, 1880-02-08
TIE TORIES PLAN FOB THE RELIEF
OF IRELAND.

| uE 1REAANu.
Sir Stafford Northcote's proposed measure
for the relief Of Ireland ara such as m1gf
have been expected from the leader Of tt
Tory party In the House Of Commons veal
temporary, restrictive, ard inadequate Th
landlords through whose avarice and cruelt
the Irish peasantry are starving and hal
naked are to be made the instruments Of tn
Government In relieving the distress Loan
are to be issued to such of the landowners a
may apply, to be by them expended In th
improvement Of their lands, thereby giyin
employment to the tenants. When 1t Is re
membered that it Is On the estates Of the rack
renting landlords that most distress prevails
and that these same Lords are more deslrou
| Of clearing out their tenantry than Of aiding
them, the efficacy OF the Government meas
ure cannot be we'll perceived. Then, again
the loans are to be made on security. Mos
Of the estates Of the rack-renters are heavily
mortgaged, and it is improbable thai
they will be burdened by their own
ers to any greater extent, even Il
the Local Government Board was willing to
negotiate loans on the security OF such es-
tates. It is well to bear in mind also that the
compensation paid to worktngmen will be
very niggardly. In Justification Of this
statement we might offer the case Of the Earl
Of Kenmare, a Catholic nobleman living in the
County Kerry, who has borrowed Sl3.0o0
from the Church Surplus Fund, and who
pays his 1ab0rers shilling, or Is cents, per
day. Out Of this scanty sum man is sup
posed to be able to support himself and fam
uyl
Another provision Of the proposed meas
ure. will give power to the Local Government
Board to authorize Boards Of Guardians to
give outdoor relief. That this authority will
be productive Of some good in many places
Is beyond doubt, but there are many places
also in which it will remain dead~letter, be-
cause Of the landlords forming majority Of
tha Board Of Guardians. In 1s47,4s some Of
these Boards were SO remtss in the perform
ance Of their plain duties in relieving the
sufferers that an act OF Parliament was
passed giving the Local Government Boards
authority to remove them, and this was done
in 14S cases. The system OF outdoor relief,
too, is demoralizing and desrading,- de-
grading, indeed, that sensitive people had
rather die Of starvation than receive it. The
manner in which this outdoor-relief business
was managed In 1873 was simply horrible.
"The feeding Of dogs In kennel was far
more orderly.''
The only feasible, practical, and sensible
plan OF immediate relief would be the en-
ployment OF the people in some useful and
necessary productive works. This is what
the repr esentatiyes Of the Irish people de-
manded months ago from the Government;
but the Tory leaders are veEitable ''Bourbons,
who never learn or never forget anything,''
aud they seem determined to move In the !
same old groove IS in 1s47-'4s There !
are thousands Of acres Of waste lnnds
which, by proper drainage, might be |
changed into arabic land where fami-
les might live In comfort and prosperity. /
Many Of the Irish streams periodically over
low their beds, and a slight outlay towards
deepening their channels would prevent
hese overdows and the consequent destruc-
ion OF much valuable property. Then there
re the fshing-harbors, which by slight
utlay might be put into good, serviceable
onditfon, but which are now mere creeks
7fthout docks, piers, or anything which
"oAe4 Aouo1A Gacl4 ~ a4iaulc LUZ tHe purpose
Or which they are attempted to be used.
uch matters have been brought before the
ttent1on Of the Government by the Irish
lembers, only to be totally disregarded.
hey do not wish that the control Of the
'lef funds shall pass out of the hands Of
leir pets, the landlords, who may be able to ,
Sc the influence which the distribution Of |
70 funds shall give them to bolster nm an |
famous system Of land tenure.