The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-09-10
The Irish Land Question-Tho Root
the Difficulty.


The lively interest in the question of the
disestablishment Of the Protestant State
Church in Ireland having in measure abated
since that question was settled by act of Par
lament, a new thought has arisen to keep
alive the discussion in British politics Is to
what Ireland really needs in order to insure
the prosperity Of her people and guarantee
tranquility. 1t is admitted that the disestab-
lishment of the State Church does not cover
the ground; that, in fact, the trouble lies
deeper than the sentiment which is involved
in the fact that majority Of the people were
compelled to pay contributions to the clergy
of an opposite faith. This grievance lay
very lightly, after all, upon the population of
Ireland, although it was potent weapon in
The hands Of agitators. The indifference, in
deed the dissatisfaction, with which the Catho-
lie people and their leaders, the hierarchy and
the clergy, regard the so-called boon proves
that the cure for Irish discomfort has not been
reached by the sagacity of the Gladstone ad-
minis!ration in separating Church and State.
The difficulty In Ireland Is material,
not sentimental. The question whether the
man who cultlvates the soil shall be en-
tiled to fair share Of the products must be
settled in favor Of the cu,tlvator, or there will
never be settlement of the Irish difficulty"
! because the root of it lies just there Under
| the present land system and the existing laws
the Irish peasant enjoys no right to the pro-
duct of his industry. If he improves his farm
tta Inc ~ inns
lord, because in the majority of cases the
tenant has no lease of the land, and he may be
turned out at any time-body and bones, wife
| and children-to make way for tenant who
| viii pay higher rent, the advanced value be-
ing tie result of the industry Of the poor fellow
| who is sent off from his homestead to seek
| better fortune in America-to become, per-
! haps, ward politician, or, for the matter Of
that an alderman or member of Congress, II
| luck is on his side.
The disestablishment of the Irish Church, as
| we have said, Is only the removal of senti-
| mental grievance and does not touch the root
| of the question at all. The old 1.-THE system,
under which the parson could claim, according
to law, his tenth part OF the farmers income
and could seize II by the aid Of military and
police, led to DO much bloodshed and such
scenes of desolation aud horror that tithea
were abolished. But how? Only to be shifted
from the shoulders of the tenant to those of the
landlord, and necessarily to be imposed by him
upon the tenant In new shape by increasing
| the rent. The disestablishment Of the State
| Church, therefore, Is very small modicum Of
relief, and thus comes mp the land question as
the real remedy for discomfort, and 30 It Is
just now regarded by the press and the states
men Of Great Britain. The Marquis Of Hart
ington recently declared that all efforts to Sc
cure the existence OF an undisturbed govern
ment in Ireland would prove futile unless the
land system was remodelled The press of
England and Ireland, whether Of the national
type or the representatives of the ideas sup
posed to reflect those Of the government, re-
cognlze the necessity Of radical change in
the land tenure system. II 10 being realized
now as part Of the policy Of government
which was sore!y felt by the people for more
than century that three millions Of land cul.
tiyators should not be absolutely dependent
for life or death almost-upon eight thousand
landowners. Hence tho newspapers which
were supposed to reprssspt views favorable y