, of Irish disease, of Irish poverty during the nineteenth
century[60] a black picture of material decay that literally "cries to
Heaven" for redress.

Side by side with these statistics, too, we have others to clinch the
evidence which traces the cause to the Act of Union. For the nineteenth
century was no century of decay. On the contrary, in almost every other
Western country, and especially in countries of the same racial and
religious fusion--in the United States, in the United Kingdom, and in
the British Colonies--the nineteenth century was a period of rising
population, advancing commerce, and abounding prosperity.

Nor is it the fact that British Ministers had any deliberate malice
against Ireland. On the contrary, many noble Englishmen worked
themselves grey during the nineteenth century in their efforts to make
the best of the Union system. Viceroy after Viceroy, and Chief
Secretary after Chief Secretary, have gone to Ireland full of hope, and
have come back converted reluctantly to the admission that their
efforts have been in vain and their work wasted under the present form
of Government.[61]

"For forms of government let fools contest;
Whate'er is best administered is best"

sang Pope. But there are some forms of government so bad that they
cannot be well administered. Among them is the form of government
established under the Act of Union.

Unionist writers who are honest enough to admit the decay of Ireland
between 1800-1900 attempt to trace it to any other cause than the Act
of Union--to over-population, to the Catholic religion, to the Irish
character, or even to the potato. But they labour in vain. If Ireland
stood alone, they might succeed. But it does not stand alone. Precisely
at the time when Ireland was decaying, all other Western nations were
flourishing. Precisely when the Irish race was withering in Ireland,
the same race, with the same religion and the same national
characteristics, was prospering exceedingly in America, and was even
contributing much of the power, skill and value for building up the
white British Colonies.

Unvarying progress on one side--on the other, unvarying decline, until
checked by the willingness of England to listen to the voice of
Ireland. What evidence could you have more convincing, what witnesses
more eloquent?

Perhaps, indeed, the most convincing statement of this very case was
given to the world, not by an Irishman or by any Liberal statesma