New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-31
A DARK PICTURE OF IRISH MISERY.
WHEAT GROWING LUXURIANTLY BUT RoTTINo
IN THE FIELDS.

WHEAT GROWING LuxuRIASTLY BUT RoTTISS
IN THE FIELDS.
Washington, Oct 80 (SpcciaD.-In o recent CONVEX
sation with a Tribune correspondent. Felix shahnoh
an intelligent and welto-do citizen who has iohs
lived here said: al nave Just returned from vls'
to Great Britain spending some time In Ireland during
the month Of August and the condition OF the country
was pable In the extreme. The bitter curse OF the
landlord and the absentee lay heavily upon the land
which in some of the c6hny districts. seemed almost
wholly depopuated. Almost all the younger men
and women had already emlgrated TO America ana
many OF the boys and girls who had nearly arrived al
wears Of discretion had followed the example. walk
ing along the roads" continued Mr.. shannon. "one
could smell ,rhe potatorot In the air for mics. III
some OF The more favored districts. where wheat ana
oats are staple crops, and where In former years
generous Weld had been garnered. the thrfties farm
or. told the same melancholy story OF no return Inc
wheat grows most luxurantly, but 1t can never Do
harvested, and stands therr to-day rottnS upon "''
reekng soil on account Of the heavy rainfall III wa"
harvest time while was there. but not reapink
hook was in the wheat: there was nothing throuRhou'
the suffering and hopeless land but the everiaSuhk
rain and the everlasting carpet Of green crops thas
never reached maturity. While was there u raiheo
for eight and ten consecutive days at stretch' OH"
the unhappy farmers looking at their ro''lnk 'roo'
through the steady downpour SAID that inc ""o'
climate was certainly changing because the Same con
ditions had prevailed for years.
And these are the nevertheless, hopeess' s'a'''e
peopie among whom the bailifs stu carry out he cruz
ev'ctons OF the heartless landlord. among "hom INC
polt.cal meetings. at which they look FIR some grain
o: comfort and sympathy from their Members Oh
Parliament are sternly prescribed by the "o'crh
ment have been several times across inc "a''.
since first came here, but have never seen t"o iu
Of my birth at so low ebb. or so utterly hopeless
Of relief and werod by the sight OF 10 mush n''sty,
crossed the Irish Channel At LVerpooi, w ~
with which l an thoroughly familiar. ! .ul.e" ~.
some time to study the situation, ana thee was
greatly surprised 10 Ind much misery nay m1s ~
much actual destitution among orulnaly Neh ~
artisans. Why, there thousands OF worHmeh ~a's
ing the streets Of Liverpool with nothing 10 49, nGs
penny In their pockets, and many oil thcni Mlu 'o.
checks and wolnsh eyes that told OF inclpent s'Ans
ton. Nor these Of the olsslpaeea anu snnot
character and well spoken 81 in the community: !
have seen these poor fellows many ana many Inv
90 into some restaurant and get 3-cent ianch' ,ou
sistns Of some thick vegetable soup ana oreSa; M
them g they ate When any man nnshed one OF Hs
watchers would Immediately rush forward and setts 'So
howl and scrape up any thing that remained ~Mie ns
swent together with the other hand the fragments VI
crumbs Of bread that might have escaped me Hur
N these daily scenes and 30 thoroughly aware OF une
misery around them that they never made the sRnes
afrconpt 70 stop the hungry watchers nom pouncns
upon the plates Of their customer rn,u.h cities.
pur,,,ed Mr. shannon, and ! firmly believe that y
trsrs moi for the builders Of the many new sAp: o.
war ths construction Of which has been distroetsa ~
the English Government among the various 6SSgaSS s
s Sna II Ensan1 Itself this winter would Do simply
terrble.s