The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-12-30
The irish Agitation in England.

The following reference to the troubles In
Ireland, taking from the Baltimore Sun, gives
! significant direction to popular thought and
indicates the possibilities to result from the
eruptions which are upheaying social and po-
litical order, and threatening the existence OF
the United Kingdom of Great Britain. 1t is
entirely within the range OF probability, that
England will have the same spirit, but not to
such an exaggerated extent,to encounter Win
in the immediate territory Of her own island
that she will be forced to contend with in Ire
land. What the result of the agitations now
gong on may be no one can foretell. II Is
protest against the despotism OF the landlords
which demands tribute from the Impoverished
many for the luxurious living and immoral in
dulgences of the privileged few, and is, in an
other form, the same struggle that IS threaten
ing the peace of Germany and Russia, and
gradually working into the frame work OF the
monarchial governments of Europe Ger
MANY is insecure, even to q greater degree
than England, not from land leagues, but from
the revolving spirit of the people, against
the arbitrary methods and despotic power OF
the empire At this time. Germany can
look to no outside coalitions or combina-
tons. Even Austria is held to her in treaty
sympathy as mere pretense or hollow pro-
fessior of friendship. That Germany realizes
this is evidenced by the immense increase IN
her budget since 1870. Notwithstanding she ex-
acted from France $2,0OO,0 100000 indemnity
money, the condition of her treasury Is I'M
poyerished and she is now on the market as
borrower. This necessarily follows the in
creased expenses attending her enlarged ar
mament, and augmented military force. Nom
inally at peace with the world, there is a con-
cealed apprehension that all is not secure,
whether from the socialistic spirit which is
threading through all the ramifcations of her
government, or from the consciousness that
throughout Europe there is popular restless
ness under the restraints restrictions and re-
pressons of monarchial institutions. The
whole subject, comprehended in the land
leagues of Ireland and England, the socialists
of Germany and Spain, and the Nihilists OF
Russia is moving the masses, and storm that
may shake to their foundations the govern
ments of those countries, if not topple to their
fall their very pillars, is impending. In what
form it may develop itself, it is impossible now
to forecast, but that it will come we believe,
and come with fearful fury, sooner or later.
| The Sun says:
| The Sun has received from friends in England
copies of recent issues of newspapers and
"broadsides" in that country which illustrate the
fact that the land reform agitation is spreading
| from Ireland across the channel. 1t seems to
| be beyond question, as was several years ago
predicted by John Stuart Mill, that tho leading
issue in British politics will soon be that of a
thorough and radical revision of the system OF
| land tenure In that reform the rights Tor
claims) of the landlords would certainly be
much less considered than the more substan-
tial interests of the much larger body of ten
ants and peasantry. The papers include a
singularly effective ballad, printed at Kelso, in
Perthshire, and written in the style of Burns's
"A Mans Man for a That" entitled "A
Patch of Land; the Rochdale Observer, Mr.
Bright's organ; the Radical, new penny
paper, and the Financial Reformer. All these
papers are eategorically opposed to any scheme
for coercion in Ireland. All are equally in
favor of extending the land reform agitation
into England. 1t seems to be undoubtedly
the case that the obstacles which have chiefly
prevented the present British ministry from
suppressing lawlessness in ireland have origi-
mated in the desire of Messrs. Bright Cham
berlan, Dixie and their followers to extend
the propagandism of land reform to England
Mr.. Bright advocates free trade in land on the
same broad scale that he upholds it in fiscal
matters, and to carry out his views would IN
volve abolition Of the law of primogeniture
the substitution of q real ownership for the
system of entails and settlements, new regula-
tions for the conveyance and perpetuation OIL
title in freeholds and for the transfer of estates
reforms which, it is claimed, will leave the
natural forces and resources of England per.
fectly free to work out their proper results
free and intelligent people" ut cannot be
well with U.s." says the Right Hon. w. E. Bax
ter, NJ. p, so long as 2184 persons hold 49,,
875, 522 acres, and single individual owns
100000; that half the county of Northumber
land is held by 26 persons. and one-half of the
land in England and Wales is in the hands O
TO owners" Mr.. Baxter contends that this
Unbalanced tenure is the direct and inevitable
result of the feudal laws still retained upon
the statute books of Great Britain, and he in
sists that the sb0)ibion of such laws on the
continent of Europe has been attained in many
instances with sensible amelioratiop of the
condition of large classes of the population. HI
compares the condition of the peasantry OF
Saxony with that of the Bohemians, men liv-
ing under a law which permits the free play Of
the natural forces of accumulation and dis
persion, with that of those who dwell where
feudalsm still lives and contends that these
examples make the necessity plain tor free
trade in land. 1.-THE Radical" paper just
started, appears to think that organization is
the leading present need of advanced thinkers
in England. It reports the existence of a
strong anti-ceercion association in that country
the address of which it publishes, and it con-
tends thsI the only proper way TO deal with
lrelands crisis is to treat it as Englands crisis
likewise. 1t publishes special appeal to
liberal members of Parliament, in which the
point is made, in direct antagonsm to Mr.
Gladstone, that the device of "order before re-
form" is conservative continuance, and that
1.-The surest and quickest way to get order is to
reform" This circular and an appeal in be
half of the paper, addressed to "the -rascals o.
Great Britain, is signed by Helen Taylor (step
daughter of the late John Stuart Mill and
representatives of many of the leading work
ingmen's organizations in the United King
dom. 1t is obvious from the tenor of these
publications that those interested in them be
lieye that England has beam which must be
removed from her own eye before she can sue
cessfnily deal with the mote in 1reland's eye
1