September 26th, 1846: A Co Limerick landowner wants the poor to be employed developing agriculture rather than on useless public works.
William Monsell, of Tervoe, Clarina, outlines his views in a letter to the Chief Secretary, Henry Labouchere. He estimates that for the next 10 months work must be found for 500,000 men - mainly in the south and west - and this cannot be done for less than £5 million.
"Wherever it comes from and however it is employed, this money must be spent; a vast number of who receive it never touch money from the beginning to the end of the year, except in the purchase and sale of their pigs; they barter and labour with the neighbouring farmer for potato land, and the produce of that being gone they have nothing
"They have been year after year standing as it were with one foot hanging over the precipice; with starvation yawning beneath them. Into the fearful gulf they must fall if they do not get employment."
Monsell predicts a series of years of distress. A large proportion of the money necessary for the support of the starving people during their transition from one sort of food to another must be raised from the land. The farmers are asking what to grow next year instead of potatoes.
The present relief measure requires spending vast sums of money on unproductive labour. Monsell's second objection to the Act (10th Vic.) is that "it involves congregating together large masses of people upon public works - where the evil-disposed so often give the tone to the whole lot - and the consequent demoralisation of the labouring classes. And under the same head may be stated the great hardship of making the poor labourers walk long distances to their work, rendering it almost impossible for them to have their meals brought to them in the middle of the day".
He asserts that a large amount of the money granted last year was diverted from its stated object of helping the destitute. While the government cannot compel drainage or fencing, it can compel the owner of land to employ the poor, and make those who refuse to employ them on productive labour pay for their employment on public works.
The legislation for relieving distress draws no distinction between good and bad land-lords. "The one man has made his tenants comfortable and few of them require relief. The other has ground them to the earth and they are starving." It taxes improving landowners and tenant farmers for the sins of those who neglect their duty.
The benevolent Mr Monsell is unlikely to be heeded by a government whose liberality does not extend to Ireland. But he is thinking of standing for parliament - and following Dr Newman into the Roman Catholic Church.