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Show J A Unionist Lie Nailed. ! October was not within the "emigration "emigra-tion season"; yet the "rush" from Ire-I Ire-I land during that month was sadden-j sadden-j ing, says the Belfast Irish Weekly. No less than 2,799 emigrants departed an increase of 403 as compared with October, Octo-ber, 1908. Last year we saw a "slump" in emigration; and although 23.295 people peo-ple left the country, we consoled ourselves our-selves with the thought that this was the lowest number for any one year since the early 'forties of the last century, cen-tury, and we hoped for a further fall in the total during 1909. The hope has been disappointed. Already 26.866 emigrants left our shores this year; and the total of 30.000 may be reached when the year closes. It must be borne in mind that these official figures are always more favorable favor-able than the reality, as very many leave the country who are not classed as emigrants, while it is quite impossible impossi-ble to enumerate those who travel to Great Britain: and Flster contributes enormously to this particular "tide." The official returns, however, show how horribly this "prosperous" northern province is suffering from the "drain." During the ten months ending October 31. the emigrants were from Leinster, 3.675; Mur.ster. 7.239: Connacht, 6.215: T'lster, 9,647. Thus Ulster's nine counties coun-ties contributed very nearly 36 per cent of the emigrants who fled from a country coun-try capable of supporting in comfort thrice its present population. Belgium's area is 11.373 square miles. Ulster's area is 8,570 square miles. Belgium's Bel-gium's population in 1901 was 6.603.548. Now it is probably 8,nu.ti0. Ulster's population in 1901 was 1.582.826. Now it may not be fully 1,500.000. Were Ulster populated, square mile for square mile, as Belgium is,, its people would count 6,000,000 in 1909. They are scarcely one-fourth one-fourth of that number and the young and healthy "the bone and the sinew of the population" are deserting us at the rate of 11.000 a year, leaving a decaying de-caying race behind them old men and women, candidates for state pensions of five shillings a week youths destined for the emigrant ships a rapidly decreasing de-creasing body of farmers on land more rapidly passing out of cultivation an ever-increasing hord" of "officials"; and hosts of poorly-paid female workers in a big city. There are. of course, other elements in the population: but those enumerated are steadily growing in relative rel-ative numerical importance. Belgium is a free country. It makes its own laws and abides by them. An absolutely overwhelming majority of its people are Catholics. All creeds are equal in the eyes of the state and of the law. "Bigotry" is unknown. Its land is utilized to the last square perch. The products of its factories in which toilers toil-ers work for fair wages under healthy conditions compete with the best work of England, Germany and America in all the markets of the world. Ulster is not self-governed. It is ruled by strangersby stran-gersby 570 British gentlemen, of whom not half a dozen underntand Irish business, as we have been assured by Sir Edward Carson. Therefore Ulster-like Ulster-like Ireland, of which it is part is losing los-ing its population the source of all wealth and prosperity. We leave the contrast to the careful consideration of the people who remain in our "prosperous" "prosper-ous" province. |