The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-05 00:00:00

THE IRISH LAND BILL.

Mr. KAVANAGH asked the First Lord of the Treasury
whether he proposed to take the committee on the Irish
Land Bill at the morning sitting on Tuesday, the 12th of
April.
Mr. GLADSTONE replied that he did not propose to take
the committee on the Irish Land Bill at the morning sit-
ting on the 12th of April. At present he had some hope
that he should not be required to make any demand on
on the House next week with respect to the Irish Land
Bill.
The House then went into committee on the Irish Land
Bill.

Mr. DISRAELI moved the following amendment :
Clause 3, page 3, line 4, after "compensation," insert "in
respect of unexhausted improvements made by him or
any predecessor in title, and of interruption in the com-
pletion of any course of husbandry suited to his holding."
He observed that at the commencement of the proceed-
ings he stated what he was then empowered by his friends
to say that the Land Bill would receive from that side of the
House a fair and impartial consideration. For his own
part, he ventured to say more, assuming with confidence
that it would be a just measure, that it would aim only to
accomplish that which was necessary, not that which was
fanciful and merely theoretical, it would receive from him
cordial support. When the bill was introduced, although on a
subject of so great importance, and necessarily of a com-
plicated nature, and including many provisions to which
he could hardly be expected to give his complete adhesion;
still he understood after consulting with his friends, and
those who honoured him with their confidence, and they
agreed with him that under the circumstances of the case,
and dealing with a measure of that character, it be-
came there to take a large and liberal view of the difficul-
ties that the proposal contained, and although it was their
duty to attempt to effect a modification of those proposals,
and to object to the insertion of any principle in the bill,
which they thought dangerous; yet he believed that side
of the House would be able to offer a general and sincere
support. It was under these circumstances that he
offered no opposition to the second reading, but he could
not conceal his vexation that having made such an engage-
ment at the commencement of the session that he found
himself unexpectedly in the position of lead-
ir g an Opposition on such an essential ques-
tion to the measure of his right hon. friend.
Although they had but passed one clause of the bill, the
Government had proposed an alteration which gave quite
a new phase to the bill, and to such an extent would the
change operate that it became necessary for
the House to well consider the matter. In
calling the attention of the House ' to the change.
that was now proposed, he was not going into the
question of the Ulster tenant right. The Government
had thought proper to legalise that right, and he had ex-
pressed his opinion on the second reading against
that custom as impolitic and unnecessary, yet what
had been the result ? After a week's debate, the custom
was to a certain extent agreed to. A long and anxious
debate occurred on the second clause in the bill which
related to other rights, and after another long discussion,
an amendment was made to the second clause,
which was eventually struck out ; but an in-
timation was given that a new clause would be
brought up at the close of the labour of the committee.
As clause 3 was now virtually clause 2, it was but just
that in its provisions it should be made to carry out the
compensation which it was proposed to give in a
liberal and large spirit. It would not do to dea
with the matter in a pedantic spirit, and he was
sure it was_ the desire of the House that the measure
should be so worded that the tenant should receive full
compensation for the improvements he had made on the
land. The words of the Government he thought
ambiguous to a degree, and certainly they, to his mind,
did not carry out the intention of that enactment mainly
to give ample compensation to the tenant on quitting his
holding. -That this appeared to be the impression of the
Government seemed to him quite evident, for
finding that the clause did not carry out their
first intention, they now came to Parliament
and submitted to it an amendment that made a change
which was altogether of a novel character, and he was
sure it would be well for both sides of the House to con-
sider the alteration well before either gave it their
assent. The clause proposed to secure the tenant
full compensation for all his improvements, and it was
followed by a sliding scale, but even that scale had been
so altered that the benefit awarded to the tenant was of a
very questionable character. In his opinion the
alterations of the bill were of such an exten-
sive and important character that it had in
fact become a new measure, and one which, if sanc-
tioned by the House without great amendment, would
destroy all moral relation between landlord and tenant.
He had felt it his duty to do all in his power to make the
measure effective for the purposes intended, and with that
object he had submitted to the House an amendment
which. if adopted. would areativ improve the warkirui