People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1897-07-09

when the spectre of the murdered Ban
quo, pointing to his gashed and bloody
throat, appeared at the royal banquet.
Macbeth, indeed, had not with his own
hands assassinated Banquo, but he was
responsible for the crime, and he knew
he was responsible. The Tribune man
well knows that England, with all that
Queen Victoria stands for, is RESPONSE
BILE for the monstrous crimes that were
inscribed on the jubilee black banner.
Were overpopu1ation the cause of
Ireland's ills, then depopulation ought
to be their cure. The cure has been
tried, but it has not worked well. In
the early years of Victoria's reign the
people of Ireland mum bered more than
eight million; they now number some
thing over four million, and yet the
percentage of pauperism, according to
English statistics, is greater now than
it was sixty years ago in Ireland.
The Tribune says that Ireland "has
neither coal nor iron," and therefore it
cannot be manufacturing country.
cit must be al agricultural country"
With cheap words like these quoted,
words that are not the expression of
careful and honest investigation on
their own part, but are lightly borrow
ed from mouth to mouth, writer like
the Tribune man dispose of Ireland's
L.
Irelands natural resources have never
been explored, and it is not consistent
with the time-honored policy of Eng
land that those resources should be de-
veloped. But even if Ireland had nei-
Their coal nor iron, the absence of those
minerals would not necessarily hinder
manufactures. New York state has no
coal or iron to speak of, yet manufac-
lures abound The same is true OF the
New England states. But New York
and New England have what Ireland
has not-a government friendly to their
interests, which are warmed into life
by friendly legislation. The Tribune
admits that "the manufacturing indus
tries of Ireland were crushed by I'M
friendly English) legislation. There
was such legislation once. but that was
many years ago." But the effect of
bad law does not pass away with the
law itself. The evil spirit of that "un-
friendly legislation" is still doing it's
work OF ruin in the English interest.
POSSIBLY the Irish in Ireland" says
the Tribune, would be more thriving
if they consumed less liquor" That's
it, Those English-interest men will
have any explanation but the right one
for Ireland's wretchedness. The Irish
World will hardly be accused Of irving
to promote the consumption of liquor.
We could heartily wish that our coun-
trymen at home and abroad, and other
people as WELL consumed less liquor ;"
but we have no patience with the can't
ing crew who are forever Ginging this
charge at Irishmen, which serves to
divert attention from the prime cause
of Ireland's misery-alien misgovern-
ment. The Tribune's suggestion is
quite as applicable to England and
Scotland as it is to Ireland. According
to reliable statistics, the expenditure
for beer in Great Britain in 1898 was
SIS, 627, 900. In Ireland it was but
Sc, 291, 000 In England the amount
spent on whisky is 81 9s, per head; in
Ireland the amount spent is 81 IS. Cd.
head. In Victoria's reign the consump-
ton of whisky, brandy and beer in
England has grown from six hundred
and ninetythree million gallons year
to one thousand and fifty-four million
gallons a year. The drink evil is even
greater in Scotland, and it's disastrous
effects on it's victims are even worse.
The annual deaths from drink per
thousand population in Ireland is Sc,
while in Scotland the number of deaths
per thousand population, and resulting
from the same cause, is so.
The Tribune did not see fit to print
for it's readers and invite comparison
on these statistics. Possibly it did not
know the facts if it was aware of
these figures and purposely withheld
them it was even more culpable, for in
that case it could have had but one end
in view-Englands vindication and a
moral verdict against Ireland. The
conviction that this was the object of
the article on 1.-THE Ungallant Irish" it
is hard to resist, when the writer says
''They (the Irish) contribute to the i'm
perial revenues fifteen million dollars
a year on account of spirits, and then
complain of being evertaxed." This
charge is as dishonest as it is irrele-
want. The Irish complaint of over
taxation is made on general grounds,
and the complaint is justified by the
finding of a British Royal Commission
which was appointed TO investigate
the matter. The sum total of which
Ireland has been robbed by this over
taxation, according to the Royal Com
runs up to the sum of FIVE |
IF money would be thought enormous
N the richest country in the world, |
what would it mean in so poor coun
Try as Ireland, which, made poor by
'unfriendly legislation" is flched of
hat which even in her poverty she has
oeen able to create And yet, although |
England out of her own mouth has
oeen convicted of this stupenduous
'obbery of Ireland, no intelligent man
Who is familiar with the ways of Eng
and has any notion of making restitu-
ion for her great and long continued
hefts. She wants no court of arbitra
ion that would determine matters of
his sort.