Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1879-10-04

sustainment of our agricultural class
es at home, and the consequent i'll
crease of the trade in our town. Mr..
Kaye, the best and most experienced
authority we have OH this point, con-
firms Golden and Mill. He states
that while Norman feudalism or land
lordism existed amongst Continental
peoples they were poor, improvident,
and miserable, but no sooner were
they swept away than new life was
infused and prudence, industry and
prosperity, for which we have no
parallel at home amongst the agri-
cultural population and the small
s~hopkeepera, became the order of the
day. Mr.. Kaye, Mr.. Mill and Prof.
Leslie say 1t is impossible for any one
who has not seen and studied abroad
to estimate the wondreus moral,
social and intellectual effect 1t pro-
duces upon the people of u country
to own the soil they cultivate. We
are face to face with a new problem.
Agriculture in this country no longer
pays, our country population is i'll
despair, and the coming winter is
likely to be a terrible time of suffer.
ing. Reduce the rents j. the shout OF
the starving people. This has startled
the governing classes. aud the hack
neyed epithet "Communism" is hurl-
ed at the distressed people. The
ieudal lord and his gemteei support
ers would do we'll to avoid bad
language just at present. "A serious
question has to be met. Good tenn
per is needed. The wronged and
outraged people can retOrt with ter
rible effect. "Land-th,ef!' would be |
more applicable to the landlord than
Communism" to the people. l should
not have much difficulty in proving
that there is not q communistic ele-
ment amongst the members of these |
islands. but, as Lord Clarendon said,
''the conduct of many of the Irish
landlords amou nts to felony" | main-
tain that the landlords of Great Bril-
tain and ireland are not only in
wrongful possession of many of the |
rights they claim, but are a complete
impeachment to the cultivation of the
soil, and the consequent prosperity
of town and country. Two thousand
men own fifteen millions out OF the
nineteen millions of Irish acres (; 874
men own u quarter of all England,
IL men own q quarter of Scotland.
Now these Ii held that they
have a right if they choose to clear
their estates of people. Some have
done SO or nearly. A portion of
Scotland, comprising two million
acres, equal to three or four Irish
counties, have been turned into deer
forests, and glens that once supported
thousands of families have become a
savage wilderness, only used as a
place of amusement for feudaI lords
and successful merchants who have
been admitted to their society aud
have acquired their habits. Ireland
knows something about depopula-
ton. No man dares now deny it was
both a crime and o blunder. Is it to
continue? Lord Derby limited the
other day that the English farmers
might emigrate. No, cried the alarm
ed English newspapers, we have al
ready too few of that useful class.
We could part with your l%ordship's
class more advantsgeously. The Eng
fish Freshmen would not have per-
ceived this so readily had Irish farm
ers been under consideration. Two
thousand men have hitherto said to
the Irish p~eopie-we do not care for
Continental experience, nor for rad
lcal theorists like Golden and Bright,
o for philosophers like Mill, nor
collectors of facts like Kaye, nor for
three millions of people lost 10 Ire
land by emigration, which cost, it Is
calculated, Ease, 100000 sterling to
produce. We have the government
of ireland in our hands. We shall
be kind and considerable after our
own fashion, but you shall cultivate
the soil as hitherto. We shall raise
the rent as we like, aud shall turn
you out and confiscate The property
you have created when it suits us.
For is not the land u property, as
the merchants goods are his? "The
mills OF the gods grind slowly but they
grind exceeding small" Distress has
now taught the nation hat the great
est happiness of the greatest number,
with the least possible suffering to
amy. is the object of existence of So
ciety. Ireland intends to have, and
shall have, as happy, as prosperous,
and as large a population per square
mile as Belgium. England and Scot
land are rapidly making up their
minds To the same, even though no.
tice to quit should be served upon
the two thousand Irish and the NV en-
ty-five thousand British men who
hold by feudal tenure. In Ireland,
when the two thousand serve notice
"notice TO quit" they also notice the
poorhouse TO be ready to receive the
cvicted. The nation will, 10 doubt,
be more generous than this toward
the two thousand. l think | have
said enough to show that it would be
we'll for the landlords to avoid hurl-
ing charges of communism at the adj
v%ocates of the people, and the sooner
they muzzle such men as Lord Dram
more and "Jim Lowther" the better
for Themselves. In a few days | shall,
In another letter, go farther into this
question, and try to arrive at a prac-
tical and satisfactory conclusion.