The San Francisco call., 1909-07-14
(First Letter

NUBLIN. June 24.-Seven years
ago the writer went as a cor
- respondent TO Ireland to report
upon the social Industrial and political
conditions which at that time made
The century old Irish question" an
acute problem. The immediate inspira-
ton was q stirring appeal made in
Philadelphia by noted leaders of the
race. They described conditions so
cruel. a system so barbarous, that it
seemed almost beyond belief To in
vesugate the matter at close range
first for the benefit Of the people OF
Ireland and their kin in America. but
more particularly for the enIighten-
ment Of the American public as a
whole-the writer went as a reporter
TO the scene.
For more than a month the writer
Travelled in Ireland He visited cities.
towns. villages and hamIets. and pene-
trated into the sparsely settled country
districts. lie interviewed priests and
peasants. businessmen, politicians. arti-
sans. TIe talked with merchants be-
blind the counter. farmers in the fur
row. women at the spinning wheel,
laborers on the roadside. He was in
stores and churches. in homes Of
plenty and abodes of want He saw
that amazing problem Of the land, the
Nemesis Of statesmen. the scourge of
a people. ynroll before him as he
trsversed the green but desolated
island. He found patriotism a crime.
free speech prison ofense. He saw
talked to respected merchants whose
hands were SCARED with the degrading
labor Of the prison yard He travelled
over scores Of miles of fertile land
which knew no life except scattered
herds of rough Irish cattle and their
silent keepers. and within an hour of
such scenes found crowded humanity
living on stony hillsides. shaving. suf-
fering. slowly dying.
Picture Is GhastIy
1t was ghastly picture-not, of
, course. typical of ireland as a whole,
but typical Of a great part Of the land.
There were huge tracts of the country
where peace and plenty have shed their
blessings for many years and where,
as result, despairing revolt and
savagf reprisal were hardly known.
But the extent Of the injustice was
vast. Not thousands. but hundreds of
thousands Of persons existed amid
surroundings Of unexampled misery,
always struggling, always under the
edge Of the shadow of starvation. And
all through no fault of their own. AS
the letters and photographs published
seven years ago made plain, these peo-
pie were victims Of a system of op-
preston and economic slavery more
ruthless than ever afflicted a conquered
nation. The articles cited the testi-
mony not alone Of Irishmen, but OF
such English statesmen as Gladstone
and Bright. who declared that the mis-
rule Of this. country. particularly in re-
gard to its atrocious land system, was
alone responsible for the misery of a
people naturally thrifty, intelligent and
peace loving.
Coercion" Enforced
After completing tour OF the dis
tricts where injustice and its evil re-
suits were most apparent and after
having studied conditions and their
causes al first hand, the writer summed
Up as follows the state OF affairs in
ireland in 1902.
Political - Almost universal
hatred and distrust of England.
Peace insured by an armed gar
rison Of 10000 men. A police
force. paid by the people of
ireland, but controlled abso-
lutely from London, scattered
over the whole island, with
judicial. as well as admins
trative powers. Coercion"
enforced in 2I of the s2 coun-
ties. whereby free speech is
suppressed. trial by jury sus-
pended. and public discussion,
II displeasing to officials, re-