, 1880-01-25

GNILlod 1Nu1kE E6AENGA ~ 4a1ch HANIs
The most striking evidence Of the antago-
nistic feeling between the English and the
Irish people Is the seeming heartlesness OF
the English press concerning the legal pro-
ceedings now going OH in Ireland against the
tenants In arrears for rent We need not re-
peat the story Of the horrible land system in
Ireland. The owners are mainly non-rosi-
dents, and representatives Of Saxon families
who obtained the land by confscatlon, and
who spend their time and money in England
or on the Continent. The land Is, in many
cases, If not generally, covered with settle
ments Of fixed sums, to be paid annually out
Of the rents. The owner inherits the estate
charged with these settlements in favor Of
various persons,-bTothers sisters, cousins,
uncles, and aunts. The residue Of the rent,
after paying these liens, is the share Of the
proprietor, who, in turn, at his death, charges
the land with provisions for the support of
those dependent on him. Land is often, in
this way, subjected to charges for the support
of two generations Of persons receiving annu:
tiles out of the rents. To meet these,
and to live in the style of a nabob there is a
necessity for keeping the income from the
rents at the utmost SUN. The. expenditure
of the owner is limited to his income from
the land; and, as there is not enough land to
supply all those leeches the landlords resort
to the practice Of renting by competition.
This is what is known as 'raek-renting." A
tenant-farmer who pays $40 an acre rent,
and who by hard labor and economy is just
able to make that rent and support his FAM
lily, is met at the next leasing by notice that
the farm will be rented to the highest bidder.
If the landlord receive offers OF SIS, $40, or
even SIS all acre rent, the tenant in posses
sion must, though he knows the land in the
best of seasons will not pay this sum, ad-
vance on these prices or move out, and proba-
bly, be unable to get another farm even on as
good terms. This system Of rack-renting, OF
renting by competition, practiced year after
year, has forced the rates of rent to such
point that the laborious struggle Of the ten
ant is to pay the rent and get potatoes and
buttermilk enough to keep his family from
starving, II there be even partial failure
of the crop, or it thefe be partial blight Of
the potatoes, then there is either an inability.
to pay the whole rent or chance Of the
family famishing, and perhaps both.
The crops Of Ireland land also Of England)
partially failed in 1878. In 1879 the failure
was even greater, and American competition
in meats and breadstuffs deprived the pro-
dncers of much Of the value Of what little
they had to sell. The loss was general, ex-
tending to every county in Ireland and to
every locality, reducing the whole tenant
farming population, north and south, Catho-
lie and Protestant, to common plane Of mis-
fortune. To the extent OF their crop, to the
value Of every bushel of grain and roots, to
the money received for every pig, and beef,
and COW, for every pound OF butter, and tor
everything that labor could produce all
was given over to the landlord to pay the
rent ALL that was reserved was such scant
quantity OF potatoes as might furnish the
family with food until more could be raised. |
The failure to pay the rent in whole or
only in part Was, of course, reduction OF |
the income Of the landlords. They suffered |
the loss OF 10, Is, or 40 per cent Of their in
come, and, as their habit Of living required |
every penny of income, the default Of rent !
has subjected them to Inconvenience. They
had the illegal claim to their full rent The |
tenants legally owed them the whole sum
called for By the contract. They had the
legal power to enforce all the hard obliga-
tions Of that contract. In short, the law and
the cruel custom Of Ireland were on their;
side. d,
But while there is no more legal defense !
for the non-payment Of full rent this year,