Omaha daily bee., 1908-01-05
As Means to Securing Relief it il
Woeful Failure.
CHURCH AND PUBLIC EDUCATION
Mr.. Birrell Will Make Concessions tc
Catholics in New Bill.
IRELAND MAKING PROGRESS
Richard c. o'CoBnOr of san Frnn-
cisco Contrasts Present Condi-
items with Those Of Forty
Years AGO.


DUBLIN Jan. 4-CSpecialD-No that
stop has been put finally to the cattle
driving campaign there are few persons
IN ireland TO be found TO Justify IT. II
is certain that as means TO the end
desired It was a woeful failure. for in
stead Of fastening the breaking up OF the
grass lande and their division into farms
81 only made &c impossible for the gov
ernment 10 grant the demands Of the
people who had taken part in this ssita-
tion.
Il IL an open secret that the agitation
has been stopped solely by the influence
of the clergy. who were opposed TO it
from the first, and Il is also pretty we'll
understood that Mr.. Birrell, the chief sec
retary for ireland and one OF the most
influential members Of the cabinet has
been so impressed by the influence for
good OF the Irish clergy that he has
promised to make substantial concessions
TO them in the new education bill which
the government proposes to bring forward
at the coming session of Parlisment.
There could be no greater tribute to the
power and the diplomacy Of the Irish
clergy than this. for when Mr.. Birrell
went into office as minister of educa-
tion he was the representative Of English
Nonconformity, and his education bill,
which was thrown out by the lords last
year. was an example OF all that was
narrow and intolerate in its dealings with
both the Anglican and the Catholic
schools. Mr.. Birrel gave public evidence
the other day of his change of heart by
travelling from Dublin to Armagh spe-
cially to take lunch with Cardinal Logue.
Clergy 10 Control schools.
The details of Mr.. Birrell's promise TO
the Irish clergy have not OF course, been
made public, but l am Informed that
when the new education bill is introduced
II will be found that the Irish clergy
will be left in cont.ol Of the schools In
the districts in which the Catholics are
in a large majority. which means, of
course in the whole OF ireland, with the
exception of a few small districts In
Ulster. II II also stated that Cardinal
Logue has been able TO obtain very great
concessions for his coreligionists in Eng
land. The irony OF the situation II that
the government cannot deny 60 the Eng
lish churchman what it grants TO the
Catholics OF England. and We have the
curious spectacle of the Tory Anglieans
who are the bitterest enemies of Ireland
preserving one OF their most cherished
institutions by the grace OF the hated
Irish Catholics.
Mr.. Birrell has also recognized. even
II a little late In the day. the serious con-
dition OF the small farms of ireland
brought about by the failure OF the potato
crop in many districts and the damage
done to the oat crop by the prolonged
wet weather at harvest time. He has
authorized boards of guardians TO OBJ
tain supplies OF seed potatoes and seed
oats and to sell them at cost and on easy
payments to small farmers in their dis
tricts The guardians are authorized TO
borrow money for this purpose, and the
advances to the farmers are recoverable
with the local taxes over a period of three
years.
ireland is PrOEressinE.
A very gratifying account OF the progress
Of ireland is given by Mr. Richard c.
O'Connor president Of the Hibernian bank
OF San Francisco, who has recently visited
his native land after an absence Of forty
years. He was thus enabled TO make an
unbiased comparison of present day con-
ditions with those he left. and his conclu-
sions are all in favor Of today. He notes
especially the improvement in housing and
in general comfort among the laboring class
and the growth Of temperance, especially
among the young. He also notes the great
advance in manufacturing industry and
declares that there is a great market in
America for Irish goods. which are prsc-
ticany unknown outside OF the Irish COM
munity there. He suggests vigorous cam
paign by Irish manufacturers 10 introduce
their goods TO the American markets and
declares that 1t will be richly rewarded.
RAthconrath, near MullingsI. has supplied
one OF the most remarkable ghost stories
which has come out OF Ireland for a long
time and it seems TO be fully authenticated.
woman named Mary Devanny went TO
the police a few days ago and told the fol-
1,a In haa D..
dreamed that her mother who bears the
same name. appeared to her. covered with
blood. ana bade her get up and look for
her body, telling the younger woman that
she had been dead and unburied for sew
eral days. The young woman was 50 inn
pressed by the vision that she dressed al
once and went to her mothers house where
she learned that her mother had left q
week ago 20 visit another daughter. No
anxiety had been felt about her absence.
as she had intended 10 stay several days
The daughter then FASTENED 10 her sister S
house and learned that her mother had
never arrived there. After hearing this
statement the police instituted a search Of
the countryside and eventually Mrs. De
vannys body was found lying in a ditch.
She had been dead for about week and II
n supposed that she fell into the ditch in
the dark on her way TO her daughters
house and was killed
Irish euarrIes Passed UD.
vigorous protest is being made not
only by the people Of ireland, but BY the
EnRlish prOtectionists. at the action OF the
Admiralty in connection with the extension
Of the Admiralty dock yard Al Haulbow-
line. County Cork. The specifications IN
the original advertisement Of the contract
called for the use of Irish limestone ana
Il was estimated that about $1,000 would
have been spent In Ireland on auarrying
and preparing the stone fSr this great
undertaking. Al the last moment, on the
Representations Of one firm Of contractors.
the specification vas changed 10 admit the
substitution Of granite for limestone with
0ut saying anything about its origin ana