The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-02-11
BY MATTHEW S. DUDGEON

. .- -..Hs D.. fI. ZIG ASa III TT
Dunglow, County Donegal, Ireland
This is the old .haunt-the habitat
of the "gombeen man." He Is our
American city "1oan shark" trans
planted with all his' ~blood-sucking
propensitiess and his starvation in
ducing qualities INTO rural Ireland.
Here conditions are right for his actlV-
tiles. Where the need for money is
greatest he prospers best. The poorer
Ghe country, the richer he grows. And
poor enough this country certainly is:
Wide, low-lying peas boys stretch be-
tween great slopes Of rising hillsides
owhere the soil shows only between
masses of outcropping rocks. No
fields are there here large enough to
offer opportunity for work with horses
even 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 insufficiently
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'
tons. all
Seldom was the gombeen man ad'
mittedly In the loan business. Ere
quentle 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 Gallaghers Story.
Patrick Gallagher, now the man.
Niger of the local cooperative society,
I1bably knows as much about the
Is Of the poor farmer In Ireland as
one. He was born In a little one.
farm cottage and was at nine
If age, forced to leave home and
knself out as a farm laborer re-
the wage Of three pounds fol
s. work. From these begin
as risen to be a rural anan
kty Donegal and has raised
of the poor farmers from
y to comparative comfort
cooperative enterprises
&Paddy Gallagher says Of
=. uen, speaking from his
licences and verifying
says from documents
s:
ansaction of my owl
4 man. On the 28tf
father and 1 bought
krur and one hundred
meal, each. Ny
$4.25. I was not In
for mine until the
g, forty-four days
IN man then pre-
II for S5.31. I dis
fharge me $1.06 in
lily %forty-four days
I'm that my father
tods on the same
Sgombeen man ar
K paid $3.50 anc
Erging me eighty
144 per cent in
Euring the twent!
bringing up hi!
st at this rate.
hat was ISSUED
pr. The amour
the pass bool
rs Of that is in
% note that thu
Pes this custome,
of -four; on tn
;erative society,"
IAN was robbinl