Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1891-01-05
IN FOREIGN LANDS.
Parnsll Places HimssIf 10 the Eands
Of His Friends.
HE WILL RETURN TO BOULoGNE.
6aif"r -.r And the Earl of Zetland
Give Their Views on Ire
lands Poverty.
fsolAl DISPATCHES TO TIE ssoosD-us,os.i
IRELAND's pEsrIrurr.
Balfour and the Earl Of za.,.
Their Inyest;o.t,

A'"our ana the Earl of ZetIand Tell of
Aheir Investigations.
DUBLIN, January 4th.-The Earl of Zst.
iand, Ylceroy of Ireland, and Chief Secra.
tary Balfour, have signed the declarat;on
%hloh mas been issued On the Condition Of
the poor In the western part of Irelend
Inc eeclarauon says: Poverty is chronic
IN some districts, and will. if the neonle
are not aided, reach stage of acute dis
tress during the winter and spring There
is neither resident party nor Substantial
naloale class to give employment. nor are
there any charitable Organizations to aid
those who are unable to aid themselves.
Outdoor relief, except in cases "a emer.
gency, cannot legally be administered. ex-
@ cepe 70 persons holding ssser quarter Of an
Although none acquainted witL the
history Of the Irish poor law wonld raosrd
the relaxing of this clause as other than a
public calamity, its maintenance undonbt-
edly limits the capacity to deal with peri-
COS OF exceptional distress. The position
thus created leaves part of the social or
ganlsm sick and at al times stricken with
cisease from which, without extraneons
help, it has no power to rally.
THE question is not whether money
ought to be given, but how il shonlG he
giyen-to what class and for what snecial
purposes. Charity ill.administered iniures
the recipients everywhere. but is especially
injurious to those parts with which we are
concerned. Elsewhere the injury may be
confined to class relatively small. but In
tie worst portions OF the congested districts
whole community may be affected All
are poor, all can plausibly appeal for aid.
and help recklessly given in response NAV
infect whole townships with vices and
weaknesses and professional mendicancy.
We have spoken of this matter to many
priests and others acquainted with the con-
dition of the people. There was not one
OF them, however generally they NAV
have felt the sufferings of those amongst
whom they lived, who did not admit that
permanent ill-etfects followed from much
charitable expenditure within their expert
ence. Regarding the appeals for help, it is
needful to say that tales of distress need
not be taken as authentic because they are
couched in strong Language and seem to
come from well.informed quarters.
In regard to the failure of the potato
crop, small occupiers in the west seem at
first sight all to live much in the same
way. They are lodged in small cabins,
cultivate the same kind of SOIL and are
clothed with the same kind of dress 1t
would be natural to conclude that in all
places where the failure of the crop is the
same the distress is the same But such is
not the case. In no district does the COM
munity live wholly upon potatoes. Every
district has a means of livelihood, inde-
pendent of the cultivation of the potato.
The degree of the failure of the potato
crop is, therefore, by itself misleading
guise to the degree of distress existing
among the people.
"Other elements in the finding of the posi-
tion of the people are the amount of their
savings and their debt and credit with
local tradesmen. Furthermore, in the or
ganization of any plan of gra,uitous assist
ance caution is necessary in order that it
shall not interfere with the system of rail-
way relief works. Several thousands of
pounds are weekly already distributed in
the form of wages in the districts most in
need.
''The conclusions we come to are that
charitable aid ought 10 be confined: First,
to families which are in serious want and
which, having no able bodied person
among them, cannot derive benefits from
public relief works; second, to providing
meals in schools for children attending
them; and third, to supplying clothing for
children unable to procure them else
where