The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-19
DIR. GLADsTONE's DIAGNOSIS.
From the N. Y World.

From the N. WOTtd.
1t has been apparent, for some time, that the
medicine prescribed by Mr.. Gladstone for the
Irish disease would prove Intellectual for the
cure of the patient. In spite of the soothing
syrup of the Irish Church bill and the modifying
effects of amnesty plasters applied to Fenian
sores, the febrie symptoms still continue to dis
play themselves with alarming frequency and
violence, and the patient still requires the atten
tion of q large body of armed watchers to pre-
vent him doing fatal injury in his paroXysms of
rage. His friends are naturally anxious about
him, and plenty of fault is found with the treat
ment practised by his physicians Some of
them roundly assert that Dr. Gladstone is
mistaken in his diagnosis, and that,
while he is treating the patient for the
sentimental disease of the Church, the sick
man is in fact, laboring underan acute attack Of
the land fever Among thesei complainers is
Earl Grey, who fatty asserted the other day in
the House of Lords that unless the Government
did something at the present session of Paria-
ment towards settling the land question in Ire
land, they must be held morally responsible for
all the murders of landlords, baiiffs, and factors
that may be committed during the next twelve
months. That is a very plain statement and
probably it was received in Ireland with some
satisfaction and approval 1t is n confession
that the land laws of Ireland are so extremely
oppressive that flesh and blood-or, at least,
Irish flesh and blood-cannot be expected to
endure them, and that the oifense of breaking
them rests not upon the violator of the laws, but
upon the government which has framed and
insists on attempting to enforce them. The
peculiar and popular form in which resistance
TO the Irish land laws is generally manifested is
the murder of landlords or landlords agents:
but in Earl Grey's opinion these murders are
not murders, but unavoidable accidents resulting
from the attempt to enforce laws that should
not be enforced The Government had made
many vague promises concerning land reforms
which they proposed to introduce in Ireland
after while; but they had now declared they
could do nothing until next year. Meanwhile
the Irish people 'were getting to believe thai
some measure was about to be passed in.
consistent with the principles which the
legislature had hitherto recognized il
dealing with proprietary rights They
were determined upon having two reforms
fiXity of tenure and compensation for i'm
provements "FiXity of tenure means tha
The landlord shall not have the power Il
compensation for improvements means tina
the landlord must pay the tenant for all the i'm
proyements of whatever kind he chooses Il
make upon his farm. With these two provision
firmly Incorporated in the law, the tenant woul
have the game in his own hands. In no cas-
could he be dispossessed; in no case could he b
compelled to pay n higher rent; and IN ever
case the cost of all the new buildings fences
drains and bitches which he put on his tarr
would come out of his landlords pocket, an
would not cost him shilling. The improve
ments would be of no advantage to the land
lord; they would be of advantage to the tenant
but the landlord must pay for them an
the tenant must reap the profit from them
Earl Grey is inclined to the use OF strong Ian
guage, but he scarcely exaggerated when he sal
that these two demands, on which the Iris
farmers had set their hearts, would result i
'nothing more or less than absolute confscatio
OF the land" The longer the government dc
layed informing the country of the policy whic
they proposed to adopt on this question: Tn
more general would become the belief anon