Omaha daily bee., 1888-07-29
EMIGRATION NOT THE REMEDY
Revue des Deux Mondes Criticised
by the Secretary.
A GREAT ARRAY OF STATISTICS.
The Secretary of the National Land
League Claims That the Gov
eminent of England Is
TO Blame.

LINCOLN, Neb., July 2O.-To the Ed
itor of THE BEE: The article which APP
pears in your issue of this date taken
from the ''Revue des Deux Mondes" is
calculated to mislead your readers, as
being the opinion Of an independent
party on the merits of the Irish ques-
ton. There is nothing independent
about it. 1t is simply a re-hash of the
ancient platitudes of the 'Irish Loyal
and Patriotic Union" dished up by a
French ''chef." The writer says: mo
country exclusively agricultural-as is
the case Of Ireland deprived of manu-
factories and machine shops, can sup
port a population OF over one hundred
to the square mile. Therein lies the
whole Irish problem" This frenchman
says the population of Ireland is in the
ratio 1859 persons to the square mile,
that the soil of Ireland is poorer than
that of England, that therefore the sal
walton is in wholesale emigration. Now
here is a comparative list OF the popula-
tions to the square mile in the follow
ing countries, taken from a little work
compiled by w. G. Higgins an English
man:
England and Wales ....... ............ 3S9
zoo
Germany. FOL
tiollanu. loo
FRANCE. leu
oWlIZerluuu. ....... ~
austria 10
Ireland. los
Now because Ireland with only 1859
persons to the square mile is poor and
without manufactures, this logical
Frenchman says the people should en-
igrate zen masse." 1t is i'll the memory
OF man that Belgium was IA wretched,
misgoverned province, subject to Hol-
land. The Belgians secured home rule
and under its benefits are to-day capa-
BILE of supporting in comfort, on an arti-
fetal or forced soil, 469 persons to the
square pile. If home rule has been SO
prolific of blessings to the Belgians,
why should not home rule be the
panacea for Ireland's ills instead of
wholesale emigration, as recommended
by the writer in the Revue" His con-
~tention that an exclusively agricultural
country like Ireland cannot support
more than 100 persons to the square
mile is simply an absurdity. ireland
has a total acreage of land amounting
to 20, 1879, 1876 acres, divided as follows:
Under towns, waste, bog, mountain,
4, loJ,ooi
Under plantation or forest. 10000. 1924, 800
Under ullage. 6,6l2,03.
Undcr pasture. lO,oI,@o
Now of the land under tillage. and
pasture, the greater portion is second
10 no soil in Europe. II then the pres
population, in spite of a horrible system
of rack renting, can live on 5,642, 057
acres of producing soil, how much more
could be supported if half, even, OF the
land under pasture vas devoted to till.
age. A simple sum in arithmetic viii
give solid facts in reply to the French
mans theory. What the soil OF lrelanC
can support has been variously esti-
mated:
John Stuart Mill says........ =. Is, 900 0(
Sir Robert Kane. ................ 2o,0OO,OV
Gustave de Beaumont. ........... 25,000,OO
Arthur Young. loo,OOo,0
In reply to the statement by thu
writer in the "Revue," that Ireland's
soil is poor and inferior to that Of Eng
land, l will quote some authorities bet
ter known to the English-speakinl
world. DE Lavergne, in his Essay OF
Rural Economy" say the soil OF Ire
land is superior to that Of England. Nc
Culloch, a S~cotchman, is his statistics
OF the British Empire" writes Of Ire
land as follows: 1.-THE luxuriance Of TIN
pastures, and the heavy crops Of oat
tnut are every where ruiS6u, cNeu Will
the most wretched cultivation, attest it
extraordinary fertility" McCombie
late NJ. p. for Aberdeenshire, anothe
Scotchman, says: ''In the elements G
natural fertility, only the richer part
OF England and very exceptional.parts @
Scotland, approach to it," The lowell
ness and fertility of Ireland lave elaine
admiration in all ages.
In the state papers OF Henry VIII. W
read of Ireland:
"'rhat il the lande we're put once !
order as aforesaid, it would be non
other but a very paradise, delicious
all pleasaunce, TO respect and regard
any other lande in this worlde; ina
much as there never was stranger n
alien person, create or small that o
avoid thorefro by his will ,notwithstant
ing the said misorder, II he might TIL
means to dwell therein his honest
saved; much more would be his desil
is the laude were once in order"
OF course, the ''misorder" means III
stubborn disinclination OF the Irish
be robbed OF their acres by English a.
v~enturors. Ignatius Donnelly's irien
Lord Bacon, Expresses his opinion
Ireland thus: For this island, II is e.
dosed with so many dowries OF natai
considering the fruitfulness OF the sol
the ports, the rivers, the fshings, u
the quarries, the woods and other IN
~terials, and especially the race al
generation OF men, valiant, hard Al