The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-06-04
A MEMORIAL FROM THE IRISH
To De Submitted by Michael Dayitt to
President McNinlcy

ton held at 1slandeady near Castelar,
League, {. national memorial to the
United States was signed by the people
of the Islandeady district. 1t is expected
that a similar memorial will be signed
in the other districts OF Mayo, and it is
rumored that all such memorials will be
presented to the president Of the United
States at Washington by Mr.. Michael
Davitt, M. P, during his visit TO America
in the early autumn.
The following is a copy of the memo
rial referred to-
ITO the President of the United States
of America.
1--WE, the people of the parish of ISL
andeady, in the county of Mayo, Ireland,
mindful of the noble love of liberty and
hatred Of oppression which have ever
actuated the American commonwealth,
and Of the ties of blood and tradition
which unite us with many millions of
its citizens are moved to bring 70 the
knowledge of the president and congress
Of the United States the following facts
concerning our present suffering cont&-
ton, and the neglect of our English rul-
ers to provide remedy for that misery
created by their own disagreement.
II. That more than 100000 OF the
population on the Western coast of Ire
land are at the present moment in con-
dition of restitution, in which they are
only preserved from death by starvation
by grants of Indian meal provided by the
Dublin Mansion House Fund and other
charitable organizations.
"2. That although the English gov
eminent in Ireland were many months
ago warned of the imminence Of this cal
amity by the archbishops and bishops OF
the Western Province, and have been re-
peatedly urged in parliament by the rep
resentatives of Ireland to come to the
starving peoples assistance the only
measure OF relief they have proposed is
one by which one-fourth of the total
costs Of the relief works must be paid
by the boards Of guardians of the dis
tressed districts, the great majority of
whose ratepayers are themselves In
condition bordering on starvation, and
are already obliged to pay at the rate of
100 pounds week in outdoor relief to
their furnishing ncghbors.
g. That every attempt to awaken the
English government in Ireland to 4 sense
Of their duty has been met by insults
. ,o
the charitable organization by which
alone thousands of deaths by famine
have hitherto been arcrtcd, and by re-
neWed coercion for the purpose of enab-
ling the landlords to wiring from their
starving serfs the charitable funds sub
scribcd for their relief and the remit
tanccs of their relatives in the United
States
"A. That the chronic destitution of the
West of Ireland is not Il consequence of
the natural infertility Of tho soil or OF
over population. but is the direct result
OF tho system Of consolidation of hold
lngs, by which, in this county of Mayo
alone, in the famine clearances of the
eells palt VI tlle present generation, No.
600 acres of fertile lands were swept bare
of their whole population. and handed
over to few score of foreign grazers,
while the remnants of the evictnd popu-
lation who did not perish of famine or
had no means of emigration, were hud-
died together upon miserable patches OF
bog and mountain which were never in.
tended by nature to raise food for human
subsistence
IS. That although the Congestcd Dis
tricts Board. nominated by the govern
ment for the Improvement of these dis
tricts, have by 4 unanimous resolution
declared that the only genuine remedy
for these recurring famincs in the West
Is the compulsory purchase of these vast
grazing tracts and their redistribution
among the disinhcrited people the GOV
ernment have steadily refused to give
effect to the demand of their own hoard.
and have this winter met the agitation
IN Mayo for the enforcement of the Con-
gested Districts Boards remedy by quar-
tering an extra force of armed policemen
upon the starving people. and suppress
ing with an armed hand the right of
public meeting
&c. That under these circumstances.
our poverty and misery cannot be at
trlbuted to any Providential design or to
any fault of our own, but must be laid at
the door Of the alien rulers of Ireland
who. instead of contributing ANYTHING
towards the relief of Irish poverty, are
now incontestably proved by the admis-
sion of their own treasury experts, to be
eXacting an overplus of at least 1850 900
pounds per annum from this unfortunate
country in excessive taxation.
I'm consideration of all which VIC as a
last resource invoke the intervention Of
the president and congress Of the United
States in the name of that Ireland whose
parliament voted their sympathies to the
authors Of the Declartion OF lndepend-
ence in the very crisis of their struggle
for liberty, and whose sons have freely
given their energies and their blood to
the building up of your great republic, to