New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-03-23

native OF IN appeal 10 dItiiS. W. ~i'iN' 'N
not yet defined his plan OF acton. MI JaIieS
Reapath, the special correspondent oil HE
TRIBUNE. describes meeting held to protest
AGAINST the eviction Of a tenant. lie gives
striking facts showing the harshneSs OF the
landlord system 10 Ireland.
THE PEOPLE AND THE LANDLORDS.
THE HARSH TREATMENT WHOA TENANTS RECEIVE
uLusTRATED--POPuLAR FEELING.
(FRoM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT or The rRIB'NEJ
ATuIoNE Yves, Meath, Feb. 26.--lt IS never more
than ten minutes from famine 70 landiordisrl
Whatever may be his politics h.s creed, every
Irishman when ycu speak 10 him ahout the distress
in Ireland sure 80 introduce the question Of ana
tenure 1t underles every other topic 1t crops our
everywhere
MIR. Parnell is not sklful advocate Of his party
in the United States. Landlords ID Ireland Dear no
more resemblance to land ords IN America than
autocracy bears TO democracy; and yet, because
they are called by the same name, the AVERAGE
fair dealing of the American landlord has
been made an efficient shield against
the honest and deserved assaults ~ Nh,
Parnel on the Irish landlord. The truth is That
there are very few landlords in Ireland. There
are landowners, land-piratcs, land-vau'pTes-
but America, even in the Southwestern states
in Mississippi for example, Louisiana has no class
and few individual examples OF the land
lords of Ireland. The exodus of negroes
from the Southwest to Kansas more largely tie
result Of unfair dealings with colored tenants than
the result of political violence iRoiust colorcd
voters And yet the Mississippi and Louisiana
planter when he rents his land on snares-even on
the hardest terms-recognzes the right Of hi' tenant
TO subsistence; he furnishes not the land only,
but the land fenced in with houses and stables and
stock and seed. He makes advances that enable
his people" to support themselves until the crop
is gathered. He does not cheat his tenant until
Autumn But the Irish landlord recognizes no such
principles and adopts no such policy. AS a rule, be
furnishes the land only. He refuses to give long
leases. His tenant is a tenant at will. who can be
thrown out at the shortest notice; and, in nine
cases out of ten except the Province Of Ulster,
whenever the tenant makes an Improvement has
rent is instantly raised
The leaders of the Land League have never adj
yised tenants to refuse t. pay their rent They
have recommended them in this year of famine not
to paw back rents-that Is. rents charged over and
above" the Government valuation of the lands;
and the more radical speaker have advised the
tenants not to pay money that Is needed to keep
them from restitution until next Autumn. That is
the sum and substance of their offending.
Last Sunday took trip of forty miles TO Knock
aroo near Ballybrophy, in Queens County, to at
tend an Indignation meeting. Two of the most
radical speakers of the Land League-two thor
oughly earnest and honest men-Messrs. DaVitt and
Ferguson had been advertised to address il.
went down with them and the representative OF
the leading Dublin journal. The country between
Cork and Dublin, excepting near the cities, gives no
evidence Of being an ancient and fertile land II is
sinanlarly devoid of human habtation for district
that has been trOdden by the Irish race for two
thousand years. No part OF our country ID
the North. from the Hudson to the Missouri.
appears TO be more thinly settled. Although 1t is
called the most fertile district in ireland, 1t reminds
one of Daniel Webster's description of New Hamp-
shire: "A good country to emigrate from" Messrs
Davitt and Ferguson said that it had once been
deusely populated, but that men and women of the
old race had been driven out TO give place to
bullocks and sheep. Sheep are loyal creatures.
They DON'T give the English Government haIf the
trouble that Irish folks give them. Hence. old
homesteads ing companions said) Lave been made
into sheep walks and where the Irish cottier once
reared his family the English grazer now raises his
focks Ireland, they ali contend could comfortably
support twice its present population; and hence as
they love their soil and race they oppose what they
regard as the twin evils of emigration and land
lordism.
We drove over the country for a few miles In an
Irish haunting car As we came near the old church
Mt the side of which the meeting was to be held
two brass bands approached and serenaded the ora
tors of the day. They played Marching through
Georgia. The Dublin delegation was suddenly
diminished by one member probably a
Yankee journalist, who made an excuse TO
hide his tears ! tell you, these patriotic
tunes in foreign land make fellow
feel homesicki In a large room. built within
the churchyard boundary. a lunch had been spread
for the invited guests by the elected tenunt whose
wrongs had called the neighborhoOd together
There was a side of bacon. loaf or two OF bread,
and several bottles of sherry and Irish whiskey A
peat fire smoudered in the great old fireplace.
sball never blame the Irish for their incorporate
habits again. They have three strong excuses
for il: their lot is wretched their homes are cold
and the liquor is said TO be good. was introduced
to an old farmer named Malachi Kelly He has a
wife and five ildreD He has borne the reputation
all his life long cf being an honest, temperate and
industrious man. For thirty consecutive years he
has rented ninety-eight acres from Erasmus DICK
son Barrows Il believe he is a baronctl and hii
father Half of the land was what IS called IAN
t;Ilage: the rest was mostly swamp not worti
five shillings an acre." He paid at frs
&5s5 per annum for the farm He made
2mproyements The rent was instantly ralre'
to $64O. The landlord soemnly agreed no no
to raise the rent again, and 10 rOot tn'
SweIling-horse and TO build certain Out-otlc!s III
kent neither promise The tenant spent Sl,oUO IL
nermanent buildings in 1873. AS soon as he hae
done 40. the landlord again raised his rent TO $779
Last year, owing TO the bad season. old MI. heiN
d;d moi nav ms rent He was summary evicted
turned out IN his old age into the world, pennies
and homeless. and the buildings that he had palt
TO: became the property OF the landlord: l1'
landlord refused either to give him time or TO re-
duce the rent. Under the Bright clause or IN
Gladstone BILL the tenant would pave reeve I'VE,
Samaoes: but after it's passage Mr. Barrows, IKE
tbousands of other Irish landlords prepared an;
compelled his teants TO sign annual leases III wnlci
,pag agreed 10 nav for the advantages OF the ten
ant right provisions of this legislation
TIE PEASANTS ASSEMBLED.
The Land League have determined to BRING all I'd
mower of public opinion TO bear, whenever an un