
ces except that Of Munster, has popu-
latlon of 1,875, ,221, of whom S5,776 are
paupers. The province of Munster, with
large extent of territory, but popula.
tion Of 351 ,O83 less, has l56, ,270 paupers,
or 7O,494 more than Ulster. The great.
est number of paupers are in Lienster
province, while it is, except Connaught,
the smallest in territory and in the mum.
Der OF its inhabitants. The population
OF Lienster province is i,44S,555, OF
whom l78,094 are paupers. In every
County of Ireland there are Protestants,
and the same may be said of the Catho.
lies.
There is fact in connection with this
Irish pauperism that may be interesting
to some persons. It is the mapner Of
supporting these paupers. In England,
Ireland and Scotland, there are what they
call poor laws. These laws are enacted
by the English Parliament, and have ior
their object the support of the paupers.
The manner of executing these laws is,
when divested of legal technicalities,
simply this. The number of paupers is
ascertained and certain sum of money
specified for their support. This money
is raised by taxing the property holders,
using that word in its Irish sense to mean
all those who are farmers and have other
taxable investments. In other words,
everybody who has anything is .axed,
except the landlords. Those who have
the land of the landlords leased pay all
the tax, either directly or indirectly.
The land Of Ireland is valued at is, 1885,
0S5 pounds sterling. On this there is
raised BY taxation, or by rates, as they
call it, l,15l, 1878 pounds sterling for the
support of the poor. In other words, the
land of Ireland is valued at sixty.eight
and half millions of dollars, and on
that there is raised FIVE and one.half
millions ofidollars for IT i support of
paupers. The County Antrim, with a
population of 387 1863, pays poor rate
of more than four hundred thousand
dollars; or more than one dollar for each
inhabitant.
The three counties of Ireland which
have the greatest number of paupers are
Dublin, Cork and Antrim. The frat,
52,635 the second, 56,19S; and the last
has 34,737. These are facts which am
unable to account for. only in part. In
Dublin County is situated the city of
Dublin in Cork County, the city of
Cork and in the County Of Antrim, the
town of Belfast. Dublin city has a
population of about 800, 900; Cork, about
100, 1000; and Belfast, about $50, 600.
These aggregate a population of 660,000.
OF this number, a lSrge per cent, as is
the case in all large cities, are 10 doubt
paupers. In addition to these, there are
In these counties several other towns
which, IN some parts of these United
States would be regarded "a considerable
cities. These, no doubt, have great per
cent. of paupers. Perhaps the reader is
ready to conclude that ireland presents
repulsive aspect on account Of its pau.
pars. Such is not the case. There is, In
reality, nothing repnlsive about Ireland,
except that system of landlordism which
has been in existence since the days of
JamesI. Even that has been, In many
Of its features, greatly ameIiorated, and
the probability is, that the time is not far
distant, when the whole system, at least
in its most objectionable and oppressive
features, will be swept out of existence.
That there are manifest signs Of power
ty--squalid poverty--in Irelana, no one