, 1880-11-07

! That there should be trouble In Ireland Is
| by no means new story. There has been
no time within the memory Of several gen
erations when there was not a piteous appeal
ON the one side,-a rough, il not cruel response
on the other; a strong pro, ocation given to
"outrage," and severe and bloody punish
ment Of the outrage thus invited.
The partial famine in Ireland and three
successive short crops III England brought
prominently before the English people the
question Of Irish land tenures, and obtained
for the question discussion not often grant
! etl III England to any matter OF Irish politics.
Hitherto the Irish complaint touching tho
rent OF their lands has been treated with
contempt in England; but the English ten
ant, as well as the English landlord, has had
his own season Of distress, and has there
fore been compelled to understand the Irish
case. The New York Nation, paper by no
means oyerfriendly to the Irish. thus clearly
states the present situation:
It seems to have been at last made clear
that the fact that the English. landlord
makes all tho improvements on farm
SanFs IN m Whe te frsh
does nothing but furnish the land, constitutes
very marked difference between the land sys-
tabished by ull hut conclusive evidence thut it
is customary, Or ar'all events very common. for
Irish landlords to rnise their rcnts on account Of
improvements tnnde BY the tcnnnt, IN II manner
which amounts to confscahon OF the tenants
property; also that in all tht}sc districts and
thsc estates in WHICH the tenants property III
: his Improvements Is recognized rs a salable
interest under the name OF - tennnt right or
goodwill. the utmost content and good feeling
hctweCn landlord and tenant prevail, and there
is 1Ow no disturbance.
The Land League in Ireland has assumed
the character Of tenants-union, in which
those who lease lands unite and resolve to
stand by each other to compel a modification
Of the land system. These men propose to
pay no longer any excessive rates Of rent;
in case u tenant is eyictcd, without being
paid for the improvements placed on the
land. no other tenant shall hire that land,
which must thercupon remain unoccuplcd
and prohtless to the owner. The tenant
eyicted under such circumstances must be
taken care of by the public, but the landlord
loses the revenue from the land. 1ndcpend-
ent Of all questions connected with the OWL
erslip of the soil, the grievances touching
the estates OF tenants may be thus summed
UP:
The denial to five-sixths Of the tenants Of
compensation to them for any improvements
in the way of buildings, drainage, or
any other form Of bettcrments placed by them
on the land; the enforcement of arbitrary
rules by landlords which prescribe to tenants
how they shall live, how many persons shall
reside OIL tile land, how their families shall
be divided; the regulations Of social char
acter enforced Us conditions of the lease
which reduce the tenants to the condition of
Serfs.
A nobleman--a large proprietor Of Irish
lnnls III Wexford County-has recently pub
lished the system which has been in force on
his estates for sixty years. This system
recognizes the independence OF the tenant
so long as he pays his rent He finds ample
compensation for the surrender OF the ordi~
l1a1y landlord despotism in the peace, con-
tent, and general prosperity among the
occupants OF his estate. An eject1nent for
non-payment of rent seldom occurs, but even
then the tenant Is allowed to sell his interest
In the lease and in his property. Among
other things complained Of is, Of course, the
rate Of rent asked. 4 man who farms well
Is instantly charged a higher rate; his skill,
thrift and industry are at once made the
pretext OF extorting higher rent; so uni
versal is this rule that poor farming is en-
forced to avoid the penalty Of doing better.