New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-04
THE LAND QUESTION.


The question of the equity and peEmanence Of
tenure in Ireland is now the vital and dominant topic
OF British politics. OF all Irish interests THIS ques-
ton involves the most radical. most neediul OF
reform and most promising of peaceful results when
reformed Lately it has been said that the british
Government intend to solve the question by adopting
for the whole of Ireland what is known as the Ulster
system This custom consists. in brief OF the right
of an outgoing tenant to sell TO his successor the
goodwill of his farm. Upon the coniscation Ol the
lands of the Irish chiefs King James stipulated that
Of every 1900 acres 700 should be let certain fixed
tenures TO occupants for purposes of cultivation and
300 should be reserved as the mesne lands for
the landlord The principle of the Ulster
tenant right was that any man f VINO od MAJ
sell tho occupancy of that farm to another getting
usually from $40 to $50 per acre tor his occupancy Inc
ton and gave to the landlord says Sir John Cray an
that his rent was always sa n% mere was
developed by the whole people But thls pian; as we
ITisb peope let us proceed investigation OF the
actual condition Of the and-Erongs ana she various
plans OF reform.
There are about twenty million acres in Ireland the
ownership OF which is divided among $3.50 men twenty
million of acres 1--WE or six million Of people, excaimS
Irish orator, land $3.50 on these millions clam tno
right TO the land that they may turn every na
Of the others out into the sea anywhere Is they wOua
drive rats from cornsack Inc elghb thonsanu pre-,
pretors mainly Professionals ana the yo or SIX MUNYON'S
OF people chiefly Catholics 50 mat taTowtnR az IIn
element of sectaran hate says Father & ~ NIL
be easy to account for the determination OF the people
| According TO last returns there were about 5iVOO
holders Of more than one farm 80 that the holdings
almost 100000 or the $4,000 tenant farmers G2VV o
than 80 acres. As showing the local distribution OF
land Queens County 1t is said. has an area OF 42y9o
acres 1890 holdings rated at aud under ~ 10 the
poor holdings above $40 being $685. whereas IppeIary,
with Oi67 has $500 OF these very small holungs
ton from Tpperary, which In lel numbered l5S7 Souls
but 1861 foil TO 9O65O which elimination resulted In part
nnfha
10000 and while I'm 1900 the land was taxed t25OOW
the rent received by the landed asCGracy 0siIe over
sGO0OOOO. while the taxes paid had decreased 10 Sl1
coo I'M consequence Of the redemption OF the andtax"
ON an area OF $4,000 acres County Meath has 23 farms
rated at $50 and more whereas on 5OO acres ~e&ioru
| has only ,296 farms Of this size. 49, a.,
Years ago it atrOciously asserted In the landlord
interest that Ireland overpopulaed but SIR Robert
s Ass ppopSiaoS S Of $4,000 and wooan pro
pretor reckoned 100000 In recent abe speech Oh
$500 Of land; in Ulster 100000 The amount
600 The value OF the live stock IN Munster IN IStI
was R6.N0RO; in 1861 1t had increased 10
| I'm lstl was only a5OOOOOO; in 1861 1t had also
| increased to sg.OOO00, The number OF persons
there we're 2 The number OF separate farm holdings In
Munster was l26lSl; in Ulster it was 2l $40 The number
i'm Ulster 6lO farms from as To So In Munster 92lG
in Ulster l25; farms from tl0 TO t6 IN munster bOO
In Ulster 1900 total holdings ana sInRllclasS farms
varying In from "A TO go was 5000 In Munster
and making allowance for diteronce OF onetentni IN n
number OF small holdings as IN Munster ana yet ny com
consent the HAPPY hS oe
large farms. the people were miserable dscon-
tented and d!saected Of farms paying rem 81 over
what would be the result upon the production OF iOOd
e Ts The cereal crops In Munster amounted
mn value 10 81 2l3OOO year Crops Of the same kind In
Ulster were worth e3OlCO0O year, or ALLOWING for di
ference In areal nearly R325O0O. The whole crops IN
| Uster-cereal. hay, and clover-amOunted ~ value
together IN 1867 $40 10000 ganst 100000 In Munster
We're the whole OF Ireland subject to tho Improved small
farm system OF Ulster sOoOo worth OF produce would
be added to It's present t@OVo9oo worth. why. win
