Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-01-08
Mutes of Travelim Gnrope.
OBSERVATIONS ON IRELAND.
BY REV. II. LATHAM.

| bit cOuntrie." This will also 40 Tor lreland.
Its greatest length-that from Miezen Head,
in Cork, to Kenmore or Fairhead, in Ant
rim, is 3O2 miles, and its greatest breadth,
at right angles to this line, from Wicklow,
on the Irish sea, to Erris Head, on the north
western coast of Mayo county, is 1s9 miles.
In extent of territory, ireland is only lit
tie larger than the State of South Carolina
The population of Ireland, however, is more
than five times as great as that OF South
Carolina The population of Ireland was,
at one time, nearly twice what it is now.
Since the year 1851, three millions OF Ire
lands population have emigrated to other
countries During the year 1881, 7S,4l9 left
the island. l have no means OF knowing,
with certainty, where all these emlgrants
went; but from what | learned, think that
the greater part of the Protestant emigrants
went to Australia. The Catholics generally
came to the United States.
visited with what is known as the potato
blight. This blight continued for several
wears. and the result was thatgreat numbers
of the people were reduced 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 turned, 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 congregated IN III the
public high-Ways and died of hunger. The
houses out of which these tenants were driv-
en-, or out of which they fled, are, at least
many of them, to-day without an occupant.
The failure of crop in every country is
attended with much suffering to the poor.
This is one of the marked features OF Ire
land, The Irish potato is the principal food
of the poor. In fact, [ never, so far as l
now remember, eat dinner in Ireland, out
side of city, without potatoes being on the
table, The potato will not keep over TOR
two years. Hence failure OF the ul,s potato TO
crop for two years in Ireland is certain to
produce famine among class Of the in
habitants.
Of the whole population of Ireland, more
than one-twelfth are paupers. AS some one
will, no doubt, call thisin question, the facts
are stated. The population of Ireland IN
1881 is stated to be 4, LAG, PA, and the number
of paupers to be SCI, GAG. 1t is claimed that
the larger number of these paupers are
Catholics. do not know that this is cor
rect. I think, however, that it is: The
province of Ulster, which is admitted by
all to be the stronghold of Professionalism in
Ireland, and the largest of the four provinces
except that of Munster, has a population OF
1,875,22l, of whom S5,776 are paupers. The
province of Munster, with larger extent OF
territory, but population of 35l ,OS3 less, has
Isl. .270 paupers, or TO- 494 more than Ulster.
The greatest number of paupers are in Lien
ster province, while it is, except Connaught,
the smallest in territory and in the number
of its inhabitants. The population of Lien
ster province is ,449,599, of whom 170, ,O94
are paupers. In perhaps every county OF
Ireland there are Protestants, and the same
may be said of the Catholics. Still, it is ad-
mitted that the province Of Ulster is the
stronghold of Professionalism in Ireland.
Such being the case, the above facts prove,
almost to demonstration, that poverty in
Ireland is mainly restricted to the Catholic
population. -.
There is fact in connection with this
Irish pauperism that may be interesting to
some persons. 1t is the manner OF support,
ing these paupers. In England, Ireland
and Scotland, thereare what they call poor
laws. These laws are enacted by the Eng
lish Parliament, and have for their object
the support of the paupers. The manner OF
executing these laws is, when Invested OF
legal technicalities, simply this. The num-
Der of paupers is ascertained and certain
sum of money specified for their support.
This money is raised by taxing the proper
ty 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 taxed, eX-
cept 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 13, 1885, ,595 pounds ster'
ling. On this there is raised by taxation, OF
by rates, as they call it, 1,15l,S7 pounds
sterling for the support of the poor. In
other words, the land of Ireland is valued al
sixty-eight and half millions of dollars
and on that there is raised five and one-hal
millions ofdollars for the supportot paupers
The county Antrim, with Il population OF
387, ,269, pays a poor rate of more than foul
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 first, 80, ,635; the
second, 5S,199; and the last has 34,737
These are facts which am unable to account
for, only in part. In Dublin county is stu
ated 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 pop
ulation of about 300,0 900; Cork, about lOO, 900
and Belfast, about 100000. These aggregate
a population of 650,0O0. Of this number {;
large per cent, as is the case in all large
CLUES, are llO uOuUI pouPCio' III 'u0i'i"AA ~
, these, there are in these counties severa
other towns, which, in some parts of the
! United States would be regarded as consid
erable cities. These, no doubt, have a grea
per cent. of paupers. Perhaps the reader
is ready to conclude that Ireland presents {
repulsive aspect on account Of its paupers
; Such is not the case There is, in reality
! nothing repulsive about Ireland, except tina
system of landlordism which has been ir
) existence since the days of James |. Ever
that has been, in many of its features, great
~ ameliorated and the probability is, tha
the time is not far distant, when the whole
system, at least in its most Objectionable
| and oppressive features, will be swept ou
of existence.
That there are manifest signs OF power
, ty-squalid poverty-in Ireland, no one
who knows anything about the Island vii
deny; but there are at the same time un
mistakable signs of such wealth as is never
: seen in the United States, except in the
large cities. BY far the greater portion o
| the inhabitants of Ireland are in comfort
able circumstances, and many of them are
immensely rich. The better class of the
Irish live more comfortably than the same
| class does in our own country. Thei
/ houses are better, and the convenience
: about their houses are far greater. The dlf
3 ference between rich man and poor mar
Z in Ireland is, it must be admitted, mucf
greater than it is in the United States
This is one thing that makes America thu
) poor mans country. 1t is usual to Speal
: of the Irish-I mean the inhabitants o
Ireland-as uncouth. Hence, to say tina
an individual is "as green as a raw Irish
, man" means that the individual is as greer
t as he can be. The comparison has its ori