The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1906-09-22
the F1ture the Farmers Of Ireland Must
Not Only 4Thif TX Nationally" But
81. .:::.:::: Act AS Well. $780,.
The Emigration Agent and the Part He Has
Taken Assisting to De-popuate
the Country. .::

90
4 IS. So. .e,i..j:. -
"A VIGOROUS writer in the Monaghan
(Irsland) People, has been giving very
frank views on the emigration evil: in
the columns Of that paper. From among
the causes to which he attributes the
unnatural how Of emigration from Ire
land In recent years we quote the fol-
lowing:
4 Fispratively speaking. the Irish Ia
borers are put through a sieve each
year. the good ones being sent away to
enrich another country and the bad
ones. retained they are considered
good enough to keep at home. II the
hirins. system were abolished the SAINT,
,precess would be gone through, but
With. this difference, that it is the cap
9ahle and useful men would be retained
and the useless ones. If such there
wers,.spsnt sxays:, Il The
survival nf the :fittest and their reten-
uSn IL home. ! have heard farmers
ssSpmpiatn' of the fsstidiousness of their
Ssrvants. They (the farmers) say that
what was good enough for the family
WON'T. satisfy the hired boys and girls.
Homemade bread is not tasty enough;
shop bread must be purchased. and +
have even heard (although in isolated
cAses} that at haymaking time porter
.iifilst be provided instead of the whole
some buttermtlk.
But who is responsible for the cult.
vation Of these tastes? It is really the
farmers through letting their land go
Into grass instead Of cropping it more
extensively with human and other. food
stuffs. II is, Of course hardly just to
lay all the blame at the farmers door.
He has been the victim Of circum-
stances famine. bad laws, and cruel
landlord oppression. These terrible
scourges decimated the country and
the marvel is that as race the Irish
are not long since extinct. In their
survival against these potent enemies
they have taught lesson in patience
and tenacity to all nations. But they
cannot continue to travel in the mar
row groove of fifty years ago and ex-
pect success In the new and promising
era just begun. In England at the
present time we hear Of statesmen and
others who think imperially: in Ire
land the farmers must start to "think
nationally" And not only think but
/ act nationally" Those who permit
this to be borne in upon them must
SEQ the utter uselesnsess Of attempt-
ing my reforms in ireland if the coun
try Il still afiiicted with discontented
ANA unsettled laboring class. Don't
D condemn the hired servants fastid-
ionsnsss until you have discovered the
reasost for 1t, and then instead Of ag-
&0rAvating the disease apply remedy,
) Tor the laborer Is the m ost essential
[ factor In the nations progress and
prosperity Millions Of pounds are lost
b annually to Ireland: because labor is
Ff- E ri
not more extensively employed. We
import Indian meal, American bacon.
American flour and American food
! stuIks Of all descriptions. while Irish
/ mills are lying derelict for the want Of
hands to work them and mouths to
4 MI; the fertile soil Of magnificent
4 country ID thrown into unproductive-
me- because the greatest export trade
~ have Is human beings-the wealth
pr0ducers. The closing decades Of the
y nineteenth century marked new
I epoch In the system Of land tenure
I itsIreland.
v xIss farmers have been rescued from
04APyss Of despair into which they
had bssh cast aad for them, bright
star of hehs is in the ascendant. But
lot not thA rescued turn their back.
npoa those who formec : lower
sssra4um at tho bottom of, tAat pit ol
opeasssa That the laborsr could
= lachsl j = ~ necessary tol brins