Munster at such Disadvantage Tho explanation was
that Ulster had a tenant right Of occupancy
TilE CURSE oF tNiGIi,oS., r,,.or,, No,
40 Of failure pay regular rent AS Of fail
IRE 10 meet cxtOttOuAte demands aud IN order To COZ
vert the land uses justly regarded rs Que or tb0
most terrible Of the land evils Political eviction though
less Wholesale IN particular instances mas Deen even
heartles- aud has been witnessed by Engl-hu1n
time and again As has been well SAID eviction Is trans
portaOn ana transforms passionate lover OF tho sou
cred as an agraran crime OF which the landlords the
perIctrator, it, commission has been frequent ana
missioner Of The London Tunes In Ireland, referring TO
the eviction on Lord Derbys estate 40 easehoders
on English estate after having enjoyed her lano
for two generations. and added enormously to their
value being threatened with immediate eyiotop no. FOR
any misconduct fault. but simply because there WAS
naw IN their titles" But more shameIn retrospect Oh
landlord oppression II furnished by sir John Gray, who
! gives actual facts aud figures Of eviction;
When. process ~ law, an eviction had TO be carried
out the agent usually his car attended by other
hcles cOntaug very grdlrOn OF croWbHrs, drove into
the village under protection Of body OF troops ana de-
manded ;hat should leaTe their nuts In the
event OF resistance tie crOwbaTs used the huts
speedily lcyecd. aud the miserable tenants cast home
less upon the charity ~ their neighbOrs To such an
extent the process carried oat that In 1874 Mr. Ber
nal Osborne said IN the House Of Commons that between
the years 1889 and 1913 the number OF individual oecupers
| served with processes 7O.9s2, number which
represented 1920 indiyiduals--hye persons being
allowed 10 each family rendered houseess ana NOME
less A the result Of debate In the House OF Commons
an act OF Parliament was passed providing that no pro,
should be executed on any Christnas.dhy or Good
Fuday-a very humane act Between the years 1871 ana
1861. during which the CLEARANCE OF estates was con
nued. the population OF Ireland as he found rom OF
1cal records, became reduced from si1OOO TO 100000
In other words while In Scotland with It's 100000 OF
people there Was an increase OF 2oop Ireland sueIeu
decrease OF 100000 During the debate IN 1856 II was
OF the present holders Of land In Ireland were
tenants at will-that was. had no legal docu-
within four days SO houses were eyeled; aud sum OF
f7OO afterward raised 90 send the occupiers TO
Australia. Those poor people, when released from
| the pOorhOuse 10 which they had been taken,
went 10 the happy valley where they had lived and
| kneeng over the Ombs where their fathers aud tho
children OF many OF them were buried, took grass
cods away, and going TO their broken'down houses.
might carry away with them memorials OF the
village they loved and OF the land Of their birth
THE LAW OF THE CASE
The Irishmau Is nearly always "A tenantat-will. He
has contract, and though he may greatly in
crease the value holding by improvements, may DO
turned out, In many Districts at any moment without
penny In Ulster fairer practice prevails OF recurring
the incoming tenant to pay the outgoing a sum
consideration OF what labor ho has put into the land ana
enormous gamer for the expense is entirely with his
tenants he restricted by the fact Of
from increasing his rent. A custom wearing out Ia
England four centuries prevails In Ireland now, as IL
s docs also In various parts OF tho former country,
| though we read That In Charles tlo seconds
time cOpyhOlders fast becoming lease
holders. But such luck has fallen 10 the lrishman
The people who have reclaimed bog aud mountain and
marsh without eascs-withOnt any claim whatever
upon the land. When tenant has made Ills farm pay
rent and living he often ceases to improve It Tor fear
that his landlord will regard his industry sign that
he pay more That he thus actual slave To
his landlord and that no ought to have such claim In
law would make him more or less independent Is not
tn DO disputed. An English writer In point quotes Sir
| Edward Coke who held that Z" an Englshman hath
aud ought to have fee In his liberty, and