Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-09
PEOPLE BEING DRIVEN AWAY
Population Has Decreased by Half
and Still Falling.
pH1LANTHRoPIsTs AND THEORY
People Take No Stock in Them.
Great Roscommon Meeting Re-
garded as Significant.

Special Cablegram to The Star.
DUBLIN, June S-The universal cry of
the Irish now is that people must have
land Demands made blythe great meet
ing in County Roscommon voice the senti-
ment of the country The Freeman's Jour
nal today says:
Delay in granting land to the people
has brought Ireland to the brink Of bank
ruptcy and ruin. System which drives
people Of the country out Of the country
is incapable of defense. Ireland has been
bled white by emigration. To stem that
disastrous drain there in but one remedy
to redistribute land among the people.
There was a time when emigration was
directly encouraged by the government.
With purblind folly it was believed that
the loss of the best Of workers would
mean increase in wealth and prosperity of
the country. If that theory was true 1t
would be none the less detestable. for
wealth in which people have no share is
curse. not blessing to the country. But
theory has proved, as it was bound to
prove, this utterly false.
Most banning Proof.
NO one now cares 10 encourage ciii 8 a
ton or to defend it. 1t is the most damning
of all proofs of the incapacity OF the Eng
lish government of Ireland. In half
century under that government the popu-
lation Of Ireland has decreased by half.
and is still falling. while the population
Of every other civilized country in the
world has increased, and is increasing. The
result Of emigration has been admirably
hxy prnf president
Queens College. Cork. as the survival OF
the unfittest. Emigration drains away the
young. healthy. strong. enterprising, leav-
ing behind the old and the feeble in mind
and body. Among those poverty and
disease, consumption and lunacy increases
appallingly.
Emigration Still Active.
Emigration Is still active. Every year,
every month, every week increases danger.
1t is the very existence of the nation that Is
at stake and there Is, as was proclaimed In
Roscommon, but one effective remedy: the
land for the people. OF late we have had
a swarm Of sham philanthropists. who.
with quack remedies aggravated fatal as
ease This is one Of the great failures OF
what may be called Plunkettism In Ire
land 1t was content with petty fiddle
Paddles, with multitude of elaborate the
cries and swarm of highly-paid omcfais,
While deadly disease of which the nation
was perishing remained INTENDED ana un-
regarded In language homely ana vigorous
the archbishop OF Tuam proclaimed tine TRUE
remedy. 1t was not cookery books but food
that was required. Give he said, peo-
pie meat to cook. give them access to land
at reasonable prices AND even those "n 10
differ from his grace as to what price Is
reasonable will not question the soundness
of his advice.
Miserable Conditions.
That was the demand made in vigorous,
but not too vigorous language at the Roscom-
mon meeting The meeting had more than
ordinary significance from the presence OF
the American delegates. Mr.. Fitzpatrick and
Mr. OCallaghan. They will carry back to
the Irish in America vivid pictures of mis-
cradle conditions of population of longest
ed districts in Ireland, harassed by munger
and threatened by famine. From eyes and
ears the delegates learned the miserable
story Most eloquent speeches could not
make a more powerful appeal than spec
tacle of those miserable communities.
Many Are Starving.
Huddled together and starving on catches
of mountain and bog, while close at hand
sheep and cattle ranged over vast tracts of
rich land from which the people had been
ruthlessly driven, their hearts quenched
and their roof trees torn down in evil days
of great clearances. The duty Of govern
ment Is to provide for the general good of
the community, to redress crying evils OF a
system which Is mainly responsible for de-
crease in Ireland's population, decay Of her
towns, general impoverishment of her peo-
pie. Compulsory sale on reasonable terms
can alone put a stop to emigration, restore
land to the people and prosperity to the
country.