The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-21
SsS In crossing the narrow seas which
separate Great Britain from ireland, one
feels that one is migrating TO an entlr1esly

sS SSs In, crossing the narrow seas which
y separate Great Britain from Ireland one
feels fhat one is migrating to an entifely
dlfrerent county. Although England and
Ssirahrd nre under the same government,
although the same Language IS spoken Z, !
Il and the same laws followed, there could
y Be no wider difference than between these
4 two lands. : Like England, ireland IS
beautiful and one looks out OF the tram
Il window 9upoi, cultivated lands and sInil-
III; Il 3yallcSs. but here the resemblance
1 ends. While liz England one sees every
where slyns or comparative s prosperity.
y lie basis or irish life Is Its poverty ana
+ misery, s54 ls3f5 81 II {j q IS. ~ II
ri Everywhere one notes evidence OF TINS y
\ obvious poverty. In the cities. as IN
ne country districts, the Z. people seem
n poor and the INDECENT population Is large Sc
3e outside Of Belfast one sees but rev In
u dustries and In the SINAI towns through g
which one passes, the people seem poverty
4 stricken and II, many cases ,yretched. One
q notes the comparative absence of large
factories employing thousands OF men. y
mines, OF iron works and textile mills or
e large thriving cities with great INDUS
trial populations. The people themselves 4 as
n seem 10 lack Initiative and spirit. ! hey
seem oppressed, and, despite & a ceftain
n occasional gaiety, there appears to DC
amongst them d spirit OF sadness which
,1,anifests itself even In their songs.
~ ireland has suffered. and is still suf-
i. fering, from the evils Of the past hun
5dred and afty years. During the eign-
teenth century the English government Mi !,
adopted towards ireland some hat thy
Y same policy that it sought to adopt y, o.
wards the American colonies The IN
~ d,,strial 4 development OF the island was
crushed out by the com meroal poic9
/ Of England and tho industries OF ne
Il country died under the Influence OF the
co1npetItion of$its stronger rival. me
irish driven out OF industry, were forced
3 into agriculture; and even hero they lost
81 ,y1-o,,nd. especially after the alontlon OF
4 Tree trade, which removed the duties
from fc1s:En grain. In the con,pottd ton
Z with tho great gradn-prodnc countries
81 America, Russia and India: Ireland q
the potato crop sixty years ago crushed
Il. tha last !. element OF hopefllness out Of
n INA people. rho peasants were ground
down between the upper mulstone OF 1ailr
\ Ing prices for their produce and the neth-
er milestone OF rising, or, at least, ssatao n
], year passed the ooa1di ton OF the popula-
ton grew steadily worse.
The result was that the Irish were
squeezed out of ireland. y Hundreds eos OF
Il thousands h died during the famine or
1886, when the food, for want Of which =
tho people were stary 5 ns vas shi la.sa
q out OF the island. Those who co COY ,la
j aourhtSrofuge In Am erica, and during the
last dirty years a steady stream OF emf
i gration has poured out OF the country ttnt
AL every census the population has de.
& creased I'd In 51Sil there werp almost eight
u and d ouar ter millions OF inha bitants! ". in
\ the land. 8 At the present time there s q are
less han four and q halt millions: sl3.S
& 8vears ago Ireland had over three times
n mia ton Is less than that Of the north
arm q peninsula. Sixty Years ago b there
Il sysaere I over half ms many r. hmen NJ as
Il there were Englishrnen and Wells h NJ 4 y
, 1ns. the reputation OF ireland 81 less
nan one q seventh Of that Of I'm land and
wales There are today n Ireland Few
VI We're q q hundred years ago at the time Of
the Unto IA sS8 J.
Il The country naturally shows all the
4 q enresslng signs OF a :depleti ion absolutely
y unprecedented In the history Of the
world S smiEratiors. In these sixty years