, 1880-12-04
The Irish Land League.
Mr.. Michael hatiit EypsaRds IT, rrtnei-
pir> nj the Cooper htsa.

Under The aiispiees ef The Ladies land
League, Mr. Michael DaSitt, last night
bid goodbye to the Irish h-Americans OF
New York at Cooper Union. When lie
2.ss introduced be said he would not de-
liver the lecture ,le hsa prepared for the
OCCASION, for the reason that ne tacrshs
the people Of Ireland and the cause he
represented would be better served by an
explanation Of the Land League and It's
aims. TO follow the speaker through
the easy aeyelopehient OF his theme IN
tie stdet If has expression would require
much space, and it Vii save much room
and conserve that gentleman End il the
main features OF his discourse are present
ed IN brief He explained that on the 2lst
of October, 1879, fifty or sixty gentlemen
having the welfare of Ireland At heart,
met AZ the Imperial Hotel, in SackvIl!e
Street; publin and organized what is now
knnun the worEd cSet - the band League.
The platform they adopted = That
meeting Is nov that of the Land League
parry, and its two cardinal features are
to put an end to rack renting and insis,
on reform in the present land law. As
the organization and the English govern
ment are now rival claimants for the
moral support and sympathy uf the world
Mr. Davilt 'aid he PROPOSED ia dscuss
the claims Of the party which he repre-
sented and to endeavor tn correct certain
errone'u us views concerning 1t for which
the American press had, IN fact, been
responsible During the past eighteen
months three men rad be II killed IN Ire
land, which has population 81 5,0O0,-
900 souls, ard forthwith the Land l. agul
is accused of inducing anarchy and caus-
ING indiscriminate slaughter. Mr.. DavItt
venrured to say that during the same
per,ud there s.sd been about four times
as many murders in New York City. 1t
was foolish tn accribe these murders to
the Elnd b-a"ue, or 70 think that tn.
m whn were behind IL would jespar
diz. the tate of 5000, 900 penpis by ill.,
citing individual assaults. The assault of
the league WAS not aeains: mar., hut
agains; hateful and unjust institution.
rHE LAND of IEELANp.
The hud ii Ireland, hc said, la l., en
takei by conquest from the rc,'P.~, and
those VII" bcid t to-day had np better
claim to IL than tine robbers who had
transmitted j, to them. For the benefit
of American citizens who hold their own
hand he asked indulgence TO quote a f,w
Statistics In ireland. said he. there are
q, ,GJ0. 900 acres Of land, and Just listen 10
how i, is divided :-452 men own 5000
acres each, I55 Den own 10000 acres
each, 10 men oan 0,G00 acres each, II
men oWn $1,000 acres each, , men own
100, ,0N each, l nIan, the Marquis Of
Lanls.iowne, owns 10, 900 and a crngTe-
gaticn uf 2:i2 of them own more than
& 800, COO acres of the land. while 90 o,
900 If the p-- pie do not ovr among them
one acre. He inquired where they grt the
land. how they iec;lme possessed of It, and
IN history lie found the answer that they
had been invested with 1t by the s;ihluga-
rions ui ireland. The ASSOCIATION II Sal
tiers, OF London, own $4,000, the Diapers
of the same place, % Zoo acres, the Mer-
GERS, u ,oG0 acres, the SINNERS, - 600
acres, the FishmoDeers, 20, 600 acres, the
Ircnmon3nrs, 10000 acres, and the Gro
GERS IL, ,019 acras, which they had III some
instances been awarded for furnishing the
means nf sending an invading army from
England l., take L. These associations
and the absolute landlords take annually
out of |. Gland so, ,000, ,0G0, which is spent
i'll other places, and thus the country is
utterly prosir rate and unable 10 hslp itself
when a crop fails All the Irish tenant
cali do is TO get enough to live on and
pay the usurious rent exacted from HIM.
He is compelled to live from hand to
mouth The fault is not with the Irish
people, it is with the system uhder which
they are oppressed. 1t is not 81 IN Eng
land or Scnrland, for in both places the
system is quite different. In Ireland
there is no freedom of Contract the
tenant has eithe.' II take the land az the
price at which it is offered or starve. He
cannot, as tie Scotch or English farmer
can, :.haud"n agriculture and 90 into all
adjacent town, and, with his family, work
in mill for these are few and well TILED.
He must Iay the rent or starve. The
argument that he paid the rent ten
years ago will not hold good as
reason WHY he should he able T.. d. 1t
to-day. Ten years ago the cheap and
abundant cereal production Of the great
west had not been brought into close COM
petition with his products in his own
market In conclusion Mr. Davitt as
snred his hearers that the action Of the
Government against the leaders of the
movement would not effect in the least
the cause and mission of the Land