New-York tribune., 1908-12-30
IRISHMEN AS FARMERS
WORK THEY A4RE DOING.
Sir Horace Plunkett, at Dinner. Tells
of Agricultural MOUeme71t.

A dinner was given at Delmonicos last night for
Sir Horace Plunkett by q number of prominent
Irish-Americans. The dinner was presided over by
Justice Martin J. Keogh Of the Supreme Court
and nearly seventy-fve persons were present Sir
Horace PIunkett is well known in this country
having lived in Wyoming on a ranch from B7s to
1889 In 1890 he returned TO ireland and took the
agricultural cooperative movement starting the
irish Agricultural Orga anization Society. to which
hundred thousand Irish farmers belong at
she present time. He sat in Parliament rs Con
servative from 1882 1900, and was head Of the
Department Of Agriculture and Technical Instruc-
ton of Ireland for more tnan seven years
After few remarks by Justice keogh, Sir Hor-
was introduced He said:
The particular state of facts I desire to place De
and must continue to be. predominantiy :s agri-
cultural country The farmers are ts s eIe he pTos
porous; otherwise she will be 'disuessful II mas
Ropelessy andicaPped sp @ BY IandoTdis Landlord
ism Il rapidly disappearing In m fifteen OF al the tns
i care not what particular form the governr1ent
as gns b8 ee sn area of about twenty million
acres, OF which one-fourth Is non-pfoducuXe CpoI
million farms OF these more than two hundred
] 1hogfano "a are S [Po nn one 9 % Of n tSe eounrry
There are tracts Of a@ ad aow qs caed
which be redstT1buted among people who have
got too little land but a!{nougn reoi5 orI nf the U
farms will be small Nothing but a very advanced
system of agriculture will enable these citizens
upon whom let me repeat, the whole future OF
Ireland depends-to establish themselves perIAd-
nently in condition OF LIE which VII come up ~
the most modest requirements OF those VINO are
here I come to the one really serious obstacle TO
progress which at the present moment ooI9ers ne
far than what tx generally supposed 70 pc
wrong with Ireland IN word, our countryrnen
DO not misunderstood me, I do not say they c can-
not be farmers They can DO amos any ttl9 thaE
can-they must-and if they give their minds TO II
their natural bent have watched them now & 9oI
thirty years in this country during giI tl land IN
the world opened up TO setlement between te pig
land OF promise became accessible Just the time
that the greetest emigration from Ireiano L Io9a 3
f extremely dificuit for our countryen to avail
tnensedses OF Una. Western farmers who
crossed the big rivers without SO in Their pockets
se.tereIt' , 0u lon beve oVercoTne the disad-
yantages under which they Iabored had they really
wished to compete for these lands, Is 10 place
limit upon their capacity and TesoQreetu!ness "len @
their achievement in the walks OF life Wnlch they
T5ev are Working IN three directions They are
trying apply the quick inteIngence 30 % - he
study Of those sciences an elementary understand
ing of which is absolutely essential 70
and Very efficient department-in the DepartIIeats t
t 9ternTent democrats in its constitution and
supported by full measure OF poETtih we h59e to get
fhe farmers on ali except the richest grazing lanos
70 t6eg g'se seem m TO prefer and take husbandry
The second reform We are uylng 70 It1eS baSa said
is equay yaf o o1eTstors Not only must they learn
intensive tanning 7ss IN f ppy that esse1tiaI prnc
Die of all modern business-coIIl pima @ t-t- en5
p Pun poses the ACQUISITION OF their farming REQUIRE
ments Is al tbs n1nnee % regularly in bulk OF uniform
quality, the obtaining Of WORKING srS 50
{er1h Wben these things are done, the small men,
acting collectively, can nave all the do u
The @ system under which We organize farmers is
the co-operative system, which has been rounq ~ EI m
everv progressive agricultural community IN I'll
rope TO be the only system TSh Tisb are oaTtcuarly
s+rong 81 in the associative qualities and work ny
ers are better oI, is being streriuousy
Scotch ta5ners M the irish 4gr1cutIrai Organisation
society a non-political and Thoroughly representa-
We oV come now to the third head-better living
We hnd that people who are tnus 5 tbeiE ives
are much more easily induced TO work togetner Ioa
oeaL qnd neeS'ua5b se5 9tbeF nora and Intellectual
movements which are now striving 10 % I1 and an IN in
teIiectuaIy stimulating, rural NE are ooiLis
There is one consideration which I think worm
mentioning. because immensely adoS 70 me m n
sppToach fnq the 9 dfcutes Of task de-
scrlDeo; 1io9 fncgding the favored farmers of
continent are lust nov tsced Win ~ a resenr
a he +onservation policy, with its conserva ton
a6r,r5fsson and its country life commission. is
aiming developing the national elGlency t6s s
neednie TO the more Intelligent and provtdent
naTurdl resources
most inn Uorrant these IS the natural flAity oL
the soil The country life commission Wllose sp
ro{ntrna,+ and Iabors have beer the oblect or a
good deaI Of misunderstanding is IN cnarEe E,s2 81
SLs+ asnarr of the problem which is most inter
ss+inE 10 Us in Ireland 1t is inqulri1g INTO tne
means BY which people fitted for country IIe las s
he induced TO work in the country, instead o. ny
! ing the towns
among those at the dinner were Justices McCa-L
,zo4f csaZnor and O'Gorman; Arthur Brisbane,
p.+e- = Ounne C,uglieln1o Ferrero, Daniel F Co
baIan Charles F Murphy John B Yeats, William
TenonIe Fn7r1et John Delahunty. Assistant DIS
+rict Attorney Francis P Garvan' Rooert J. CoiE
- - egesn+ cram and the Rev. NJ J O'Con-
nelly. - -. -
Sir Horace Plunkett will sail at noon to-day on
the White star steamship Adriarc.