The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-07
SEEK TO CHECK
EMIGRATION EVIL
IRISH LEADERS SEE RAY Oh
HOPE IN LABOR TROUBLES
IN UNITED STATES.
DEPLORE CONDITIONS
DEPARTURE YEARLY OF YOUNG
PEOPLE FROM EMERALD ISLE
HAS BEEN ITS GREAT
~
EST CURSE.


DUBLIN. March 3o.--Those leaders
for ten years past ar Ion shr dul
OF public opinion In ireland who for
ten years past or longer have been
working with all the powers and
means Mt their disposal to check the
emigration evil are seeing at last some
ray OF hope.
The reports of the labor troubles
st Lawrence. which have come over to
the papers here fran their American
correspondents. have done more to
strengthen the hands Of the Anti
Emigration League than any other
agency since the league was started.
Has Had Good Effect.
The publication broadcast OF the
scale of wages paid In the highly pro-
tected mills of Lawrence and side by
side with the scale of figures of the
~ost of t-'fn~ have set ~ "''''-@ '7~ ~
young mon and women thinking that
e would De much better tor them.
TO stay at home than TO cross the
ocean In search of fortune.
Next to landlordism in it's worst
form. the greatest curse of this island
for two generations has been emigra-
ton. OF course all who know the
alphabet of Irish political and social
life are aware that landlordism and
emigration have been twins ever
q
That famine and the fearful re-
suits that walked In its wake. result
Cd directly from iandlod infamy and
not from any act OF God. as the pious
! eVangelists who ran the soup kitchens
used 10 fcrvently suggest.
Landlordism the Cause.
And 1t was landlordism which kent
the stream OF emigration at food
tide from ls47 to the present moment.
For. though the feudal and heartless
, system itself is dead or dying the
evil II worked in the years of Its
unbridled in!quity still lives. so far
- emigration IL concerned, and is
''te'v to stay. for many years to
coma.
But II 1t Is TO remain, those who
are lighting emigration will spare no
effort 10 decrease the volume every
wear and hope to be able ultimately
s,, Ye4tupe. t9se nisw tsg4 tho @tlfa.est 0s-
streams.
The number Of emigrants in March
last year was isis. There IL not
much ground for hope that the num-
her for March this year will he much
smaller.
During January and February ,4oi
Young men and women left Ireland.
most Of them for the remainder of
their lives. More than half Of these
went to the United States.
Robbed OF, Its Best.
ireland has been robbed by emf
grafton of too many of her strong
est and most ambitious youths. Every
young man and woman who went 10
America. Australia or Canada had
been fed, clothed and educated In
ireland from infancy up to manhood
and wonra nhood. To leave their
country when they had reached ma
turity was 10 infiict an economic loss
upon Ireland which a famous sta
tician has figured amounts in volume
to rnanv hundred million OF pounds
The National Council of Sim FeiD
has sent memorial to President
Taft asking the American govern
ment 10 adopt sucn measures as II
may deem proper for the correction
or stopnage Of certain features which
still make emigration TO America
popular and attractive.
Prepaid Passage Ticket
In the forefront Of these Is the
prepaid passage ticket. II is csti-
mated that one-third 81 the emil
grants from Ireland do not pay their
own passages. They cross the Al
lantic on tickets sent 10 them by
relatives or friends in the United
States The yearly number OF these
prepaid tickets Ia said TO he about
10000. They are the Instruments by
which Ireland is' drained annually OF
sons and daughters.