The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1880-08-24 00:00:00

Corresponbence.

MR. PORTMAN, M.P., AND THE IRISH
L &ND DISTURBANCE BHA
To the Editor.

SlB,—l suppose I must not quarrel w:th your oof ee-
spondent, "Fair Play," for the non dg plume he has
adopted, so merely remarking that it bears rather the
appearance of begging the question and cleverly casts
a slight papas upon myself, I proceed to remark upon
the substance of his hitter.

"Fair Play" intimates that the fare of Mr. Port-
man never profaning to be • Relics] justifies him in
separating himself from his party on the Irish Dis-
turbance Bill. To this I reply that certainly not more
than one-third of the Cabinet can be called Radical.,
and yet they have unanimously supported this bill,
and amongst the number Lord Hartington, who,';Fair
Play" says, is Mr. Portman'. natural leader. ' As,"
say. "Fair Play," "Mr. Portman has no Irish estate.,
hL vote we. not influenced by any personal consider-
ation." I should like to ask "Fair Play" whether be
conaders that the energy shown by the English
clergy, in resisting the Irish Church Diseetablialitnent
Bill, was entirely without regard to personal con-
siderations of • more or less immediate character. On
the other hand we have the example of
Lord Montane/le and a few other peers
estates liable to be Immediately affected
y the bill, giving it their thorough support.
For myself, however, -I regard the action of the Irish
landlords as most unwise from their one point of yiew,
considering, as I do, that the 'impend Land Bill
would have worked the good landlord no wrong.
"Political agitation," it has been truly said, "live.,
and is formidable only by virtue of what is reasonable
In its demands." It was owing to the Irish Disturb-
ance Bill being of a character to meet such reasonable
demands that it. ef&ct would have been so great in
quelling the agitation of the Irish tenants, audit wee
this that earned for it the ill-ooncealed dislike of the
Home Rule members. The word. Mr. Parnell
addressed the other day to an Irish meetinr—" That
he believed that the Irish Disturketoe Bill would have
sapped the land agitation"—ought to ring in the ears
of thaw defaulting Liberals who encouraged the Lords
to vas in • body against it.
"Fair Play" credits Mr. Portman with voting in
favour of the Harm and Rabbit, Bill, and centred.
his vote with those of Mr. Floyer au4 Di/oy.
I was not taws that than had been any division on
this bill except in committee. The Tories, who in
March last negatived by e large majority a resolution
of Sir V. Harcourt'. approving of legislation of •
similar charecter had not the courage to divide upon
the second reading of a measure legislating in the
terms of his resolution presented to them only Inur
months later.

_
To return to the Irish Disturbance Bill, I cannot
believe that the Liber.de of Dorset are indifferent to
the happiness of the paiplo of Ireland, awl I trust
that when scansion of dignity cameo Mr. Portman's
..at to be vacated, the Liberals .1 Dorset will see to
It that they accept no Whig nominee, but secure the
services of • Liberal of the broadest sympathies, de.
voted to the good government of all our people, and
of • clear sense the need of adjusting our
=ger the giant growth of the people whom those
laws control and regulate,

Etgorok
Dorchester, 20th August, 1880.
P. 9.—1 have Just been shown the letter of an Irish
Mudlord in which he attributes thetreeent disturbed
atm * of Ireland "to the most stupid blunder of the
Government in attempting to pans unjust measure
of suspending the landt,rd's right to recover his rents."
Anyone who read my lam letter, or who has mad*
himself acquainted with the proposed bill, must know
that such • statement as this is nothing lees than an
entire perversion of the truth. To them Inveterate
miastatementa,made by numberewho have taken them
at second-hand without troubling tbeinealve• to test
their acoursoy, is due much of the obloquy that has
been attscleedjto the bill.