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AN GAOḊAL.
Sgáṫ na neul mar caiple reaṫa,
Ṫair ṁaċairiḋ' móra 's móinḟéir' ḟada;
Saoṫa fir gaċ lá go bláṫ'ṁuil,
'Gus garta bán' ag taḃairt a d-tarḃaḋ;
Úḃallaiḋ' úr' air ġeug' ag aeraḋ,
Ag fás ċo mór go ḃ-fuil d'a b-pleusgaḋ.
Cuirfiḋ fíon an ċróin ar ḟóġṁar,
'Gus ólfaiḋ sinn ar sláinte sonṁar.
Feuċ na crainn go cam ag cromaḋ,
Le méid a n-duilleur taid d'a mbriseaḋ.
D. O'M.
Our poetic friend does not desire to have name
and address published.
Orċaḋa
Colonization,
We regret to have to acknowledge that our faith
in the autonomy of Ireland in the near future by
“Constitutional” means has been somewhat shak¬
en by the result of the vote on Mr. Gladstone’s bill.
We thought Gaels had been free to turn their at¬
tention to the task of bettering the condition of
their countrymen this side of the Atlantic by push¬
ing Colonization to a successful issue, but we find
that we had been mistaken and that we are not
done with the old country yet. However we hope
that Gaels will push the Colonization scheme be¬
cause when our people are better off here they
will be able to render increased material aid to
their friends at home. Colonization must be a¬
dopted to give vent to the congested labor in our
large cities. If the various charitable societies un¬
dertook Colonization in a practicable manner, the
large number of persons now receiving aid could
be made support themselves on the land lying
waste throughout the country. We hope the read¬
ers of the Gael will seriously weigh and take to
heart Father Mahoney's remarks in the last Gael.
Not only that, but travel through the large cities
and see all the able bodied young men who stand
behind the bars of rum shops and measure out
poison to their fellow man ; and you will find that
a large number of these young men are "green-
horns,” or lately landed. Young men do not gen¬
erally like the liquor business until they become
hardened by being used to it. If these young men
were offered a good farm of land on the terms which
we suggested, they would jump at the chance and
would become honored members of society. If
quarter the money spent on rum were applied
to placing our country-people on the land, the
strikes which now disturb and distract the busi¬
ness interests of the country would not exist.
From the observations of some of our correspon¬
dents they erroneously suppose that we want the
five dollars, named as the price of a share of The
Celtic Homestead Legion, to be given as a dona¬
tion. We meant no such thing. The price of
shares was made low so as to enable almost all
conditions of persons to take one or more, the
single shareholder getting as much interest on his
share as the 100 shareholder on each of his shares.
One share — $5 — will buy two acres of good land.
and if there be a better security for $5 than these
two acres of land, we are not aware of it.
If it be a fact that monied men do not want to
make their poor brethren independent lest they
should lessen the distinction between the classes
their putting their money into other shakey and
unprofitable schemes is intelligible. If all were
comfortable and independent we presume the poss¬
ession of wealth would lose its charms, and it
would seem to us that those having wealth view
the matter in that light.
Millions of money can be legitimately made in
our Colonization scheme, and it can be made in
this way, — when a large tract of land is bought
and colonized, a town or city must naturally spring
up in its midst. The few thousand acres reserved
for such a town or city would, in a short time be
worth more than was paid for the entire purchase.
Three years ago the number of inhabitants in the
town of Huron, Dak., was 164, to day it is 3,500.
In ’81, five years ago, the town of Abiline, Tex.,
was commenced, it has 5,000 inhabitants to-day.
That land was bought for a dollar and a quarter
an acre, probably. Now, the five thousand acres
in and about Abiline are worth $100 a city lot;
and there being 17 city lots in an acre, these 5,000
are worth $8,500,000. Here is where the money
is legitimately made.
Now it does not necssarily require millionaires to
put our scheme through, organizaiion, though, is
necessary to bring persons of moderate means to¬
gether to compass it. Thirty men each investing
$5,000 (which would amount to $150,000) could buy
500,000 acres of land, because the terms of purchase
are very easy, getting the land at, say, 1.25 an acre
the cost would be $620,000. The setting aside of
even 1,000 acres for a town or city at $50 a city lot
would bring $800,000 or considerably more than
th price of the whole tract.
Let a hundred men with $1,000 each get into the
scheme and they will compass it. They cannot
lose, for, in any case they will have 800 acres of land
and as the population of this country will, in the
near future, amount to 120,000,000 of souls, the 800
acres will be worth the money any way; then, as
already remarked, organization only is necessary
to accomplish this great scheme. As a center, then,
from which to report, let all who desire to become
shareholders, signify their intention to us, when a
sufficient number is thus obtained they will be call¬
ed together for regular organization ; the many
with a few hundred, are as powerful in this respect
as the few millionnaires. A temporary organization
has been effected, but the permanent organization
is reserved for those who will supply the capital.
