The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-07-02
,vu,r WILL THE CONSERVATIVES
III WITH IRELAND?

All the indications point HoN ~ " va
so,,tion of the English Parliament anu
-e election OF new Parliament before
Arg,st lst. II is conceded on all hands
,ha, tho Conservatives will carry the
country. and that a Conservative Mln-
,.,r,. win rule Great Britain for some
time with an entirely satsfac-
tory. majority in the House Of Commons
at Its back.
The most serious question that MINIS
try will have to face will he It's att'-
Jude towards Ireland. The conditions
In ireland have been undoubtedly amello-
rated during the past thirty years.
and that nv the action of Conservative
"a well as Liberal Ministers. Inc op-
Grafton Of the land-purchase act mas
produced a much larger proportion Of
Irish landowners than there were anu
crime-and particularly agrarian crime
has boen greatly dimin!shed there. Never
theless. the condition OF Ireland is SO
far from satisfactory that the improve
ments are hardly noticeable.
II the Conservative Ministry are ac-
tuated by a real purpose to deal with the
hitch question considerably and wisely,
the first thing they Will do will be 10
find out just what the cause OF the
troible there is Mr.. Parnsll
claimed that discomfort in Ireland
turned upon the desire of the people
for an Independent and zeparate naticn-
alitv. This aspiration, if it existed IN
the proportions assigned TO 1t by MT
parnen. would be propostc Gus. England
and Scotland will no more tolerate the
idea of a dissolution Of the union than
such proposition for dissolving our
Union would be entertained in America.
Sesidos. what would the Irish do with
separate nationality? WHAT would new
nation of 1905 900 people amount 10 IN
this day Of great nations? 1t would be
10 more than a spot upon the surface OF
the earth TO be kicked and cuifed, as
England has recently treated Nicaragua.
The proposition is absurd. and we cannot
believe that many Irishmen base their
agitation upon such a demand.
We believe the true cause of the trou-
bic in Ireland is poverty. \ royal COM
mission which is now. sitting to investi-
gate the financial relations between Eng
land and Ireland, has already collected
vast deal of evidence. A short time back. a
Mr.. Thomas Tough. who is member OF
Parliament, appeared before this COM
mission, and gave 1t some important and
interesting statements bearing upon the
matter. He drew contrast between the
financial condition of Ireland in 1894 and
the present time. In spite of great fiuc-
tuation, the population remains what it
| was a century ago-4.50, O0-but in this
hundred years the taxes have risen from
two millions OF pounds 10 eleven mil
! lions. In that time Great Britain has in
creased eightfold in wealth. while in
Ireland wealth has remained stationary.
The taxation per head in Great Britain
| has diminished, whereas in Ireland 1t
| has increased almost skiold. Since 1870
Imperial taSation in Ireland has risen
from i5s.. 3d., per head to q. lSs.. 4d..
whereas local taxation has gone up from
Is. Cd. per head TO l5s., 3d.
Here, then. is a fruitful cause for dis
content The resources OF the people
have made no increase, while their bur
dens have been enormously added 90.
The cause for this striking state of facts
lies on the surface. Great Briiain's
wealth has come from the adoption by
her fifty years ago OF the principle OF
free trade. The greatest source OF her
wealth Gfty years ago-agriculture-is Sc
riously impaired. The number OF per-
sons employed In agriculture in Great
Britain to-day is 60 per cent. less than