The Irish standard., 1902-12-20
YANKEE CORRESPONDENTS ABROAD

For the first time in twenty years the
| leading newspapers of the United
STATES have sent special correspond
ents across the Atlantic to write up the
truth about the land agitation which is
shaking Ireland from the center to the
sea. Among the principal papers rep
resented ill Ireland at the present time
are the New York World, the Phila-
'lelphia North American the Chicago
Tribune and the Chicago Record-Her-
add. The American correspondents
have received instructions to give ac-
curatr and impartial information and
to interview landlords, tenants, Nation
alists Unionists and government Off.
cals, and thus to give all sides of the
Irish question so that American read
ers cam draw their own conclusions.
The two Chicago papers have able
representatives who are sending home
most interesting communications. Mr..
Guy Cramer writes for the Tribune
and Mr.. Walter Wellnan for the Rec
ord-Ierald. The former had written
several letters before the latter arrived
in Ireland. While Mr. Welman re-
manned in Dublin lie interviewed Sir
Antony McDomlell. the new UNDER
secretary for Ireland, and other gov
ernment officials, and in one of his let
ters it was apparent lie was consider
ably influenced by their talk and mis-
informed in regard to the actual state
of affairs
For instance, Mr.. Wcllman said that
no man in Ireland was incarceratel
for Il political offense but that it was
for breaking the law of the land he
was found guilty by a judge and jury
OF course he was imposed upon by the
government and landlord class; but we
knew that when he SAW things for
himself after leaving the Irish capital
he would discover that the leaders of
real Irish opinion do rot gtt any trial
by judge and jury but are arbitrarily
dealt with by the mini,ns of British
law.
Af;Cr leaving Dublin the. tone of Mr..
Wellman'S letters changed, and now he
is as sympathetic With the victims of
British oppression as Mr.. Guy Cramer
of the Tribune. In this respect he is
like the lat, "Pctrolcum V. Nasty" of
the Toledo Blade. who, on going to Ire.
l;nu twenty years ago. WAS under the
,lrusion lln,t Parncll and his colleagues
wclr Il lot of demaGOgues; but when
he saw the poverty and degradation of
the cotticrs With his own ewes he
changed his views and denounced land
io'tl Tyranny in The bttcrest language
at his command. His sympathes
were aroused and he championed the
cause Of the Irish peasantry with as
much enthusiasm as lie had champion
ea the cause of the Southern slaves
twenty years before.
Mr. Wellman now secs the results OF
Irish landlordsm in Mayo and Ros
common and he ves With Redpath and
Locke in dcnouncing the atrocious sys-
ten of land tenure in the West of Irc-
land. In his letter from Ballaghada-
recn. dated Dec. $. he writes as fol.
lows:
"lt was with heavy heart that | re-
turned tonight to my hotel in this lit
tie agricultural village in the County
Mayo. During Il drive of many hours
| had seen evidences on every side of
the misery into which an unsound and
cruel system had forced these brave,
long-sulfering, patient people, To one
from America. where the standard of
comfort among the tillers of the sof
Is so high, it seemed Incredible that
any civilized nation of this day and
generation could permit such condi-
tlons to exist. When one is in Ameri-
ca he may wonder that there must al
ways he an Irish question, that there
need always be discomfort in Ireland.
But when one comes here and drives
for hours and days amid these bog
farms. reclaimed through incredibly
arduous and patient toll, he wonders no
longer. The wonder is that Ireland
has so long endured, and that revolu-