Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1914-02-05
~ MATHEW S. DUDGEoN

Dunglow, County Donegal, Ireland
This is the old haunt-the habitat
of the "gombeen man." He is our
American city loan shark" trans
planted with all his blood-sucking
propensities and his starvation in
ducing qualities into rural Ireland.
Here conditions are right for his activ-
tiles. Where the need for money is
greatest he prospers best. The poorer
the country, the richer he grows. And
poor enough this country certainly is.
Wide, low-lying peat Dogs stretch be-
tween great slopes Of rising hillsides
where the soil shows only between
masses Of o~utcropping rocks. No
fields are there here large enough to
offer opportunity for work with horses
oven If blowing and ~cultivating were
not made impossible by the huge half
buried rocks. Every enclosure de-
mands fertilizers as a condition prece-
dent to production. Nature is stingy
and hesitates to let go of any product
of value to humans. Yet here and
there is a cottage upon a barren hill
side; around it we see children that
are not starving nor in~suficiently
clothed.
"Gombeen Man" Passing.
Here was the haunt of the gombeen
man. But as relative prosperity comes
in he goes out. They tell US that CO.
operation has numbered the days OF
the gombeen man and that he is pass
ing. As he formerly operated his
business here he was the worst enemy
to rural prosperity to be found upon
the island. "The gombeen man is
worse than the nonresident landlord, !"
says Paddy Gallagher Of Dunglow,
which Is an extreme statement when
made by one whose father and family
have suffered cruelty from many evic-
lions.
Seldom was the gombeen man ad-
mittedly in the loan business. Ere
quently he was a trader or shop keep
er. Generally he kept a public house.
Often he was a dominating influence
politically, and held some Office. In
variably he was an economic scourge
and made rural prosperity impossible.
We have spoken Of him in the past
tense, not because he has altogether
ceased to exist but because co-opera-
ton seems to be developing a plan
for rural credit which will eventually
put him out of business.
Patrick GalIaehers Story.
Patrick Gallagher, now the nan
ager of the local cooperative society,
probably knows as much about the
trials of the poor farmer in Ireland as
any one. He was born in a little one
room farm cottage and was at nine
wears OF z forced to leave home n
hire himself out as a farm laborer re-
ceiying the wage of three pounds for
Sly months work. From these begin
nings he has risen to be a r nnan-
cier in County Donegal and has raised
tha condition of the poor farmers from
Eabiect poverty to comparative comfort
through his cooperative enterprises.
Here is what Paddy Gallagher says OF
the gomnbeen men, speaking from ms
personal experiences and verifying
much that he says from documents
and account books:
s.Hera ia one transaction OF my own
with the gombeen a On the 2Stn
Of Nav. 1906, my father and ! bought
seven stone of -four and n hundred
waipnt of Indian meal, each. MY
father paid for his $4,25. ! was not IN
! nosition to pay for mine until the
9TH of July, 1906, forty-four days
later. The gombeen man then pre-
rented me with a bill for $5.31. ! dis
nnted his right to charge me $1.O6 In
terest on $4.25 for only forty-Iour ezys
and pointed out to him that my Iatner
bought the same goods on the same