The Irish standard., 1906-12-15

The truth about Ireland slowly
makes it's way even within the appre-
hension Of the British mind, says the
Dublin Weekly Freeman.
One Of the latest evidences of it's
progress is a series Of articles which
has been appearing in the London
Statist on the condition Of the coun-
try. Approaching the question purely
from the economic standpoint, the
Sta.tist comes to the conclusion that
the government Of Ireland for the past
sixty-flve years has been a disastrous
failure. The country has had no share
in the immense progress of the civil
lied world during that period, and the
statlst puts aside as spurious the usu-
al ':proofs" quoted to the contrary.
These articles have produced an "ag-
sressively POLITICAL TRADE in reply from
a Belfast manufacturer. The only
statement Of the Statist articles that
is true, according to this authority,
is the statement as to he decline in
population.
But the statement that wages are
miserably low, and that the people are
flying from the land as if it were
plague stricken, is Utterly mistaken.
Although the population has decreased,
the condition Of those who remain has
immense improved, and the state of
the people as a. whole is little below
the average Of England or Scotland
Before the Canine of 1S47-4S, that ter
rible calamity, which was in some de-
gree a blessing in disguise, because it
put an end to an fntolerable state of
things, a. large proportion occupied
holdings SO small as to be 1lnecononic
and were constantly ON the brink Of
starvation. Emigration has relieved
this congestion. - - ~ Wages have
more than doubled in fifty years.
There is less unemployed than in Eng
land. Is y The linen industry Of
Ulster Is the greatest In the world 1t
has held its own, while the same in
dustry in England has become almost
extinct, and in Scotland has din1in-
ished more than SO per cent" :
Twenty. years ago. or even ten, state
ments like these would have imposed
on the British intelligence. They i'm
pose on t no more, The statist, in
stead Of relieving It's conscience BY &C.
oepting them. rejects and. confutes
them. and gives the Belfast manufac-
turers a useful lesson for his palms,
It is quite true. the writer admits, that
there id. less pauperism than there was
sixty-five years ago. and that the con-
dition Of Ireland before the famine
was deplorable. But in five years from
'4e to 81 over a million and a half of
the population were swept away by
famine. pestilence. eviction. and .emi-
sration.
The fact that there is less .pauper-
Ism than there was proves how effect
ually famine, pestilence, and eviction
did their work, not that. the country
has grown in prosperity The real
question is! whether Ireland has pro-
crossed during the last sixty five years
o. every other: country in the civilized
world has: progressed. The -statist re-.
calls what has. been. going: on in. the
world during that period. The develop.
ment Of banking and the collection Of
vast masses Of capital: the growth Of
railways and steamshipping: the open-
ing up Of the old world in the East. and
the new world in the. West esultinE
In an almost universal prosperity. =.
Without comparing ireland with rich
countries like England. Germany, the
United States, OF: even with Japan, the
ststist invites a comparison with Eu-
ropean countries like ireland herself,
devoid Of rich mineral resources, and
even with countries over populated
and subject to recurring famine like
India. Everybody knows that ireland