The Irish standard., 1896-12-12
FAMINE IN IRELAND.


quently ruined crops, combined with ex-
orbttant rents which the tenant farmers
lare trying to pay out Of their meals" =
as i Protestant magistrate and land
agent Of the County Leitrim grimly ex-
presses It, have brought a number Of dis
tricts III Ireland to the verge Of famine,
says the Boston Pilot. The landlordsin
many cases are culpably ignorant q the
condition OF the people: and 1t seems to be
the. policy Of the Government to ignore
crying popular grievances which in other
lands lrad been the subject Of searching
Investigation. ..- 81 4.
Under these circums stances, the Dublin
Freeman establishes this year an Agri-
cultural mmfssion,. similar to that
which it established in 1879 and which
! was the forerunner OF the Land League
and Of the Land Act of 1881. Al
! 1t is publishing series of letters from
the Commissioners all Of whom accept
the solemn injunction Of the witness-box
to tell 'the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth al. ....
| The first Of these letters comes from
the County Leitrim, and presents q fear
full picture Of distress; the more fearful
for the very moderation with which it
| is stated.
The writer. in making his investiga-
tions, has combined personal obserya-
ton with inquiry. What has he seen
and heard? We quote his statement:
II met and talked with tenants in their
homes and in the fields. Everywhere
saw hay rotted in manure heaps, the oats
sodden with moisture, and girls and boys
picking through 1t for good grains and
drying them at the fires Out in the TIL
1age land saw men digging at potato
stalks, and turning up tubers which were
like masses of black pulp, giving out a
sickening odor.. In the close glena. / did
not see a sound potato. In the more open
valleys, an occasional patch free from the
black disease was found, but the potato
was soft and wet, and had a bitter, un-'
~ : J. fIE-s d. s'
pleasant taste when cooked"
In seeking information he talked with
clergymen, lawyers, doctors, traders,
farmers, landlords, policemen All agree
that all classes of farmers have suffered
severely from the failure of the haryests.
Their united testimony leads the Com
missioner to classify them and the way
their condition is affected, as follows:
l. The rich farmers, comparatively
few in number, who cannot pay their.
rents in full without serious embarrass-.
ment and who must draw upon their
capital for whatever portion Of the rent
they do pay. ~! ~
q. A smaller class of farmers who may
be able to afford a portion Of the rents,
hut who must then obtain largely on
credit for. the seeds; ETC., Of next years
farming. ss: t...s
"a. The poor farmers, the most nunler-
Gus class, half of whom can pay scarcely
any rents, and the other half Of whom
are confronted with all the horrors of
famine. ~ ss3 i,
The Leitrim land lords have practically
never. reduced the rents; and are deaf
to the representations OF various boards
and meetingseven to those OF the Un~
ionist farmers OF North Leitrim. We
are glad to know. however, that there is
more humanity among the landlords pf
County Cayar. 81 I. 4 4. n ,5
81 The FEeeman's Commissioner cites
terrible testimony to. the prevailing dis
tress, freely given him by Mr.. G. Cross
Temp1eton, WHO'S q magistrate, 9 land
agent, and: q Protestant Unionist. Here
is q portion Of his statement: ss
There were only three fine days from
August lis to October, %: The poor mans
harvest during these months went ut