The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-08-12
The Woes Of Irish Tenants.

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during any former period of her history.
1t is a true figure of speech to call her
the Niobe among nations, yet no people
was ever more unfortunate or had more
reason to complain of the DEGREES of fate,
the oppression of foreign rulers, or the
follies Of her own leaders. The Irish
are a generous and impassioned people,
whose intellectual qualities should have
won them collectively as a nation the
place that they have long held individ-
ually as poets and orators. Genius has
by no means raised the Irish above
earthly ills. They starve at home or
wander as exiles to the Uttermost parts
Of the earth. At present they are the
chief theme Of newspaper correspond
ence and telegraph. They have just
passed through one of those periods of
famine, such as bring tears to the eyes
of the whole world, arouse the beneyo-
lent to action, and turn toward their
shores the prows of ships laden with the
free gifts Of fortunate lands. The fam
inc is over, but it's effects remain. 1t
has left the people Impoverished and
unable to pay their rent. Evictions are
numerous as they never were before, and
the Gladstone Government is trying TO
see what can be done for poor tenants
by remedial legislation. This is not
easy. Tenants cannot be relieved Of
their burdens except at the expense Of
landlords, and to take from the landlords
the right to collect their rents is an in
terfcrence with the sacred rights of prop
erty. The fight goes or in the House Of
Con,mcns fron day to day, causing an
utter loss of dignity among English law
makers, and nearly diSruptins the Cabi-
net which Mr.. GladAtone not long ago
put together with such s~crupulous care.
Little progress has thus tar been made
with the new act Of relief, which; &C
cording to the clumsy nomenclature Of
Parliament is called the Compensation
fer Disturbances Bill" and its fate will
probably be to pass the Commons and
fall ANONYMOUSLY in the House Of Lords.
The bill was framed by Mr.. Forster,
who, in presenting it, told a tale of woe
regarding Ireland. He said that the
evictioas during the first half OF the
present year had amounted to 1913,
against an annual average heretofore Of
500. In the West Riding Of Gal
way, since the lst Of January, there
had been l07 constabuiary officers
and $500 men employed as process
servers, and l6 officers and 626 men In
the actual business of eviction. Evic-
ton was followed By the most serious
consequences. The holdings were small,
often being titled by a single man, usu-
ally by the renters alone. As a natural
result, hired help was not needed, and
when a person was evicted from his own
holding, there being no possible employ
ment for him at hand, his only refuge
was the %pcorhouse.
1t is here that the government at
tempts to intervene and help the tenant
bv preventing his eviction, or paying
him something by way of compensation
if he is evicted without cause. The bill
contemplates bringing the questions of
landlord and tenant before the county
courts, in the following manner When
a tenant is unable to pay rent in conse-
quence Of two or more bad harvests,
and is willing TO continue his occupa-
ton Of the land on reasonable terms, if
his terms are refused by an unreason-
able landlord, then the county court
can interfere, and either compose
the difficulty with the landlord,
or compensate the tenant if he is un-
Justly driven off the rented premises.
Such a law, if it were of general appli-
cation, and not limited as to time would
work great hardship to the landlord by
removing him from the control Of his
own property, and putting the county
judge in his place. 1t has, therefore, a
limitation to a year or two Of time, and
is circumscribcd in action to the dis
ttricts that have suffered most by famine.
The reason urged in opposition to it,
excellent as 1t is in motive, yet so COM
pletely subversive of the first principles
that govern land tenure, can easily be
imagined. To people far off, and in the
light of cold, hard facts, It seems utterly
impracticable. Yet a majority favor it
in the House of Commons, and it will
have many supporters in the House of
Lords. 1t is opposed naturally by all
the Irish Landlords, and by every friend
of the Beaconsfeld administration now
sitting in Parliament. The general
voice of the Iondon praus ia also aoaipat