The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-03-26 00:00:00

IRISH CRIMINAL LAW.

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Mr. W. H. Smith moved that the introduction and
several stages of the Criminal Law Amendment (Ire-
land) Bill whenever set down by the Government as
the first business of the day should have precedence a
all orders of the day and notices of motioa. Ho justi-
Bed this demand upon the time of the House on ;.he
ground that Ireland was in a state of disorganisation,
and the law was not enforced. With regard to the
amendment of which notice had been given, he
announced that the Government were prepared to
deal with the land question by two bills, one of which
was already in print, but they shared in the belief ex-
pressed by the then Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1881
that no measure of land reform which was based upon
principles of honesty and justice would satisfy the
National League, which was the cause of the terror and
disorganisation now existi;Ng in Ireland. The Govern-
ment could not and would not stand idly by and see,
jurors intimidated, prisoners acquitted against the direc-
tion of the judges, and the whole country disorganised,
and if the House thought they were wrong in the
course which they proposed, let it relieve them of their
responsibilities.
Mr. John Morley moved an amendment declining to
Bet aside the business of the nation in favour of a
measure for increasing the stringency of the criminal
Law in Ireland, whilst no effectual security had been
taken against the abuse of the Itw by the exaction of
excessive rents. He entirely traversed the proposition
that Ireland was in a state of disorgani6ation, aid
pointed out that disturbance existed only in two
counties, and parts of five other counties, containing
in all only one-eighth of the population of the country.
The Government were not aiming at putting down
rebellion or quenching sedition, but at suppressing
a combination which protected tenants against rents
which the Government themselves knew to be
excessive and eater ionate. Quoting from the
evidence given before Lord °owner's commission, the
right hon. gentleman insisted that it was established
that the tenants were required to pay rents which the
land did not produce. The landlords, like the tenants,
had their plan of campaign," which was to force the
tenant either to pay an unreasonable rent or to pur-
chase at an unreasonable price, exposing the British
taxpayer to an unreasonable risk, and the Government
now asked Parliament to become an accomplice in this
design. In his opinion there had never been a more
wanton, gratuitous, or unjustifiable resort than on this
occasion to what Mr. Chamberlain had called the ever-
Tailing and ever-poisonous remedy ot coercion. While
he Government were bound to enforce the law, the
Souse was equally bound to see that the law was
brought into harmony with the just claims of honest
and industrious tenants.

Mr. A. J . Balfour observed that the light hon. gentle.
man had criticised the measure of sthe Government
without knowing what they were to be. The sum and
substcnce of his argument was the extreme difficulty
D f paying rents, owing to the reduction of prices, but
that reduction, according to Lord Cowper's Commis-
sion, averaged only 16 per cent ,which surely was not an
adequate ground for a social revolutim. With regard to
the formula that remedial measures should precede
coercion he considered it contained e valuable truth, if
properly understood. The Government bad in print a
bill which would be introduced without delay in the
Dther House, for the purpose of making the Land Act of
1881 more equitable in its operation, dealing with
leases, and giving the tenants some measure of equit-
able relief. Believing, however, that the land question
build only be solved by a large measure dealing with
purchase they had such a measure in preparation, and
would be ready to bring it in as soon as the Irish mem-
bers were ready to let it be discursed. But he de.
murred to the demand that these measures should
have precedence of the Criminal Law Amendment Bill,
in the first place because it would not have the
effect of restoring respect for law and order in Ireland,
and secondly because to postpone from week to work
the measures which the Government thought necessary
for that ouroose would render any remedial measures