Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-05-31


Under the above heading the West
Cork Eagle graphically portrays the
exodus that is affecting Ireland at the
present time, and presents the only
remedy. which it says is the eradication
of landlordism. The Eagle speaks out
plainly on the question which menaces
the future welfare of the green isle. which
orators have pleased to term the first
flower of the earth and first gem of the
sea-" 1t says in its issue of May II:
During the week ending on Sunday
last. two thousand five hundred emigrants
left Queenstown for America. This is
the record of one week of long season.
and what a recordl Our best men and
women, the "bone and sinew" of the
country. the young and hearty peasants,
flying in thousands from their native land,
hurrying away to foreign chimes TO seek
a livelihood that they cannot obtain at
homei Year after year, month after
month. this awful dream is going on. the
life-blood OF the country is ebbing away
with every cargo of living freight that
leaves the cove of Cork, and at this hour
the outlook is as gloomy as ever. There
are those who believe that the emigration
Is due to the fact that there are too many
people in the country, and that this an
nual exodus is necessary TO get rid of the
''surplus" population. What n sur
plus" population in Ireland? Here is a
fine country area, 20,0OO.OOO acres.
mostly arabic; good climate; pretty well
civilized; and called on platforms the
first flower of the earth and first gem of
the seas it possible that Flower"
this gem" cannot manage to support
such beggarly number of people as
four-and>a half millions or so2 But we
are told that ii cannot support them. and
that il is necessary that coDgested dis
tricts should be relieved by emigration
Emigration has been going on with
vengeance, and shows no signs of abat-
ing; that "surplus" population is buying
passage tickets with a lavish hand, but
where is the relief Is the country i'm
PROVINCE Are the paupers decreasing?
Are the rates being reduced? What in the
name of everything good, is this emigration
doingf II is making the country poorer
year after year; that is what it is doing,
and doing thoroughly. The best men
and the best women are departing, leav-
ing behind them the old and feeble, and
idle, and their beloved land going into
deeper decay every year. Arabic land
going to wildness, fewer acres under
crops, less production of food from the
soil-these are the results of getting rid
Of this "surplus" population. Lamenta-
BILE, deeply lamentsble. is this awful
drain of the best in the land. But let
nobody blame those who are departing.
Poor boys and poor girls. good, affec>
tionate, warm>hesrted souls, are going
away because there is no field for them at
home, and, while they are young and
hearty, they wish 10 get on in the world
Every true Irishman regrets them. mourns
at their loss with deep regret. But what
is to be expected from them2 Cry
down emigration as loudly as you will,
but with what result? No result at all
And quite natural, too. Big speeches,
Haunting flags. brass bands, resolutions,
leading articles. "undying aspirations, y
first flower of the earth and first gem of
the sea"-all these are very good things
in their way, but their way does not tend
In the direction of stopping emigration
Observe, there are the resolutions and
speeches, and other things on one side,
and there is emigration on the other
which is the victor2 Emigration, unde>
niably, and the resolutions, ct cetera, have
as much effect on the tide of emigrants as
the word of King Csnute had on
the tide of the English channel a thous-
and years ago. The truth is, the
ah 10 hot l..
stopped neither by fine political har-
argues. nor the smooth words of philan-
thropists. 1t is not the result of ''sur-
plus" population, except of "surpus"
population of landlords. 1t is the result
Of a crippled state of agriculture and in
dustry. due solely to that blight of
blights, that curse of curses, landlord,
ism. There are broad acres run to waste
all over the land, and broad acres ready
TO produce fruit for Gods children, if
only the pillow is set to work and seed
sown; there are ample opportunities
everywhere for the production of tenn
ing food for man and beast in this
island, but it is left idle, kept idle, and
prohibited from being used as God iu>
tended that it should be used. The land
ave out Cuotolns, tutut laws anu Cus~
toms that keep the land from its proper
functions, are the cause of the poverty
in our land, and the cause of that emf
grafton which every sincere Irishman re-
grets. but is powerless to stop. II emf
grafton is ever to be stopped, Back to
the Land must be the cry-the rallying
cry before which landlordism, in every
shape and form must, stink away to de-
served oblivion. Academic politicians
and sentimental politicians may talk,
and resolve, and pass bills as much as
they please, but until the cry of Back
to the Land" is rung out throughout the
kingdom, until the fossilized notions of
vested interest" and ''private proper
ty" in land are dispelled for ever, we
have nought to expect but crowded
warehouses; and thousands of emigrants,
not Surplus" population. departing
from our shores, leaving behind them
unhappy homes, saddened hear Is, and a