New-York tribune., 1879-12-06
IRISH TENANTS AND LANDLORDS.


ANOTHER LITTER FROM rHE SISTER or CHARLES
PARNELI-
To the Editor OF The rrIbaRe.
SIR: In Inst Mondays TRIBUNE, see that you
say, in answer TO ssteriy Defence " the cry
shoot EN- has been heard On several occasions.
and the leaders of the present agitation have not
taken the pains 20 Iebuke those who interrupted
thernr
Now this charue is not strictly accurate. but even
if 1t we're it would not amount TO much in face Of
the fact that all the teachings of those leaders tend
to discourage personal violence and to establish
entirely different. aud We hope. much more ei-
iectual way of dealing with injustice IN Ireland.
As result of these teachings we see. that whereas
Mr. Parnelps earlier speeches occasionally in
terrupted by exclamations of homcidal tendency.
his audiences have now ceased to offer these OBJ
iectonabla suggestions, aud there is doubt that
the land agitation has saved the lives Of the few
landlords aud balifs-In any case there would not
have been many-whO might have been sacr-
feed if matters had been left TO follow
haphazard course. We can judge OF the
violent language supposed 20 be used at mass-neet
mgs in Ireland when we see that a Is being
tried there fOr sedfiOn for saying, Ii Is tine for
the manhood of Ireland to spring to IT'S feet"
suppose if he had sid the w0manhood he would
have been tried for high treason.
However, / am not now addressing you in order
to defend my brother OF any other Irish politician
/ feel keeny the misfortune of having a relative
whose smallness and inugniicance great as to
dwarf and obscure all the principal facts of the
question with which he is identified. and feel it
my duty to try 10 remedy this evil by stating one
OF two truths which to be lost sight Of by
many people IN this country.
The IRISH are now in danger Of famine. although
the majority of them have enough to iIve on for a
year This is claimed ia rent by their landlords
The people that the cultivators of the sell have
a Tight 20 keep enough to buy themselves Indian
meal to eat tuo to cook II WITH ana seed that they
may have harvest next year. Inc rest they otter
Ia the landlords. must explain that both fuel and
Indian meal are rising IN price m Ireland. The
position taken up by the Government and The land
lords Is that nothing can alter the landlords right
TO the whole Of his customary rent, and that if this
is not paid the military viii eject the people from
their holdings and seize their money and stock.
Consequently those who do not pay their rent will
who 90 will have the privilege of dying
under roof. To many thIs may sound
like eYag9eration yet t Is exactly wlat took place
thirty y-twO years ago, and we have not had the
smallest indication that the authorities do lot in
tend To act in precisely the same manner now, but
rather every assurance that they VIII IL they can.
True we hear vague rum0rs OF schemes Tor Lending
tenants money To pay their rents and Tor establish
ing public works In the best times most of them
had just much they could do 60 pay their way.
and II Is absurd TO suppose they cat oyertake the
uebts forced them by bal laws. by incurrng
fresh ones. Any relief works that may be granted
will all be required for those tenants no are utterly
ruined. and for the laborers, who cannot get work
| IN the present depression. | observe with regret
! that most Americans seem disposed 10 encourage
| the English Government in maintaining the attl-
| tude have described. and wish IT, AK them one
question Why Is it murder 10 KILL lew Eien with
powder anu ball, and no murter 70 XIII hundreds or
thousands of men. and children, by cold and
"IH1s' Hee' York, Nov. 20, 1879 A. PARNE1L~