The Irish standard., 1899-09-30
VICTIMS OF ENGLISH PERSECUTION
Their Present Status Told Bv
Census Reports.
ABANDONING THE LIQUOR BUSINESS
Policemen Of Irish Birth not 50
Very Numerous.

Edward T. McCrystal president Of
the Gaelic Society, writes an interesting
letter on the subject of Irish in,migra-
ton to the New York Sun in answer
to a correspondent who did not stick
closely to facts. He writes:
Early in the seventeenth century yery
many adventurous Irish drifted to the
colonies in the various expeditions COM
ing hither. In the second quarter Of
the same century many more came by
way OF France, Spain and the Lowlands.
The first great tide OF emigration set in
toward the close and just after the great
civil war which ragged in Ireland from
1641 to 1859. By an edict OF the Eng
lish parliament Cor rather OF Cromwell)
over 100000 men, women and children
were arrested and shipped as Servants"
to the Barbados, New England and the
Virginias, where they were sold to the
farmers and planters. In 1853 Colonel
Leigh, the Cromwellian governor OF
Waterford, was directed to arrest all the
Quakers whom he could find, send them
to Bristol, Eng, and thence to New
England. Now, there were few or no
Quakcrs in Ireland at that time; never
theless, Colonel Leigh carried out his
orders to the full, and ship after ship
freightcd with unfortunate Irish arrested
under pretext OF being Quakers in the
counties OF Waterford, Kilkenny, Wex-
lord and Cork, were sent to Bristol.
where they were disposed OF to the
"man-catcher" merchants of that place,
who, in turn, sold them to the farmers
OF New England and the planters OF the
Carolinas and Virginias ("Marmion";
Maritime Ports of Ircland'). From
the fact that many OF them afterward
redeemed themselves by their labor they
became known as "rcdemptioncrs," and
"redemptioners" were a numerous class
in the colonies down to the breaking
out OF the revolution. Bozman, in his
history OF Maryland, speaking OF this
period. says that "thc population OF the
province was greatly increased by the
number OF Irisll," who arrived after the
close of the civil war OF 1541-52 in Ire
land. During all this time the mcr-
cho ante of Rr;c+o1 co,,,I,,.4o1 , 1.,....:
business in kidnapping, with and with
out sanction OF law, helpless Irish
women and boys and selling them TO
service in the colonies These were the
"rcdemptioners" and Servants Of
whom SO many OF our earlier writer's
speak. A little later the emigration be-
came more of voluntary character.
In 1905 the proscriptivc laws against
the practice OF the Catholic religion were
set i'll motion in ireland by William III.
in violation OF the articles OF the treaty
OF Limerick, and the result was another
flow OF "redemptioncrs" and Servants"
to the new colonics-thc emigration to
France being OF fighting men" only.
Stewart (history OF Armagh) says that
"multitudes of Irish deserted to that
country" referring to America.
In 1903 the Irish had become so nu-
mcrous in Pennsylvania, even in Phila-
delphia, that number OF the bigots OF
that day pctitioncd James Logan, PENIS
Irish governor, against the public cxcr-
else by them OF the Catholic religion.
Logan, in a letter OF this date, says that
he "las great difficulty in collecting the
head tax on Servants (rcdcmptioncrs),
one hundred families OF whom Papists
from Dublin, landed few days ago"
And again he says, 1T looks as il Ire
land is going to send all her inhabitants
hitfcr, for last week not less than six
ships arrived from Ireland, and every
week two or three arrive" Such tcsti-
mony certainly docs not tend to
strengthen the statement OF &c Z. c."
that of Irish immigration there was "al-
most none" during the colonial period.
Upon the accession OF George II. to
the throne, in 1927, the proscriptivc
laws, which had lain in allegiance for a
few years, were again enforced with re-
ncwed vigor in ireland, and this, to-
gethcr with the reprchcnsive laws
against Irish manufactures, caused an
other heavy set in the tide OF cmigra-
ton to America. From d.. 81, 1928,
to Dec. 81, 172o," says Holm.s Gan
nails OF Amcrica), "there entered at the
port OF Philadelphia 5,655 Iri h immi-
grants, 243 German, 267 English and