It was founded partly on prejudice, and
partly on ignorance of the real state of affairs, which was far worse
than the most anxious friends of the people asserted, as the event,
unfortunately, too truly proved. That there was some deception and much
idleness, in connection with the public works, cannot be doubted for a
moment; such works being on a gigantic and ever increasing scale,
effective supervision was impossible. The mistake of many of the
officials, although not of all, was, that they regarded such exceptional
things as an index to the general state of the country, built theories
upon them, and sent those theories up to their superiors, which helped
to make them close-handed and suspicious. Those officials did not, and,
in many cases, could not sound the depths of misery into which the
country had sunk; the people were dying of sheer starvation around them,
whilst they were writing reports accusing them of exaggeration and
idleness. What the Rev. Jeremiah Sheahan of Clenlure, in the County
Cork, said of his parishioners was equally true in hundreds of other
cases: "The most peaceable have died of want in their cabins. More than
twelve have done so in the last six days.
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