Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-11-21
DISTURBANCES IN IRELAND.

Our dispatches yesterday contained
an account of serious troubles in
Ireland. The rent agitation, which
has existed for several months, has
reached a crisis in Sligo, Mayo and
other counties. The landlords, as a
general rule, positively refuse to make
any concessions, and the suffering
pcople seem resolved at last to take
matters into their own hands. Papers
and speakers representing the hard
working, overtaxed people, have
spoken out so freely that the govern
ment has seized several of the
leaders and thrown them into
prison. Irish affairs have been
running from bad to worse for
some time. The most of the landlords
live in England or on the continent
the most Of the year, and have no
earthly sympathy with their tenants.
They exact enormous rents, allow
them nothing for reclaiming and i'm
proving the soil, and when lease ex-
pires demand still higher rents. This
goes on from year to year. When a
tenant fails or refuses to pay, although
his family may have lived on the land
for generations, he is eyicted and
turned out to freeze and starve.
There are exceptions, Of course, for
some of the landlords live on their
own estates nearly all the time, and
take an interest in the well being Of
those who till the soil. These have
no trouble At one time immigration
to America or Australia was popular
with the Irish peope, and the popula-
tion of the Island was reduced in
the course of several years from
8,0OO,O00to about 100000 Those who
are there now have nearly all
made up their minds to stay, and can
neither be driven off or made slaves Of
a few nonresident land owners. The
British government has occasionally
made concessions to ireland, but has
never yet fallen upon the truly liberal
policy to conciliate the people and
build up a good feeling, The discs
tablishment act of 1868 went a long
way towards breaking down preju-
dices and uniting the Irish people to
the crown. 1t did not, however, 60 far
enough, or to the root Of the evil
The school fund is not yet managed
according to the wishes Of the great ma
iority of the people, consequently only
little over 1000 children attend the
common schools. This is sad STATE
ofaffairs, which cannot be remedied By
a few arrests, or even executions. TIL,
Irish people are much nearer uniteC
to-day on home questions ant
in sympathy than ever before
although they may still differ as tt
methods and details. Their powei
of resistance and endurance seems
exhaustless. For centuries they hav,
lived in poverty, under opprcssiv,
laws in the main, and with no NOR,
than a nominal voice in public affairs
Any other people would have beel
crushed in spirit and subjugated gen
erations ago, but the spirit of inde
pendence and patriotism stillanimate
them and they live in the hope anC
full determination Of asserting thei
rights and regaining the liberties o
freemen, under a just and liberal gov
ernment. The British governmen
can only disarm them by fair and lib
eral treatment, under which they ma
control their, home affairs, becom
land owners, and the equals in ever
respect of any other subjects of tn
queen. Peace would no follow all a
once, such a policy but would great
diminish the opposition to England
rule.