The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-01-30
TPE LAND QUESTION.
(DuSlin Natiou Jan

and naturally, spreading among the ten
ant farmers OF Ireland. They find their
position insecure, and their interest, ay,
their very existence imperiled. They
knew from the very outset that the boasted
Land Act of Mr.. Gladstone fell very short
OF their just rights they are now in many
parts OF the country receiving practical
proof that it affords them scarcely q shad-
ow OF protection against the designs of
tyrannous and rapacious landlords. A
spiders web woven over the neat OF
small bird would scarcely save the young
brood from the talons of q hawk, and Just
az little protection does Mr.. Gladstone'e
boasted Land Act afford TO the homes of
Arish tenants against the raids of greedy,
lords.
All Irish landlords, happily, do not be-
long to this class. If they did, o civil war
would soon burst forth, and either the op-
pressors would be forced to abate their
monstrous demands, or the peasant class
would be utterly destroyed. No all irish
tenantry, ever hungering for advances of
rent, ever covetiDg the fruits of the ten
ante industry. Bat too many of them
possess ench evil dispositions, and the
strong hand of the law is necessary to re-
strain their felonious propensities. Aud
the whole class are not to be trusted. HUI
man nature being what it is, the tempts-
ton laid in their way by the existing state
of the law, should not be suffered to exist.
property which is considerately and
fairly managed at the present time, may
be rack-rented a few years hence. The
good landlord Of to day may be succeeded
by merciless griper or an exterminator
tomorrow. 1t is unjust, it is Ubiquitous,
to leave the the tenant class at the mercy
Kept in that conditi n, there will be
of their landlords. So long as they are
oppression and injustice on the one side,
and suffering, misery, discomfort, and an
ger on the other. Rents will be screwed
up on any and every pretence, and never
lowered on any account whatever 30 called
agreements of a ruinous character will
be forced on the tenantry, and the result will
be that those people will be pressed down
into wretched condition of slavery aud
poverty, or else they will fad themselves
compelled to fly from the land.
This is no party question. The Presby-
teriaa tenant farmers of The North are as
much concerned in it as the Catholics OF
the South. The money of Ulster is just
as sweet to "ianded proprietor" as
| the money of Munster. The improvements
are at the present time imperiled in all
parts of the country. Eager hands are
| being stretched out to clutch them cunning
devices are being employed to fitch them
away. The tenants see and feel their
danger, and they are drawing together for
pTOtcCOIOu. Au6b 10 d pTOCosS WHICH UQfy
should carry out to the fullest possible ex-
tent. Those who are not threatened las
yeti should join in the defensive league
with those who are, and great union of
their class should be spread over the whole
country. Public meetings should be held
every where any wrong is attempted, money
should be subscribed to obtain publicity for
the facts of each CAGE, and demand for
reform of law should be pressed on par
lament. In this way only can the tensntry
hope to save themselves from the treat
ment which is in store for them, and which
has begun to be dealt out to then in aev
eral parts of the country.
In Meath, in Louth, in Mayo, and Tip
perary, the evil work of rent-raising and
eviction is afoot. In the county Derry ex-
element is being caused by certain pro-
ceedings of the Irish Society having for
their object the evasion of the tenant
right clauses of the Land Act an evasion
which is easily accomplished, unless re-
sisted by the tenantry. Such resistance
the tenant farmers of the North appear
determined to offer to the aggression which
is being made upon their rights. The pro-
ceedings of the Havan and Nepagh meet
ings, reported in our columns to day, and
those which took place at Kells and Louis
burg few weeks ago, supply terrible evil
dence of the dangers which menace the
tenantry in those parts, but they also af-
ford cheering Indications of resoiute
spirit to oppose them on the part of the
people. We trust this defensive movement
will be vigorously sustained. If the peo-
pie do their part, their parliamentary re-
representatives. will not fail them, and the re-
suit of their action beyond doubt or ques-
ton will be beneficial. There is at the
present time delusive notion in the Fog
lish mind that Gladstone's Land Act eff
fected a satisfactory sediment of the land
question. That notion has first to be
blown to the winds, and when it has been
got rid of, an amendment of the act will
assuredly, and perhaps speedy, be OBJ
tanned.