The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-12-27
History OF Land Tenancy In IreIan

The New York HeralTs correspondent
at Belfast has interviewed Biggar, who
said: dispute the absolute right to the
land which landlords claim. The his
tory of land tenancy in Ireland cannot be
ignored as Englishmen ignore it. The
original grants to the landlords by Eng
ish kings did not give them the rights
which they now claim. Tenants then had
as much interest and participation in the
land as the landlords, who only managed
it for their mutual benefit. The only
right which the landlords have is pre-
scription, one of the chief provisions of
the grant being the engagement to fur
nish certain number of soldiers. Land
lords gradually assumed absolute owner
ship, and exercised the right to depopu-
late estates at will Moreover. the Eng
lish kings had no right to give grants ex-
tending beyond their own reign. claim,
therefore, that Queen Victorias s Parlia-
ment has the right at the present time to
| dispose of this property as it may think
best for all classes. If you allow that the
landlord has the absolute rig 1T he claims
to turn off the population, as the DIX ,of
| Sutherland in Scotland did, YOU have
only to logically extend the argument to
prove that he has the power to rent his
land to the French Government, to al
low French engineers to erect fortifea-
t1ons thereon, and to populate it with
| French soldiers, to the constant menace
| of England Landlords assume that
their absolute ownership of the land is
| acknowledged. This is not SO; Parlia-
ment did not acknowledge it when, in
| 1888, it passed the poor law, and forced
the landlordf to pay half the poor rate,
| though previously the landlords had not
paid penny to the support of the poor.
Gladstone's Land Act was another attack
on the rights claimed by the landlords
The x-Premier himself recently az
knowledged the Parhament's right over
the land. This disposes of the talk
about confiscation and the taking of what
belongs to another.
Correspondent the people
possessed the land, would there not be q
new race of landlords in few years
time?
Mr.. Biggar the first instinct oi
an Irishman Is to keep all the land he car
work He would never sell unless obliged
to. OF course there would be exceptions
but as rule there would be but few
landlords. One great reason for rack
renting is that the tenants may be KEEP
from increasing the size of their hold
ings This was not always so. About
thirty years ago the landlords thought il
would be most profitable to let the lane
in large farms, and thus oblige the bull
of the population to work as farm labor
ers. But this plan causes such grea
increase in wages that large farms die
not pay on account of the cost of work
ing them, and to-day farm of twent,
acres, which may be worked by farnse
, and his family, will sell for as mich q
farm twice the size, because de latte
necessitates hiring laborers. My idea {
the settlement of the iand question is o
follows: l woa,u first fix the yearl,
} value of the holdings, giving the tenan
i credit for all the improvements. I woul,
deprive the landlord of the power o
election SO long as the rent was paid
Furthermore, I would give the tenan
J the option of buying up the land in
? fixed number of years, after which tn
tenant would himself be the owner.
Correspondent What do you thinl
!, would be the effect of such plan?
Biggar. peasantry, an,
the productive power Of the countr.
2 doubled
Correspondent. Your plan differs from
: Parnell's.
/ Biggar.--Only as regards detail. L
principle we agree Parnell's plan
: perfectly feasible, however.
Correspondent what extent doe
the agitation depend on Parnell?
Biggar ar-Almost entirely. The peopI
need leader, and he is eminently fitte,
for such post.
II Correspondent DO your Home Rul
J principles and sympathy with Parnell'
J crusade affect your businesse
= Biggar. No; although ] know OF thre
cases-one in ireland, one in Englan
! and one in Scotland where my agent
were rebuffed on the ground, as on
J dealer expressed it, that Home Rul
5 | hams were not wanted. American CON
i petition. however, is making itself ser
8 ously felt in the provision trade through
q out Great Britain.
!. Biggar is the owner of large provii
2 ion establishment in Belfast.
They who are too poor TO trade in III
z world, may buy abnndantIy in God
J J market.
!. General Miles has recovered q Judi
: ment IN the ST. Louis courts .of S10,9 ,97
i against the insuranee companies for b
: own and nine brother of6cer's hAggae
pl lost BY the snagging Of. the Cameron ]
IL tia Miesns1ri river Inst Nav :