The Irish standard., 1915-09-25


were obliterated from the nations
memory, there would still remain two
documents to preachsas fiercely as
Swift or Mitchell have done what Eng
lish government in Ireland meant and
means. These seditious documents are
issued under the authority of his Bri-
fannie majesty's government. They
are the British governments census
report on Ireland and the British gov
ernments annual finance return.
1t is Notwithstanding speak
ing-to think of ending sedition and
treason in Ireland by suppressing
newspapers and imprisoning or shoot
ing their editors, while such pernicious
blue books and returns are freely sold
by Mr.. Ponsonby in Grafton street,
Dublin. at a price which places them
within the reach of many. Even If
the price were prohibitive to the
Irish, it is still certain that money
would be found elsewhere to purchase
copies. The prohibition of the sale of
British blue books and official returns
relating to the population and finance
of this island is the one course con-
sistent with the policy of making the
Irish tamely submit to extirpation that
notwithstanding as the British
Empire-may wax fatter and fatter.
That the English government has
been wholly unconscious of the danger
of publishing and selling these docu-
ments in Ireland is not fact. 1t has
only miscalculated their effect 1t cor.
rectly argues that few people will read
such returns, fewer study them, and
that OF the few not a moiety will be
able to comprehend them, for to most
men these marshaled columns of fig
ures must spell confusion. 1t calcu-
lates that the small number who may
grasp the meaning of the figures will
be disposed of by self-interest, indif-
ference, Incidence or lack OF power ar
opportunity to make them understand
able to the people. 1t has generally
been right. The last thing the aver.
age man likes is statistical articles,
for the statist, as u rule, is II bore.
Still. the census and finance returns
are the most potentially dangerous
printed matter England can suffer to
be published in Ireland, for every
now and then a man will seriously
study and grasp and attempt to make
his countrymen grasp their meaning,
and If he should succeed then Ireland
will-despite Empire-Leaguery, Union.
Jackery. and Place-huntery - kick.
Fccbly or forcibly, she will kick.
Promising, then. that If we were the
English government in lreland-that
II we were apostles of the faith that
the bleeding white of this land is es-
sential to Engand's plutccracy, and
that Whatever is essential to Eng
lands plutocracy, 1t is holy and Il
wholesome thing to do--then we would
regard with grim suspicion that re.
spectacle old gentleman in Grafton
street Dublin. who has never Willingly
done i'll to mortal, and that we should
discern in his book shop whole arscn-
ais of treason. Promising this, we
shall hereby discover, point out, felon-
set. in Il word. Il. Ponsonby, licensed
by his majestys stationery offices to
sell in these islands the general report
of the census of Ireland as presented
to both houses of parliament by com
mand of his majesty. We testify that
Mr.. Ponsonby sold us this magazine
of seditiOn for the sum of five shillings
and three-pence, which included the
impression of the British Lion and Uni
corn, represented in this instance dane
ing on their hind legs with their tails
cooked up. celebrating -possiby-tid-
ings Of comfort and JOY to be disclosed
inside to the well-wishers of England's
absOlutism.
And we certify that having care
fully examined and c0llated this re-
turn sold to us by Mr. Ponsonby with
the general report of the census of
Ireland for 1841, published by his maj
esty's stationery office, and sold by
Mr.. Ponsonby's predecessor (now be-
yond all possibility of punishment for
sedition or treason), we have found
the following facts disclosed, which
would most seriously hamper Mr.. John
Redmond and his colleagues:
First, then, this report discloses
that in the year 1S41 there were on
the soil Of Ireland eight million one
hundred and seventy-f1ve thousand
men, women and children, that the
population was multiplying at the rate
Of 9 per cent per decade, and that,
therefore, in the year 1911 there
should have been sixteen millions of
people within our shores. AS there
we're but four million three hundred
and ninety thousand, it is evident that
eleven million six hundred and ten
thousand Of the Irish race have dis
appeared somewhere in the past seven
ty years. Actually four millions of
people have vanished, and the children
whom they begot and their children's