But the debate on the Address was not yet to
close. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, Mr. McCarthy's and Mr. Monnor's amendments relating to the Irish dis- tress were discussed, Mr. Trevelyan showing how grossly the system of distributing help and granting outdoor relief had been abused in Ireland, and how oppressive the system was to those poor people who could only just support themselves by their industry, but who could not afford to pay for the outdoor relief of others. By one poor Irish Union, £25,000 is owed at this moment to the Imperial Exchequer for potato-seed recklessly distributed to tailors, shoemakers, and all the idlers in the streets, under the impression that the Union would never be asked to repay a penny of it. The Government were determined to enforce self-reliance on the Irish Unions, as the only really beneficent policy for Ireland. In an interesting speech delivered on Wednesday, Mr. Childers, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, pointed out the very ,great importance to Ireland of en- couraging the flow of capital to that country, and the enormous advantages which Ireland would gain if her own Railway Companies could borrow, for productive expenditure, as the English Railway Companies can, at three and a half per cent., rather than that the British Government should lend money to Irish proprietors at five per cent. Mr. Childers ex- pressed hinaelfheartily favourable to any well-considerea scheme
of carefully-planned emigration by families, which would not only relieve the barren and over-populated districts, but prevent the districts so relieved from being overrun again by a similar
evil.
Previous page
