" They were anxious to clear
their lands, not of rocks or briars, but of human beings; and in their
opinion the country could be saved only by a vast system of emigration.
Mr. Moore denies that such excess existed, and therefore condemns
emigration. "_It is not a fact,_" he says, "_that Ireland is
over-peopled;_ the contrary is the fact. But the strength of Ireland,
her bone and sinew, like her unequalled water-power, is either unapplied
or misapplied."[129] "Simply two things," in his opinion, were
required--"immediate occupation for the people, and that that occupation
shall, as far as possible, be made conducive towards providing for the
exigencies of coming seasons ... WE WANT EMPLOYMENT WHICH CAN BE MADE
IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FOOD--and _nothing will or
can answer this purpose, save only to employ the people in tilling and
cultivating the soil; and not a moment is to be lost!_"[130] One is
inclined to doubt the feasibility of sending the labouring population of
Ireland in upon the tillage farms, to trench, and dig, and plough, and
sow; but Mr. Moore had his practical plan for doing it; and although he
does not go into details, it does not seem to offer insuperable
difficulties.
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