The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-09-22

Emigration is the bane of the country;
shop interiors to advertise-grossly
exaggerate-the misleadingly set out,
so-called advantages of other coun-
tries. It should be repugnant to any
Irishman possessing a spark Of pa
triotism to make money out Of his
country's misery and the decay of his
race. But this is really the role played
by the emigration agent.
The unfortunate part Of 1t is that
many emigration agents are-in other
respects at all events-good Irishmen.
But they fail to realize that facilitat-
ing the depopulation of the country IL
injurious to its welfare and unpatriotic
in the extreme. 1t may be advanced
by way Of Justification Of their wrong
doing, that If one gives up the work
some other person is bound to take it
on. The same argument applies to the
land-grabber, and the bum -bailiff, yet
public opinion has rendered these peo-
pie odious In the eyes of Nationalists.
Now, must not be taken as putting
emigration agents as class on par
with grabbers and bailifts, but 1 think
it well to point out to them that they
are unknowingly and thoughtlessly
carrying on nation killing business.
It may be said, and truly said, by
some that they are not active can
vassers for passages" but that is no.
excuse. They display the alluring
posters, and afford the shipping COM
panies the means Of appealing direct
ly to those who for reasons which I
have enumerated and explaineda fool.
ishly regard this country of ours as
an island of despair and misery. These
shipping companies set forth in glow.
ing terms the possibilities (but truly
improbabilities) OF rapidly acquiring
fortunes in the Western hemisphere,
thereby playing up to the weaknesa
of our rural population, and turning
this failing into dividends. There are
hundreds living IN the country who
could not tell you the railway fare to
the nearest market town, but whose
knowledge of the price and conditions
of steerage passage to America by the
various lines is astonishing. Why, some
of thes poor people in. backward. parts
of Ireland can tell you the names,
characters and eccentricities of cap
tains of American liners, whilst they
are entirely ignorant of the existence
of an Irish boot factory or bacon cur
ing firm, yet in all probability the local
emigration agent sells either boots or
bacon. How easy the way is made for
the intending emigrant! He, or she,
has but to press the button, when the
local emigration agent, the Irish (?)
railway company, and the shipping,
agent at Derry or Queenstown all join
in personally conducting the Irish out
Of Ireland. Emigration is too much
Of a platform subject in Ireland, where
1t is vaguely talked about and tear.
fully deplored, but it is the least un-
derstood of all the national problems
Of the country. You have oily-tongued
railway company directors shedding
crocodile tears on mention of 1t, whilst
over the system which they control
the emigrant is conveyed to port at
cheaper rate than any other Irish
product. Three -fourths of the talk
about emigration is the most utter
cant, thus making the work of the
| one-fourth who are sincere the more
difficult to perform. This is an age of
organization, in Ireland particularly,
but the problem which most needs or
ganization for its solution is not seri-
ously handled. In seeking a solution,
individuals are allowed their own sweet
will, with the result that we have
maximum OF hollow talk and mini
mum Of solid work. We should have
our antf-emigrationists >. banded to-
gether in a great league, having one
object only-to stop emigration-gov-
erned by a code Of indexible laws, and
having active branches in all the par.
ishes throughout the country. Such
an organization as this would not re.
quire large banking account, or an
always-open subscription list. Money
alone should not be deemed sumcisnt
support. The qualification for mem-
bership should be rigidly defined by
rule, and the measure of support given
ought to be judged by. the amount Of
work done rather than by the masni-
tude Of the sum opposite ones name
in the subscription list. A great Irish
Anti immigration League such as I
have outlined could accomplish more
In the f.rst twelve months Of it's ex-
istence than has been done In the
cause for the past thirty years AZ