The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-09-21
FAMINE IN IRELAND.

skeleton, the ghost of the famine of
1867. The picture is grimly suggest
i've, for, as readers The INDEPENDENT
are aware, at this very moment there is
imminent danger Of a recurrence of
the scenes of that most distres5ful period
in Irish history. The potato crop, which
is the principal one in Ireland, once
small farmers in the west of Ireland
grow scarcely anything else than what
writer's have termed "the dangerous
tuber," 'the precarlous exotic" and "the
demoralizing esculent." The justice Of
the application of these terms is appar
emit when it is remembered that,
prompted by the fact that in a good
season one man can cultivate enough
potatoes to feed forty, the Irish, and es-
pecially those of the poorer classes, have
neglected all other crops for this one,
which is VIGOROUSLY uncertain and per
ishable, and that over population was
the result at the period of the great fam
inc, the number of inhabitants being
over 100000, while at present it is
about 4,75O,0OO. This year there is less
ground planted in potatoes than usual,
and the situation, grave as it is, is to
that extent more hopeful. Government
is profuse in promises to render assist
ance in the way of employment for men
when occasion shall demand; but the ex-
perience in 1847 should show the minis
tors how useless are attempts to aid the
starving in that way. More rational,
and yet of a nature to arouse the hostil-
ity of the landlord classes, is the advice
given by several leaders of the Irish
party in the parliament that rent be
withheld until the tenant shall be as
sured of being able to keep his family
from starvation. One impassioned ora
tor quoted in support of the of this adj
vice the scriptural declaration that "If
any provide not for his own, and espe-
cially those Of his own house, he hath
denied the faith, and is worse than an
intidel"
The present generation of Americans
has but slight knowledge of the enor-
nifty of the calamity that the famine Of
1867 laid upon the Irish nation. Ex-
act figures are wanting, but in general
terms it can be said that not far from
100000 persons died Of starvation or the
fever that hunger produced. At that
time, in spite of the knowledge that the
potato crop had failed utterly, the alb
sentee landlords exacted the uttermost
farthing of rent due them, and to meet
their demands the country was stripped
of its other products, it's cattle, grain,
beef, pork and butter. As the black
cloud of disaster lowered over the Green
Isle Lord John Russell, the prime min
lister of Great Britain, was urged to es-
tablish granaries in Ireland, as had been
done in Germany, Belgium and Switzer-
land when famine threatened those
countries; but with faulty that threat
ems to have it's counterpart in the con-
duct of the present ministry, he refused,
saying he would not interfere with priv
ate enterprises or disturb the ordinary
course of trade. The private enter
prises' to be guarded was the grain mer-
chants and shipowners of Liverpool and
London. 1t was suggested that Indian
corn meal, then practically unknown in
Europe as an article of human food,
might be substituted for wheat in order
to avoid disturbing the ordinary course
of trade) in meeting the necessities of
this starving people, but no sooner was
this known than the English spectators
and shipowners took advantage of the
exigencies of suffering nation and ran
the price up from $3.50 to SIS quarter.
The government was asked to detail
some of its naval vessels to carry grain
from America, in order to save the ex-
pense Of freight, which was as great as
the original cost Of the grain, but in de-
ference to the carrying trade, which was
rich and proportionately influential,
ships OF war were declared, on official
authority, to be unfit for this service.
The falseness Of this pretense was not
universally understood at the moment,
but before many months had elapsed
two ships of the American navy anchored
IN the Liffey, loaded with corn, rice and
flour, the gift of the American people
II they had sent money, the none,
would have purchased less than one
third of the food which the donors were
able to supply by adopting the methods
rejected by the British government One
Of the American ships, the Macedonian
was frigate captured by the United
States in the last war, and it was nat
urally asked if it was only when they fel
into the hands of an enemy that British
ships of war could carry food to Ireland
Meanwhile the government was voting
millions for the relief the sufferers, ant
societies and individuals in all the civil
ICED countries were contributing gener
ously. The governments earlier effort
were in the direction Of public works
to furnish employment to the men, thu
theory being the excellent ono tha
almsgiving but promoted pauperism
But this was an exceptional case. TIL,
means of distribution were very poor
and it was next to impossible to kee,
the laborers supplied with food, SO tina
d the effort on their part to work onl,
:. fastened the catastrophe with tLou