The San Francisco call., 1909-09-18
MISRULE MAKES IRISH
DEMAND REVOLUTION
Intolerable Evils Remain Although Con6scao, Massacre
And Persecution Have Been Abandoned
By HUGH SUTHERLAND
(Twenty third letter.

dS mas Oeeh TelaJe0 IN anOLher leLCer.
In all these evils may be traced the
effects of the fundamental weakness OF
the union 1t did not unite the races
it was not designed to do so--it simply
united the government of Great Britain
with political party in Ireland. The
minority remained in supreme control:
but, having been relieved of responsi-
bility. lost whatever sense OF patriot
ism it might have had Nor did the
home government keep the pledges
upon which it had forced the union.
Complete emancipation of the Catho-
lies was solemnly promised. but %
years elapsed before it was redeemed.
and then only under the pressure OF a
national agitation.
Back of this was the great igure-of
Daniel O'Connell, whose name is in
delibly written on the history OF eman-
cipation. In 1923 he reorganized the
old Catholic association. which had lost
power because of division among it's
members 1t spread throughout thss,
whole country, enlistfng the support or
peasants. gentry and priests. and for
five years maintained a ceaseless asfta-
tion for equal rights. Finally in 1925,
O'ConneH had himself elected member
of parliament from Clare. although he
was Ineligible 10 take his seat. In the
following year. finding public opinion
dangerous. the government yielded. but
on terms which seriously restricted the
franchise. cutting the Irish electorate
from 100000 votes to 2s.O0O
Encouraged by this success. O.Con-
nell began. his famous agitation for the
repeal of the union In his fight for
Catholic emancipation he had had the
support OF Protestant liberals. but they
deserted him on the repeal issue. and
henceforth Protestant Ireland was TO
be unionist- For I've years. from 1885
10 1910. OConnen suspended agitation
and tried 10 gain his end by alliance
with the British ministry falling to
achieve any substantial reforms. he
broke the compact and resumed the
struggle for repeal
The Young Ireland movement was
destined also TO end in failure. 1t
started well. under the leadership OF
such brilliant men as Thomas Davis.
John Blake Dillon. Charles Gavan
Duffy, John Mitchell and smith O,Brien.
Some of them were Protestants. and
their agitation. unlike that OF O'Con-
nell. was for Ireland as whole. not
merely for Catholic ireland. But Diff
ferenees OF opinion as to methods. in
tensifed by the horrors OF the faurtps
years. led to rupture
Davis. who was dead. ana O'Brie,,'
who was living. were for moral force:
Mitchell Protestant. like Davis-and
his associates were for physical force
MitchePs policy Of violence reused the
country, enlisting finally even Smith
O'Brien and his friends. But the dis
sensions gave the government its or
portunity. especially as many of the
clergy strongly opposed the threatened
rising. Mitchell was suddenly arrested
and transported and in Va single con-
fiict the rebellion of 1S4S was crushed.
The reaction from the policy of O'Con-
nell had carried the country far. but il
was impossible to transnute the
aroused patriotism into successful mill
tary strategy.
Meanwhile disaster infinitely
greater smote the people-the appalling
famine of 1S47-49. with it's ghastlv
record OF starvation. eviction and emf
grafton. The compare tive tranqufIlitv
of the country under the irish parIia-
ment and the rise in the price OF farm,
products during the NapoIeonic wars
gave an impetus 10 Ireland which not
only brought agricultural prosperity.
but caused a rapid increase in the pop
ulation. The population. which in 17SS
was 4O4O,0Oo. had grown by 1905 70
5.Ss5,45s. and by 1921 to s.S0f.S27. In
1871 there were S.17512f inhabitants
Taking advantage of the demand for
land, the landlords encoura ged the
subdivision of holdings. so as to In
crease the rents and the number Of
votes they could control.
Then came peace. and a sudden far
in the price OF agricultural products
and the landlords decided thar thev 4
could make more from grazing than =
from the rentals of titled ground.
campaign of ~clearances'' began. and
continued for years. Tenants were
0OnGa2
1eveled. parliament industriousIy pass
ing laws to make evictions easv and
cheap. AS there We're no industrtes
to which the people could. turn. thew
simply had TO have land: hence com
petitlon drove rents 10 exorbitant
prices Only by a supreme effort couId
the people keep themselves from star
vation.
The time was coming when fbev
could not do even that 4 single had
harvest meant hunger for hundreds OF
thousands Three harvests in success
sion failed. in 1S45. 1876 ana 1857 In
the last two years the potato crop per-
ished entirely. Until 1S49 famine
refgned throughout the land. Rv tens
and by hundreds OF thousands the peo-
pie perlshed of hunger and fever. The
roadsides We're dotted with corpses.
The strong fed from the country in
never ending stream; the weak dropped
In their tracks and died The number
Killed BY hunger was estimated af 72a
o5S. between 1876 and 1851. 1.e4e.737
{ mn m sranss LETT the country Between