The Republican journal., 1886-06-10
The Irish Question,


1 THE FERTILITY OF IRISH SOIL. WHY THE
PEOPLE SUFFER FROM WANT OF FuoD.
In his speech al the Gladstone meeting at
Portland, Nir. Blaine said; In the year 1850
ireland produced four million bushels of wheat.
But wheat Is not the crop OF Ireland. She
produced eight million bushels of barley. But
barley Is not one OF the Great crops of Ireland
Now we begin to strike i'll the next item some
thing Tor Which she is especially adapted. She
produced t0.000,000 bushels of oats. The next
Item, think, every one will recognize, rs il is
pccullarl! adapted to Ireland. OF potatoes She
produced 100000 bushels TappIallsc;. within
sixty million, of the whole product of the United
States, and She produced turnips and manyolds
put together 80 900 900 bushels. She produced
of flax go, Oo0. 600 pounds. She produced of cab
baSe eight hundred and fifty million pounds
| She produced Of hay three million eight hun
dred thousand tons. She had Oh her thousand
hills and in her valleys over four million head
OF cattle. In the same pasturage she had three
million nNe bundled thousand head of Sheep
She had five hundred and sixty thousand horses,
two hundred and ten thousand asses and mules
During the year 1850 She exported to England
over seven hundred thousand cattle. oN or seven
| hundred thousand sheep. and nearly half a
million SWINE. Now. that out of territory not
quite 50 large as the state of Maine. out Of this
| magnificent abundance. the like of which has
scarcely been known since the richness of q os-
hen, there are men in want Of food that appeal
TO the charity of the strangers. WHY should
this he IN land that can produce so very
abundantly? Why should any want: The
great law giver of Israel ordered that Thou
shalt not muzzle the OK that treadeth out the
corn and saint Paul added in quoting that in
his epistle to Timothy, The labOrer is worthy
of his reward Lapplau>el and yet many of the
men who are producing these great results that
almost turn the Imagination iii their extent are
absolutely i'll want OF sufficient food.
do not think ii is difficult to find he reason
seven hlndred and twenty-nine men own one
half of the land in Ireland, and the other half is
owned by about three thousand more, and of
the rural farm land of Ireland. there are but
nineteen thousand two hundred and eighty
eight owners i'll all, whereas there are twelve
hundred and hfty thousand adult males in Ire
land. Produce that condition Of affairs in
Maine, i'll New England. tomorrow, and the
distress here VIII be as great the distress has
been in ireland. Now, Mr.. Gladstone SAYS
that this condition of affairs must cease and by
that device, the men who till the soil in Ireland
must be allowed to purchase and to hold ii.
APPLAUSE.
But | did not tell the whole story on this
land. As the British authority quote gives it.
800 men own over four-fifths, and they take
from the tenantry that cultivate the land sixty
SIX millions Of dollars rental per anntnl. Now
mark YOU, am talking of the little island, not
so large as Maine. and they pay rental of sixty
| six million per annum, and then they pay an
Imperial tax of So, 900 900, and a local tax of
$15,000,000 more. There are SIG, 900 to be
wrought out of the bone and flesh and the spirit
of the Irish peasant, and 10 wonder he lies
crushed and down-trodden. Applause.