Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-19
REVOLUTION AIMED
AT IRISH POVERTY
Patrick Gallagher and Band
of 400 Defeat Small Town
Commercial Gar.
PLAN FOR COOPERATION

lie naQ Deen imprisoned lot TeVOiu"
ton. But he is out, and he is leading
q band of 400 to victory.
His is a revolution against poverty
in the far northwest of Ireland. His
plan is not bolshevist, for he does not
want the people to take forcible pos
session of industries, but he wants
them to build up better ones than
those that are privately controlled.
His plan is not socialistic; the Rev. T.
A. Finlay, a Jesuit, and one Of the
loading figures in Ireland, says that
Mr.. Gallagher's plan has al! the ad-
vantages and none Of the disadvan-
tages OF socialism: HIS ,h plan a Is CO.
tive society buy and sell and do all
things they think will benefit the
community through Popularity
chosen committee. Sir Horace Pun
Society. works to obtain communities
like Mr.. Gallagher's all over Ireland.
Keeping People in Bondage.
Moonlight mountain trading. un-.
just Imprisonment, denunciation from
the altar-these came about when
Paddy" revolted from the king: The
like Dungloe. His people are kept
subject by debt. and his methods of
keeping them in debt are two-he
lends money and gives store credit at
joint stock banks. generally comes to
10 per cent, deducted beforehand, and
his store credit rate has been known
to reach IA per cent a year. He never
his psSpIe f to know Se VIII, nEw
say easily that he'll let the account
go It'll Michael comes home from the
Scottish harvest with money"-that
Is never SUFFICIENT. If the king wants
against the holding Of a debtor and
eVict him. Till Paddy's revolt people
believed in the king: when there was
famine the king used his political
and would repay a hard weeks work
with twenty-eight pounds of corn
meal But Paddy pointed out that the
roads were used by the traders vans:
and even If twenty-eight pounds OF
not be called charity"
Hard Conditions Of Life.
The "eombeen" mans rule was easy.
For the country is too poor to permit
education. It is country OF black
bog with mountains and hills-one
holding Of 600 acres is valued at 5000
and another of 400 acres at 1870. 1t
is q country where soil and cattle
care; men must spade earth over the
great field stones or build fires about
them and then haul them laboriously
to use in a field fence, and they must
buy fertilizer or drag seaweed from
the ocean side: men must bring the
pig, not into the parlor. for there Is
generally just one room In the Done
gal cabin, but into the bedroom on
wild nights. It Is a country where
the women must exc out the income
by spinning, weaving or knitting. It
Is country from which young hsr People ch,1e
dren often leave school at or
years Of are to sell their services as
Patrick himself did-for SIS for six
months. So naturally 1t IL An Hit
crate country: 1t Is estimated that.
though they can scrawI their own
names IS per cent of the people are
virtually iAiterate.
Revolution against the "gombeen"
man was talked when Patrick came
home from the Scottish mines. why
question met with derision. But at
last the farmers discovered that by
banding together and making an I'M
limited engagement to be responsible
for the liabilities of the organization
they could get what money they
wanted. Members were admitted only
when their good characters were
known, and loans were made only for
projects that promised profit. Drains
and purchases of cows when they
are cheap were some of the UNDER
takings permitted. One young fellow
wanted enough money to buy a suit
Of clothes to attract a young woman
who had a dowry Of $500-but the
loan was not made.
why can't we do>0ur own buying
and sellingr' asked Patrick Of his
neighbors. And after a great deal of
argument the farmers agreed to pay
shares into the new cooperative So
cfety, elected a committee and made
Mr.. Gallagher the head Of 1t.
"Outlaw" called the king to the lit
tie store that took its place in dis
used cabin on Paddy" Gallagher's
mountain. farm, for at the cabin -four
was selling at 50 for ninety eight
pounds. Wholesale, and at the town
store at $3.50 for ninety eight pounds,
and the kings spies were report
Ing that men in debt to him were
making their way up the mountain
by night. But at the end of one year.
In spite OF the kings displeasure.
there was a turnover of $2,450. and a
dividend Of 80 cents paid on every IS
worth of purchases. Moreover, at the
end of three years the society built
it's own community hall.
Meets Attack Of Churchmen.
Fight .centered about the hall
''Orange Hail." the crowd called it.
h,.t no0n1o cfil1 vwont ~ nnCo