The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1888-10-06
products of mixed farming. The South

pIOuuCtS VI mlAcu LdIutlk. LILO OUutu
has relapsed to grazing; while the land
of the North is closely titled with va
riety of crops. Every farmer has a
field Of fax, good field OF potatoes,
one of turnips and other root crops, one
Of oats, and perhaps one of wheat, rye
or barley, with hatfield and a pasture
besides. The old ''Ulster ten nt's Gus
tom" has always given the farmer the
right to dispose of his holding and sell
his improvements; and this has been a
most substantial advantage never en-
joyed in the South. cannot see that
the investment Of capital in manufact-
ures by certain enterprising mena
ching which has saved the North in
these hard times which have ruined the
purely agricultural South--is to be as
scribed to any superior industry or VIZ
cue in the Northern people.
The absentee landlord system, after
ALL is only less injurious to the North
than TO the South; and nothing but
religious prejudice fostered by the in.
terested upper classes" keeps the
North from Joining heartily in the move
ment against the government of Ireland
by '',yobn Bullism" in its ugliesJ mani
fesrations.
Belfast ia not so handsome and inter
esting city as Dublin. but it is push
ing, thriving, business place, which
Dublin is not. 1t is the great center OF
the worlds linen manufacture. There
are linen spinning and weaving mills in
various small towns in tho north OF Ire
land, but five sixths of the industry is
located IN and about Belfast. The fax
for these mills is by no means all grown
in Ireland. Large quantities are
brought from Francs, Russia, Holland,
Germany and elsewhere. Tue finest
comes from France. There is much
mixing Of fiber, and The SUCCESS of the
industry seems in no small part due to
the variety Of raw material that is com.
manded. Tons of thousands OF oper-
atiyes are employed IN the linen factor
les, fully seven .eighths of whom are
women and girls
Belfast is also the seat Of q consider
able silip-bulldiDg industry, which is
jnst now p2ralyzed by strike. The
people here are proud of their city and
it's enterprise and declare that it il
quite as smart as any Yankee town"
Us business nasn are lmost all Liberal
Un,onists;,' but they are far ilo;n the
intolerance Of Orangeisn; and they will
accept Home Rule when it comes with
very good grace. In fact, many Of
them are eli.disposed at heart towards
the Nationalist cause but fad it., for
social and business reasons, most con-
venient to go with their set and with
the local majority liz politics.
But there are noteworthy exceptions.
One of the most intelligent and inter
esting gentlemen I have met in Ireland
is the proprietor of large Touring mill
here in Belfast-the largest mill in Ire
land--and he is an avowed Home Ruler.
EIe talks with the utmost moderation
aud good sense. and understands every
phase CT the situation perfectly. He
declares that there is not man in Ire
land who wants separation from Eng
land; and that nothing more is desired
than such measure Of autonomy as
New York or Minnesota enjoys in the
Unio:l. He ayows further that 40 irish
tenant wants his landlords property
for nothing, Or has any thought of get
ting the Land at less than it's valne.
I have met no man who 80 keenly
analyses that combination OF circum-
stances that has allied the. county
families Of Ireland With Che English
aristocraey. filed the official places Of
The army, navy, church aud civil service
with younger SONS OF Irish landowners,
and succeeded hitherto in keeping the
real facts Of the Irish situation from the
ear Of the English masses. Nothing,
he declares, but the conversion TO the
Irish view Of SO eminent q statesman as
Mr Gladstone could have obtained for
the Home Rule cause fair hearing in
England,
These are mere jottings, by the way,
and J. might multiply them at length;
but weekly letter has it's proper limits.
To SUM up the political situation here,
then, am of opinion that the "Ulster
question" has been made a very uncer.
tain bugbear. Not only do L think that
Home Rule would be an excellent
thing for the north as we'll as for the
south, but also that it would DO received
without any serious opposition and
would very quickly be discovered to be
q GEM ine blessing rather than a calam.
ity. No part Of the country would be
more influential than Ulster in gov
eminent at Dublin; and believe that
contact with the Catholic South would
make the Protestant North ashamed Of
it's past prejudice and intolerance. The
North is full OF fine, sturdy men, who
would have their full weight in local
rr;.b p.,r1;on,ont E.voru mari nf tho