La Junta tribune., 1914-03-07
y MATHEW 8. pUDCEoa'

DunElo~. County Donegal. Ireland
This Ii the old haunt-the habitat
OF the "gomheeu man" He 10 our
American city loan shark trans
planted with al! his bloodsucking
propensitiss and his starvation In.
ducinG qualities into rural ireland.
Here conditions are right for his activ-
tiles Where the need for money 10
greatest he prospers best, The poorer
the country. the richer he grows. And
poor enough this country certainly is
Wide. lo~IyinE peat bogs stretch BE-
tween great slopes OF rising hillsides
whers the soil shovs only eatWeanI
nAsses of ou'croppins rocks. 10
Fields are there here large enough TO
offer opportunity for work with horres
even n plo~inK and cuitiyating er.
not made impossible by the huge half
buried rocks. Every enclosure de
mands fertilizers as = condition prece-
dent to production. Nature IL stinsy
and hcsitAtes to let go OF any product
OF value 10 humans. Yet here and
there is a cottage upon q barren hill
side: around II We see children that
are not starving nor insuaiciently
clothed
"Combsen Man" Passing.
Here Was the haunt OF the gombe.n
man. But a. relative prosperity come
In he goes out. They tell US that co
operation has numbered tn. dayr OF
IA. xnnh..p sp.p .ph ,bn, h. - ma A.
Ing. A he formerly operated his
business her. he MAS the worst enemy
10 rural prosperity to be found upon
the island The Komb.en man Is
worse than the nonresident landlord,
says Paddy Gallagher o! DunrloN
which il an extreme statement when
made by one whose father and family
have suffered cruelty from many eyio
tons.
Seldom vas the Gombeen man sd
miuedly In the loan business. Ere
Quently he ~as . trader or shop keep
er. Generally he kept . public hous.
Often be ~as . Dominating Influence
politically. and held some once. In.
vartably he vas an economic scourv.
and made rural prosperity impossible.
We have spoken OF him In the pas,
tense. not because he has altogether
ceased TO exist but because coopera
tion seems to BE- developing . plan
for rural credit which viii eventually
put him out Of business.
Patrick ositsohers story.
Patrick Gallagher. nov the man.
aser Of the local cooperative society.
probably knows ~ much about the
trials Of the poor farmer In Ireland a.
any ons- He ~as born 10 . little one
room farm cottage and was st nine
Year, Of age forced to leave hone and
hire himself oct ~ \ farm lAbos.s re
csivius the wage Of THREE pounds for
six months' work. From these begin.
nings he has risea to b q rural imam.
cicr In County DONEGAL and has raised
the coaditioa Of the poor turner's from
ahject Dovesty 10 Comparative comfort
through bis coopsrative sstsspstsss
Here 10 What Paddy Gallagher says Of
the gombeea men. spsakins fron bis
psrsoaal sxDsrisuess aad verifying
much that As says from docunenss
an1 aceount books:
Herr 10 oss trassaction of ~ own
with The gombssa man. On the ssth
OF Nay. isos. ~ father asd bought
oevea stoss Of aous as1 oas hundred
weight q lA1ian neal. each. ~
father pail Tor bic e<.3S was not In
. position 10 pay for mine until the
l1th oe July. 1905. ferty.four dayr
htse. TIE eombess nas then pre-.
eeets6 - WITH . BIN Tor os5i. dis.
Dste1 hbs right - charge ns oi.es in.
teeeee - N-3S fse saly fosty.eovr 1ays
~ pelntso sst - him that ~ father
oooont Ne saos soo1s - he sane