New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-20
" BOTCOTIYNG.r

Americans cannot Hclp DlhR ;HHutHCtu ~
their sympathlcs in discussing the agrarian
movement in Ireland. \ large class wao are
III the habit of reading English journals and
reviews are impressed with the ingenuity ana
good faith Of Liberal rclormcIs and prcju-
decd 40 inst 50 mproyident and lawleSs
race as thc Irish pca>antry. Another large
elias, united by ties Of hood with that I'M
povcrshed pouu.Gl.on. are swaycd by patriotic
Impulse, and res ntmcnts and disposed TO hold
English patti 5 10 4 rigid responsibility for
the WRONGS and misloriunes Of Ireland. In
discussing the general aspect of tins question
we have taken pains to caution our readers
against pa'tisan,hip, ana to let them know that
cursymrathies a. Americans should 20 ont bOth
to the Victims OF the land system and to III"
leader, Of the enlightened party who are striy-
ing help them. We can now consider special
phase Oi tilr contr versy without mourning any
risk OF beng misunderstood IN The main issues.
That special phase is Boyc0tiing.' an
ingenious and effective system OF intimidation
which takes its name from lis first victim
Captain Boycott, The sou of an English clergy
man, retired from the army twenty-sevcn years
ago to take a farm in County Mayo. For
seven years H. has been the agent of Lord
Ernie, besides farming on his own account,
and he has expended $4,000 in mprOv-
ing the estate. Matters went smoothly
with the tenants until about two months
ago, when ne attempted 10 serve cjcctment
wr.ts on tenants whose rents were in arrears.
On the following day everyone who worked
for him left his employ. FIRM labOreTs,
herdsmen, gardeners and sablrmen, cook
chambernaid and launIress deserted him in
body; the butchcr refused to send him
mea and The baker to give him bread; no.
body would work for him or help him
gather the crops that were rotting III the
fields; and when he went to the village he
was surrounded by an inluriatcd crowd that
hoo.ed and yelled at hlm until they were
hoarse. This state of siege continued for
several weeks. As many a. ten cOnstaDles
occupied his premises, and when the peasintry
were fairly aflamc with eXcitment over
rumor that a band of Orangemen had
been seen marching toward his house,
troops were dispatched from Dublin
to Balinrobe and Tough Mask to res
cue the garrison and to protect a number of
volunteer laborerS in harvesting what remained
of the crops. When this is done aud the col
umn Of th0usl md soldiers is recalled, it is evil
dent that Captain Boycott will find it only
prudent to give up Ills lease and 90 back to
England.
Bat Tough Mask is not the only scene of
active ODtlations. Thirteen landlords or |
agents besides Captain Boycott, in the same
county, are said to have been cut off from all |
with the peasantry and left to |
harvest their own crops and feed their fami- |
lies as best they may and in dispatch to |
The Boston Globe Mr.. Parnel predicts that |
this new method of intimidation will be
adopted by the people toward two
thousand landlords and agents before
Christmas, and that IN order to save
the crops Of 1.-The enemies of Ireland the
British Government will be forced to put a
million soldiers in the field. This is, of
course, idle rant but the fact cannot be dis
yuised that "BOycotting" on n large scale
will prove very expensive to the Government.
# it costs several hundred thousand dollars to
gather Captain BOycOtts potatoes, the tax
)aycrs will rue the day when similar relief
columns are set in motion in every Irish
county. 1t is not strange that the leaders of
he Lind League are exultant. They have
levised most ingenious way of hunting the
landlords out of the country and dragging
he Government into a most exasperaiing
contest.
Concerning the morality of Boycotting,"
title needs to be said. Although Captain
}oycott was menaced by mob, and the con-
tables who protected his house were closely
reset, the aim of the Land League in these
,perations is to avoid direct conflict with
andlord or agent and the officers OF the law,
md at the same time to leave them in con-
tant dread OF being molested and utterly
,epiess to collect rents, evict tenants and
manage estates This desire to carry their
Joint without having recourse to bloodshed
nd violence is praisewOrthy. But the essen
ial lawessness of q conspiracy against prop