The Irish standard., 1912-11-16
7. P. O'Connor Says the Landlords
of the Emerald Isle Favor a
Native Parliament.
Men Who Have Sold Their Estates
Prefer to Stay in Ireland Where
Living is Cheap.
To Live on Good Terms With Their
Neighbors. They are Developing
a National Spirit.

In his special cable to the Chicago
Tribune OF last Sunday (Nov. 10), 7.
F. O'Connor says:
One of tho many signs Of the cer-
tain coming of Home Rule is the grow
ing division Of opinion between the
Ulster and the southern unionists.
The truth is that there never was
much kinship outside religious per-
suasion. between the two sections;
they differ widely in character. in race
and in outlook. The southern land Z
lord was cruel enough in his time.
quite as cruol as the Ulster landlord.
and with more power. for in Ulster
protected for centuries by sort OF
tenant right which used to be known
as the Ulster custom. But the south
crn landlord was always Il little molc
Of the people; even with the people nc
oppressed. he might occasionally he a
favorte until he became too cruel
anlry in being poor: the mansion was
proportionately az badly furnished as
the cabin, and the saure's wife lrnnh
as much difficulty in getting her suit
able clothes as the cottager.
The Irish squircarchy has indeed
been always n curious and eccentric
race. They never did any work, they
usually took no other part in tho ng-
ricuItural life Of the country than talk
ing the rent. they had often low aud
vulgar tastes, and cared for little else
than sport.
SUNDAY Man" Recalled.
Living beyond their Means they are
chronically penniless. Often they get
into politics for the purpose of getting
job or OF evading their creditors.
Among them was an institution which
would almost recall the eighteenth
century in any country but Ireland;
this was what WAS known as the
Sunday man." The Sunday man was
! n man who only went outside his
house or grounds on Sundays, and he
did so on Sundays because 1t was tho
only day OF the week when he was
free from arrest.
In my own boyhood, in tho old town
OF Galway, | saw two of several sue
cessivc generations OF Sunday mon.
They all belonged to an ancient Irish
family known az Blakes. They rep
resented one Of the very first baronet-
cics created in Ireland. This title was
brought into being by James largely
| was sold for a. round sum and tho
Blakes acquired it on these terms.
They lived in a lovely ivy-covered
castle by the banks Of a. river and on
! the border OF the Lake Cong; the cas-
| tie was known as Menlougf, and many
years ago in California. not far from
| San Francisco, came across a suburb
which was also called Menlougl, prob.
ably by some Galway man who wanted
to revive the memories or his youth.
1t was the suburb in which Jim Flood
the bonanza millionaire, had built
himself one of those splendid castles
Of wood which were then so popular
in California.
Close to Menlough castle was the
small village, a collection Of wretched
cabins with very poor and oppressed
people. And yet the Blake family
was very popular. One Of them rep
resented the ancient city in the i'm
perial parliament for many years. AS
long as parliament sat, no member
could be arrested. but when parlia-
ment was dissolved and he had to seek
re election, and when therefore, he
was no longer free from arrest, he
used to approach the town of Galway
in a boat and address his constituents
/ from that safe retreat. The arrest for
debt could not take place for he could
fly off in his boat to his castle If the
Il bailiffs came in sight. He was dead
long before my time. but his son, Sir
Thomas Blake. still survived. He was
Sunday man, like his father, and
his son, Sir Valentine Blake, was also.
believe, compelled to adopt the