nt.
Take the Galway Board of Guardians. They resolved that any contractor
furnishing milk below a certain standard should have his contract
broken if he were caught swindling the authorities three times in six
months. What would they think of such a resolution in England? Well,
one fellow was caught three times or more. His milk was found to
contain forty-four per cent. of water. Instead of kicking him out at
once there was a great debate on the subject. It was not denied that
the facts were as I have stated them. His friends simply said, 'Ah,
now, let the Boy go on wid the conthract; shure, isn't he the dacent
Boy altogether? An' what for would ye break the conthract whin he put
in a dhrop of clane wather, that wouldn't hurt anybody. Shure, 'tis
very wholesome it is intirely.' As Curran said, 'we are ruined with
to-day saying we'll do some thing, and then turning round and saying
to-morrow that we won't do it.' Another Guardian named Connor stuck up
for the right thing, and another named Davoren gave the contractor's
friends a good tongue-thrashing. The milkman was sacked by fifteen
votes to nine. The right thing was done, but my point is that a lot
of time was wasted in trying to bolster up such a case, and nine men
actually voted for the defaulter, whose action was so grossly
fraudulent, and who had been caught at least three times in six
months.

"The bag factory has just been closed. The Home Rule Bill is at the
bottom of this mischief. It was the only factory we had in Galway, and
what the people here are to do now God only knows. It gave employment
to the working classes of the town, who will now have to go further
afield. Some are off to America, some to England, some to Scotland.
Curious thing I've noticed. A Scotsman lands here with twopence, next
day has fourpence, in five years a house and farm of his own, in
twenty-five years an estate, in thirty years is being shot at as a
landowner, in forty years has an agent to be deputy cock-shot for him.
But Irishmen who go to Scotland nearly always return next year
swearing that the country is poor as the Divil. Now, how is that?

"The bag works was just short of money and management. Irishmen are
not financiers. They are always getting into holes, and waiting for
somebody to get them out. They have no self-reliance. You may hold
them up by the scruff of the neck for years and years, and the moment
you drop them they hate you like poison. Many shooting cases would