The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-05-27

of tolls of the most aggiet, 'o<s -
prevails, and poor man and his a.
anxious to have days glimpse at
Lakes, finds that tolls add ten or twelve
shillings to his days expenses.
The Lakes OF Killarney are perhaps
the most beautiful place in the world.
They appeal alike to the humblest trip
per and the man OF the most sensitive
tastes. 1t was after day on the Lakes,
and listening to the Lake Buglers, that
the greatest poet OF our age wrote his
most glorious lyric
The splendor falls on castle walls
And snowy submits old in story;
The long light shakes across the Lakes,
And the wild cataract leaps in glory.
Blow, bugle, blow! set the wild echoes
flying;
Blow, bugle! answer echoes dying, dy-
ing, dying!
In few days the fate OF the theme
Of genius and of song, the fate of the
Lakes of Killarney-wlll be decided.
They may pass into the hands OF some
speculator who will weigh down the
tourist with extravagant tolls, or of
some oddity like the late Duke of Port
land, who might close them altogether.
In any country but ours the state would
solve the difficulty by stepping forward,
buying the Muckross estate, and thus
securing the Lakes of Killarney as a
national park!
The most beautiful and frequented
side OF the lakes belongs to the Muck
ross estate. The tourist who has walked
or ridden through the Gap OF Dunloe
can not actually reach the boats to row
down the lakes without paying toll of
one shilling at the gate of the Muckross
estate. The middle lake is almost if not
entirely landlocked by the Muckross es-
tate. The Tore cascade is, we believe,
on the Muckross estate. AS it is, things
are bad enough. A toll of a shilling a
| head is very stiff on some hard working
artisan from Cork or Limerick who has
scraped up the money to give himself
and his wife and children days holi-
day at Killarney. That beautiful tract of
mountain, the deer forest OF Muckross,
is strictly preserved and the public rigid
ly excluded from it. But things may be
very much worse. Every inch of Muck
ross is private property, the public have
no rights of way within it; the 1evying
and universal payment of the tax is suf-
fcient proof of this. 1t is, therefore,
entirely open to any man who buys
| Muckross to shut his gates and exclude
the public from all access to the Lakes
| OF Killarney. 1t may be said that this
is not likely. 1t is true that it is not
likely. but it is entirely possible. There
have been plenty OF eccentric gentlemen
who, like "Vathek," Beckford and the
late Duke of Portland. absolutely en-
cluded the public from all ingress to
their demesnes. 1t is bad enough to
have to pay shilling to get on the
Lakes of Killarney, but it would be a
great deal worse if the gate was alto
gether shut against the people.
Muckross house and demesne can be
obtained on very reasonable terms The
sum OF 100000 has been mentioned in
connection with some negotiations for
private sale. In any other country in the
world the state would interfere and pur-
chase Muckross as national park. In
any other country in the world the state
representing the people would instantly
take this opportunity of rescuing the
Lakes OF Killarney from being the prop
city of private gentleman and the ap-
panage of private demesne In America
the state has with characteristic magnif-
cence bought up vast territories con-
tanning thousands of square miles, and
dedicated them forever to the public
In most European states interesting
buildings or places of beauty have been
purchased as national property. In
Switzerland the vast area of mountain
and picturesque valley is as free to all
corners as the mountain air. In London
thousands are lavished on the parks We
are always told that consistency with the
maintenance of the union the British
government was ready to do all for Ire
land that would have been done by an
Irish government. Does any one ina
gine that an Irish parliament would
treat the fair places of Ireland as the
British parliament has treated them?
Happy in the possession Of free parlia-
ment, the English people have been
most successful in securing respect for
the picturesque and the beautiful. That
noble tract, Epping forest, has been
saved for the Londoner. Rights of way
over hill and by river have been care
fully protected. Public opinion, which
could at any time be turned into positive
law, prevents private owners acting un-
reasonably or ungenerously to the pub
lie In Ireland the opposite rule has
prevailed. The state has permitted
"squatters" to seize upon and shut out
the public from the most beautiful spots
on beautiful Dublin bay. The banks OF
the inland rivers have all been seized.
The public are shut out from the fairest
| Dartc of the iffev the Rovne and other