Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-12-03
The Irish Question.


blood of the Irish race. When readers Of
the various newspaper articles and cable des-
patches lose sight of the natural disposition
of the Irish people, the popularity of their
religious sympathies and training and the
past history of the country, they can get but
a very imperfect knowledge of the question,
and their sympathies, for the time being, are
likely to go out toward the party who for the
time being seems to be getting the worst of
it. If we are told of poor families ruthessly
evicted from their holdings and with no mon
ey to pay rent we sympathize with them and
feel that the poor man is being oppressed.
But when, on the other hand, we learn of a
case like that of the hapless Capt. Boycott
whose wasting crops, at the instigation of
Parnell and his agitating land-leaguers, the
mob will not allow him to gather, then We
have to say this is wrong and utterly indie
feasible. But it is easy to see that we are
thus being affected by the mere surface symp-
toms of a deep scented and ranking trouble.
What can this trouble be?
As we have said above, it is not any one
thing but number of conspiring things-the
natural disposition of the Irish, whose very
blood is impregnated with an undying hate of
the Anglo-Saxon conqueror of Ireland. The
land tenure-but that is in no wise different
from what it is in England and Scotland, ex-
cept this, that in Ireland, previous to the
days of Henry VIII. of England, the lands
were held by tribal tenure and not owned in
dividuslly. ireland, previous to English do
minion, was divided among a number of
tribes with petty kings or chiefs, and the
land held in common. When Henry took
possession he divided the land among his ser
viceable knights and barons, and the meth
DDS of government in vogue in England were
attempted in Ireland Had the Irish not
been Irish. but something else, this might
have worked better. But the people were
not something else-they were Irish. The
successful Englishman was too stupid to
think of any other method of government ex-
cept the English, and Grelands trouble began
yes, and England's too for from that day to
this Ireland has been the sore spot in the side
of England. The sympathies, feelings and
prejudices which long ages of practice have
wrought into the blood of people are not
readily got over. And the Irish people, true
to what is in their blood, SEEK through Par
nell and his CONDUCTORS, a return to some
thing in the land-tenure corresponding to the
ancient tribal ownership of land. Parnell
would have the government, at fair valua-
ton, take the possession of the land from
those whon own it, and lease it to the peo-
pie, which lease should be equivalent to a
sale on such terms as the people can pay. 1t
may be that something like this may be the
only conditions on which the Irish in Ireland
will consent to live in peace and quiet with
| their government. But we confess it looks
little like a step backward. Secretary Schurz
is advocating something like the opposite of
this as a step in the right direction toward
a solution of our Indian Observation-Disclosures
| ownership of the land. and not tribal or COM
mon ownership. Right or wrong, however,
wise or foolish, this is what Par nell and the
| land -leaguers are now bent on driving the
government and the land owners into.
But it seems little short of q hardship for a
man who owns an estate of say five thousand
acres, by right of purchase or right of inner
itance, to be compelled to give it up at the
call of an unreasoning mob. Say he has
| Vi IL Itnltu Ut Ieulhl per hCIe
fairly agreed upon by himself and tenants
Every thing goes on quietly and agreeably
for some years till some rent day the tenant
fails to pay. The terms of agreement are
that if the rent be not paid the tenant mus
vacate the premises. OF course the Landlord
has it in his power to forgive one-half, or the
whole, or any part of the debt, but the ten
ant can have no right to demand it. Sup
pose the landlord refuses to remit the rent
why does he do SO Because he has reason
to believe that he can secure it from anothe
tenant If he be correct in his belief ought
he in Justice to be interfered with? If he b,
mistaken in thinking he can get the sam
rent he would soon find it out, and his loss o
tenant would soon bring him TO terms. Blu
meanwhile what is the evicted tenant to d.
with himself and his large family? If h
were an American, an Englshman, Scotch
man or a German, he would do his best t.
make better bargain elsewhere but bein
an Irishman he will not bulge, he will pa
no more rent, says he must have the land TO
less, and moreover, if any other tenant al
tempts to occupy the farm it will be at hi
peril. Right or wrong, this is the lrishman i
Ireland in four cases out of five.
What shall be done for the sake of peace
Let him have his own way That in man
f cases has been done, TO the aggravation {
the difficulty. No doubt the landed gentr
t of England instinctvely fear the Irish tel
d dency to wrest the lands from the holders
. them, for they begin to find that year by yet
/ it becomes more difficult to collect the annul
. rental Why? let US ask, and the answt
l.. to this question is one of the active causes O
@ the present Irish difficulty. 1t is the emo
: nous importation into England of all kline
j. of agricultural products, reducing, as it doe
d the intrinsic value of both English and Iris
r land. 1t is no different in this respect fro
i what it is here in Vermont or any other Ne
/ England state. Time was when farmiI
o lands in New England were worth much mo
q than they are now. Thousands of acres
J, Vermont once supporting q thrifty, intel
10 gent and happy population are now grown
10 up to weeds and thistles, and the fire on m
% ny hearthstone is quenched, simply becau
Q, larger crops can be produced at less cost els
st where, and since the development of the ra
road system of the country these crops CT
be laid down in every village for less outli
= than it requires to produce them here. VIII
re the West is to New England, its kitchen ga
lie den, it has largely become to old Englan
rs and the farmers products there are not wor
Is what they were twenty years years ago, al
t, it is simply impossible that farmers there CT
~ continue to pay such rents as in the preyio
ly twenty years they could easily pay. But &
D. what this involves. Among other things
of involves a lowering of the scale of expen,
I'd lures of the whole landed proprietor class. TT
H. is one Of the sorest crosses to bear. 1t IN
ID not be that Parnell and his land-leaguers &