The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-03-16

they foolishly parted with it for money
| wherewith to staunch the rent tiend's
: devouring nav and perished accord
ingly.
John Mitchell, the intrepid, in his
United Irishman (March 4, 1S4S), thus
luminously illustrated the actualities
| Of the then economic situation, in
commenting on an inquest held on
family named Boland. The Bolands
successfully titled a farm of twenty
acres and died Of starvation:
"Now, what became of poor Boland's
twenty acres of crop? Part of it went
| to Gibraltar, to victual the garrison;
part to South Africa, to provision the
robber army; part went to Spain, to
pay for the landlords wine; part to
London, to pay his honor's mortgage
to the Jews. The English ate some
of it; the Chinese had their share; the
Jews and the Gentiles divided it
among them; and there was none for
Roland"
In truth, but for the inexorable rent
tribute, Ireland abounded, during the
famine years." in every kind of
produce, minus the "dirty root" of
Cobbett's adherence. According to a
revenue return for the three years
ending Jan. 5, 1S49, there were paid
by the starving people to the British
exchequer 913,293,6S1. In the same
year they exported to England, as rent
tribute to landlords (mostly absentee),
95,926 head of cattle, 839,118 sheep,
69s,021 pigs, 959,64O quarters of wheat
flour, and 3,65S,S75 quarters of oats
and meal. And this estimate of ex-
ports, the report significantly adds, sis
of necessity defective"
In truth, in her hour of extreme
agony Ireland was relatively the
greatest food-exporting country in the
world. A home rule government
would, in the emergency, have prompt
ly prohibited all food exports, and not
a life would have been lost.
But the decrease of Irish population,
though deplorable-it is 100000 less
than in the year Of the union, 1901
is, perhaps, not after all the most sad
dening fact. Since 1865 the proper
tion of paupers has nearly doubled;
in England it has been diminished by
half. The proportion of deaf mutes
is in Ireland nearly one-third larger
than in Britain; of blind, two-tifths
larger; Of lunatics, one-third larger;
while the proportion of births over
deaths in Ireland is per cent, and II
per cent in Britain. In proportion to
population, Ireland is the fourth meat
producer and tie sixteenth meat con-
sumer.
And just as the predominant part
ner has grown enormously in popula-
tion and prosperity, the burden of his
taxes has become lighter; whereas,
those Of unhappy Ireland have auto
1natically increased with her decrease
in numbers and wealth. And here we
are brought face to face with the
standing iniquity of indirect taxation
in a most acute form. 10 tax a COM
modify in common use-say, tea-is
about the very acme Of injustice. 1t
deals with the income of the washer
woman and Of the duchess as if they
were equal in amount. 1t is, in point
Of fact, the worst of all conceivable
taxes-a poll tax.
And the poorer you are the more Sc
verely are you hit. In Britain the
taxation of commodities is only % per
cent Of her total; whereas in Ireland
it is 76 per cent. In 1920 the taxation
of commodities in Britain was f2 IS.
per head, and in Ireland lis. In 1894
the figures were fl 4s. and Il Is.
respectively. In the period of 1915,
f2.500,O0O were added to the taxation
of Ireland, to make up, presumably,
for the decline in population. Since
1850 British taxes have diminished 3s.
Fer head, and Irish increased 14s. lid.
Counselled not good old Tory DR..
Johnson well when he admonished
the Irishman: "Do not unite with us,
sir. 1t would be the union of the
shark with his prey. We would unite
with you only to destroy YOU" John
Bull has never been known to keep
terms with the weak moment longer
than suited his convenience.
| Now what was the "Unionist" reply
to the several counts in the above
dcmonstrably true financial indict-
ment, based on the report of an excep-
tionally capable royal commission? I?
That the report was inadmissable be-
cause it was tainted with the home