Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1901-11-22
The Plain Source of Irelands Misery.

I'Iulu -
John f. Redmond, the brainy and
eloquent leader of the united Irish
party seems to be having great sue
cess in his visit to this country to re
organize support for the struggle for
elf-govenrment for the. long oppressed
and plundered island. Tremendous
meetings have greeted him at New
York. Boston and Worcester, at the
latter of which places Senator Hoar
sent in Il sentiment that was most
timely in more lands than one. 'No
government without the consent of
the governed now sodisregarded in both
hemispheres, will be indicated in the
end in Gods good time. " Mr.. Redmond
had a conference at Boston last week
with St. Gaudens in regard to a monu-
ment to Parnell in Dublin.
Ireland is standing lesson Of the
evil of alien rule for any land, and the
most striking rebuke, perhaps, posi-
BILE to the policies towards other peoples
of whichjust nowEngland and the Unit
ed States are the militant representa-
tives This policy took its extreme
expression few centuries ago in Ire
land. when the lands We're taken from
the natives and given to an alien
aristocracy, and the consequences are
continuing in an absentee landlord
ism that draws $40, 600, 900 year from
the island and leaves prosperity utterly
impossible. 1t means so a year per
capita or $50 per average family taken
absolutely from its earnings to be
spent elsewhere in the world. 1t is far
worse in effect than an adverse trade
balance of $3.50, 600. 600 year proper
tional to population would be to
this country, instead of a favorable
one of 800. 600, 600 How long could
this country stand that: Three years
of it would strip us of every dollar of
money in the land. Six months of it
would precipitate the most ruinous
Dulllt VIZ tNtI saw. ~ III YET
the drain, we repeat, is worse than an
adverse trade balance because that
may and always does represent in part
invested rather than consumed capital,
like machinery for instance. while the
rents drawn from Ireland represent
but so much subtracted from
her earnings or accommodations to be
or added to capital else
where. And so in the famine years
while thousands were dying of starya-
ton. shiploads of food were going in
steady stream from her shores under
this inexplorable pressure that orig
inally got its lever power in nothing
but robbery.
Ireland 5 misery is therefore easily
and the impossibility of re
ieving or even appreciahly anchor
lting it under present conditions. .
But it is only an extreme Illustration
If what always follows one peoples .
'ule over another, and a demonstration (
IF the truth of our forefathers' declar- /.
ton that taxation without represent
alton is tyranny" and that the only
,hance any people has of justice is an
.qual share in the making of its laws.
The policy that has devastated Ire +
and differs only in degree from that +
We are now pursuing in Cuba, which, /
deprived of its old market in Spain,
AN send its sugar and tobacco to this
only over a tariff wall we are
pound to maintain to protect our own
obacco and sugar growing interests,
md whose ships are denied access to
,ur coasting trade. while she is com
pelled to admit our ships to share
II her coasting. There are probably
10 more just-minded peoples on earth.
II ever have been, than the English
nd American. But it is simply be
fter their own interests and that of
thers equally well so that the one will
lot get the advantage of the other:
nd when this inability is delegated
n representative government it is
intensified and multiplied.
Perhaps free governments are the worst
f all in this respect, as was Crom-
,ell's towards Ireland. Moreover,
wrongs began in this way without the
eople compromising their motive
nd extent, or even knowing of their
become more difficult of
emedy with every year that passes,
ecause vested rights" are created
nder them, that cannot be taken
way without wrong to innocent third
arties, like present day purchasers,
or illustration, of Irish lands orig
nally stolen, or the ship-owner who
as in good faith embarked his CAPT
al and enterprise in the Cuban coast
ng trade. II
Senator Hoar's sentiment was based
n eternal truth.
Santos Dumppt the Rrazilian ipvop