The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-10-08
CONTINUATION OF HIS ARTICLE
Shows That Poor Erin Has Been
a Prey to Plnnder.
MORAL OF THE WHOLE MATTER
DepOpnlati0n of ireland Is Due to
Its Poverty.

Suppose that John Bull were called be-
fore the judgment seat of Rhatlamanthus
and asked to explain how it is that the
poor partner has become poorer and the
rich partner richer, and how it is that in
ireland alone among the provinces Of
the British empire the population dwin-
dies and disappears, what would he
reply, asks w. r. Stead in his Review of
Reviews.
Let us look at the matter calmly,
Spain has been adjudgcd to have for
fcitcd her rights over Cuba by long-con-
tinued msgovernment But do not let
us forget that while the Cubans in the
last half century have doubled their
numbers, despite all the oppression of
Spain, the population OF ireland has
steadily dwindcd until her ten millions
have shrunk to less than five IL Is of
course easy to say that this is duo to
economic causes over which England has
no control. But economic causes is only
polite way of describing want of cash.
Tho depopulatim of Ireland is due TO the
poverty of Ireland
Suppose that Rhadamanthns were to
reply to our protest that the dcpoDlation
of Ireland was due to economic causes
over which we had no control. by asking
leave to subject the financial relations
between the two countries to an impair
tal and exhaustive audit. We aro the
predominant partner, no doubt. We have
kept the books and we have insisted upon
making the calls and declaring the diyi-
dcnds. This has gone on for Il hundred
years During all that time the pre-
dominant partner has got richer and
richer, while the other one has dwndled
and starved. In ordinary partnerships
suril Il result would excite suspicion and
demand inquiry Dare John I5ull face
such AN examination of his books
Judging by the result of the ryamina-
!ion made by Il royal commission of his
own appointment. John l,ull would fare
somewhat badly at the hands of Rhada-
nlanthus. C22,To0,00 a year is equal to
a capital sum of at least G7o,no0 900, or
say Gl5 per head for every man. woman
and child in the country Clearly. II VIC
are taking this money unjustly, we can
not possibly pretend that we have no
hand in the economic causes which have
dcpopulatcd ireland. II is rather to be
feared that lthHdanHnihIlS would bc in
clinod TO declare that the c;rsa causans
OF the economic causes was John Bulls
vampirC-likc drain of Ircand's life
blood
may he told that Radamanthus is
Il myth that John Bull is master in his
own house and in the Irishmnn's also
Sic volo, sic jubco. Who is there to
make him afraid? To this reply that
"COnscirncc doth make coward, of us
all" and if it be the case, as il certainly
appears to be. that John Bull has been
swindIing his Irish partner. then We have
very good reason to be afraid
Amt your bonds held by Fate, John,
Like all the worlds besides?
Ole Uncle S., seq he. II guess
NlSb IlciI IOISlNF. SEE Ht.
But not forgit; an sometime yet
Thct truth may strike ]. b.
IIz wal cZ yoll an me.
I1owcll's jonathan to John" reminds
us of the fact that at last there is in the
world a possible court of appeal to which
the Irish can carry their grievances, with
a fair chance of being heard
The more nearly Great Britain and
America come together, the more potent
the influence which the Irish will exert
over the policy Of Great britain. They
may be the wedding ring Of the English
speaking race. on they may forbid the
banns. At present their instinct is to do
the latter, but when they realize the pull
they will have over the Anglo American
alliance by their influence on the new
predominant partner, they will change
their tack.
If 1893 is a thing of the past, the fruits
Of 1898 arc still with us. The union Of
Great Britain and Ireland is the first Of
these The second is the disunion Of the
Englsh-speaking race all round the
world. 1t is this latter baieful conse-
quence of the crime of Pitt and Castle
rcagh which most interests us today.
We have heard a great deal of late, and
we shall, l hope. hear still more, about
the reunion of the Englishs speaking peo-
pie. But came back from Ireland more
than ever convinced that this will for
ever be little more than gaudy dream,
unless we make the alliance pivot on the
reconciliation of Ireland; and nothing
impressed me more with the essential
lack of prescience and of political intui-