John Mitchel

“ Yes the truth must be told, you are to be slain, one million of you—and these ‘laws’ are the weapons wherewith execution is even now going on; Those of you who have property are to render it up, and die—those who have none are simply to die. ”

“ Thus, every scheme for what is called the amelioration of this country, seems based on the assumption that the first thing to be done, is to weed the Irish population out of the Irish soil. Pauper labour, pauper farms, pauper schools of industry, pauper life, and pauper spirit—these are the basis on which our law-makers would have us re-construct society in this island.
It is tenant-right alone that can stay this plague. ”

“ It is not that Ireland does not produce enough to sustain all her people; it is not that you do not raise, with your own hands, far more than enough to support you and your families. It is because—and only because—out of your harvests and haggards the English claim a tribute, the, state claims taxes, and the landlords claim rent—all enormous in amount, and all prior to your claim for subsistence. ”

“ The earth is awakening from sleep: a flash of electric fire is passing through the dumb millions. Democracy is girding himself once more like a strong man to run a race; and slumbering nations are arising in their might, and ‘shaking their invincible locks.’ Oh! ”

“ In the meantime, it appears plain, from all authorities, that there is a ‘surplus’ either of the one class or the other;—you, the million, seem pitted in deadly straggle against them, the eight thousand; and either you or they, it is feared, must die.
But it is a great truth, ‘that the Life of one peasant is as precious as the Life of one nobleman or gentleman. ”

“ The plain remedy for all this,—the only way you can save yourselves alive,—is to reverse the order of payment; to take and keep, out of the crops you raise, your own subsistence, and that of your families and labourers, first; to part with none until you are sure of your own living,—to combine with your neighbours that they may do the like, and ,back you in your determination,— and to resist, in whatever way may be needful, all claims whatever, legal or illegal, till your own claims are satisfied. ”

“ That portion of the value of the whole produce, which remains to the owner of the land, after all the outgoings belonging to its cultivation, of whatever kind, have been paid.’
The chief outgoing belonging to cultivation is the subsistence of the cultivators,—and if anything be sought in the name of rent before that is provided for, it is not rent, but plunder and ought to be resisted. ”

“ First, there is a simple calculation to be made;—you, the men doomed to destruction, are a million and more —they, the landlords of Ireland, who find you to be surplus, and declare that you and they cannot live together on this soil, are, we will say, eight thousand—that is, one well-born idler to one hundred and twenty-five working drudges, nearly. ”