The Irish standard., 1897-07-31
THE DRUNKEN ENGLISH.


The lying press Of London for many
years has been industriously circulating
ISLANDERS of the irish people. THAT or
ganized deception" as it has been aptly
called. has been Systematically propa-
eating the falsehcGd that the Irish are
drunken people, and that their pow
erty is mainly due to their intemperate
hah 4 and not to British misgovern-
ment.
When royal commission composed
of expert financiers reported to parlia-
ment that the Irish people hkl been
robbed by overtaxation of SIP. 500. 900
annually for more than generation,
the Tory ministry laid the report On
the table and appointed another royal
commission to submit Il different report
Arthur J. Balfour, first lord of the
tire: slry, stated in speech delivered
at Manchester, that the Irish can find
financial relief by drinking less whisky,
and his audience rapturously applaudau
the utterance. A short time afterward
his statement was shown to be false by
Hon. Edward Blake, in a speech made
by that statesman in the house of com
mons, and which he based on the Off
cial statistics of tho government. The
following passage is pregnant with
proof CT the lalsity - Ralfour's state
ment:
ireland, compared with Britain, is
sober country. You who accuse us
spend far more on drink than we. Let
us look at the facts. Take Britain as
whole. In '93 the expenditure for beer
in Britain was cSS,G27 900. or co l3s
head; in Ireland. GG.29l 900, or eli Is
I'd a head. Thus the Brton spends all
but twice as much on beer as the Irish
man. Oh you may say, we all know
that. The Briton drinks beer, the
Irishman whisky. What abcut whisky
Well sir, what about whisky? The en-
penditures for spirits in Britain was
G4S.57l 900. or CT 9s per head; in Ire
land. .G6.l4i000 or CT IS Cd per head.
Thus much more was spent per head
on spirits in Britain than in Ireland.
So Britain preserved her superiority in
both branches of this competition; hay
ing spent twice as much on beer she
took Il good deal more spirits too; and
then she says something about Irish.
drunkards. The Briton spends on both
CA Is; the Irishman &c 13s Sd. And
then some British statesman tells his
1,,,,.
complaint is due to TOO much drink; and
If they would only purge them
selves and live tieanly they would have
no ground for, grievance. venture to
suggest that itlis not for Britain to cast
a stone. to preach free will, temperance
and soberness as our cure or to defend
injustice ON her4pan by alleging excess
on ours
Now comes Vanity Fair. the high
toned society PAPER of London, and saws.
that the British aristocrary is addicted
to intcmperanee: Among other things
it says: rs ~
The women are as bad as the men.
Probably the length of the London sea-
son is chiefly responsible for the evil,
From the beginning Of May to the end
of July the season is one stretch or
fatigue Long before the first six weeks
are over pleasure has become nothing
but pain The women drag themselves
YEARLY from house to house. and ONLY
manage to do this by the aid OF in.
cessant stimuants."
1t sadly deplores the dcgeneracy of
English society, and proceeds in this
style:
"Vulgarity. in all it's hideous glory,
holds the high place; and ancient birth,
honored titles. fall down and do it hon.