The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-12-30
TEE LAND LEAGUE DOCTRINE.

Father Ryan, addressed . large meeting Of
tha Irish laad lesguer', wherein, among
other things, he said: IF ireland Is power
ty-s.riol5on, it is because Of Tho luxury o
tho landlords [ am a gsyoutisnis! in 8
measure. God made Ireland for Ireland, moi
for England" Hora is involved essentially
tho doctrine tia! s now recaiviag 4
large share Of attention on tho part
of tho political economists, or the
agitEtcrs, in the matter Of lande
property. This is no new question, and while
it has disturbed communities and nations,
it has puzzled 'or its solution the visest OF
the philosophers. Said the Btahrnins long
ago, 'To whomsoa5er the soil beongFto him
belong the fruits of it," This ownership Of
land Is the grand ultimate fact Of which ell
resultant things in the moral, intellectual, so
ciAl.snd political sytems are based. On the
land wa are born, on it we ivo,to it, whom lifes
6ihr fsver is over, we silently return. We
wer, p,,.lced upon it without our consent,
and wa lsa> . it mostwise despite our wishes
being all tho VIII Ito dependent on It's produce
for our very o1iste.nCe' 1t is like unto
the sunlight that elayatos p9 ABOVE the raoIs,
like ths atmosphere, as essOntia. 10 us as tho
winged lark that carols It's matln
song ia heavens vault as neceGiry
as the water by means Of which
alos2 tie Iisauog of our bodies are en-.
abloi to absorb and a'siraila!e tho food that
repairs the everlasting waste OF tho syste,n.
Thon,by wha!ligAt enquiries Lar dleagusism,
has anyone to appropriate Il any mere than
he m2y. O2clusiyoly sppcopria.o tbal sum
light, thai atmospha.o or that watos? And
they inquire fur ser, vhcro comes the patent
right of any man to exclusive and transmiai-
bic ownership and possession? Answering
th.so queries. they say tlat thora CAR
be 10 the ownership Of anything, no
rirhtful title which does rot rest upeu tho
natural RICH. of tho man 10 bim3o' anI bis
own facultiGl end that because th9 recogni,
ton Of any other tile is inconsistent with
Raddagruc!iva Of thu, that nature mskos no
discrimination among men in tho acknowl.
edgomaul of ownership or control ia man
save as the result Of bis own erortions or
labor,pnd thus excludes the possibility of any
other rigbtof ownership. With thaa os.u.
sto', they doluc0 the proportion no
TEgal2
en-produOcr.-LhGtis tos S., no mere land
lord, can claim RS rent portion Of tho
weash created by producers. They hence
assert that there csuuot rightfully be suak n
thing as foo simple in Ian 4.
Hall existing mon, under tbair doctrine they
urge, we're to unto 10 gran! away oil tkoir
rights, they could not grant away from their
do'csadsntS tho..right to land. Let the parch.
nonh be ever 20 many. or possession ever
80 long, natural justice can recognise no
right.in one man 10 exclusive landed owner =
ship. They argue that il one NAN can hold
as exclusively his. one single Rers of this
earth, he may own million, and thus this
revolving planet might DO placed
under the demnisn of ons human
being, end all Others he kicked
out into pace as trospsssers aad 8
ne alens # all earth's tosming pa puls-
Asn would nave the right to live " ON
these generic statements, the land loaguarH
of Ireland contend that what upon this sup
position would occur, il, upon 4 smaller
scale, being new realized in actual fact, by
the comparative handful of Crest BritAn's
territorial lords, who. OWE nearly tho entire
surface; Of the. British islea, and mere eSpa-
cisily Of Green Erin. In this view they
claim it is farce for them to call thu En-
eraldaa Isle their own, whom indeed they are
merely permitted to live upon and use
the land endeared to thsm by
memories so tender aud SO glorio US
and for which they ara held in duty-boa nd
10 protect it even with their blood, not for
themselves, but. for these alleged British
opprtssors, just as the aerfs of faudal simss
rendered obsisSnce TO the beck Of their mil
i!sry chieftaisa. We may net thus have e1-
aetly stated tho present claims Of those who
are prominently ugl.a.ihg the work, hut NO
hhvs announced tho doctrine carried to its
ultinits. conclusion, aud ia the present ef-
forts luvkI tho ombryoajc force that must
lead to such development, In the demand Of
to-day is, involved a. menace and promise.
Hence when Father Ryan says he is = row
olutionist, he procaims more than
appears on ths surfsss. Ha commits him
self in that connection 10 course that is
only the avenus.an vSstibule to one of those
great radics! changer ia ths.mattsr of the
ownership Of land which, whether it be prac-
teal or not in this day and gaaerals or
the near future 10 destined TO DO one Of the
prssing.questons that it will not be possible
long to ignore. For tho slow suggs,tion Of
the first half Of this century /, new, with
what truth we hsrs.say nsught, raising its
voice in no uncertain sound and. smanating
from tie broadsst brains, asserting that "the
injustice Of laudlorji,m as inflicted on man
kind, 10 an injustice of the.grAveit sort" and
that the civilization which no..a quarter of q
century ago justiaaa and believed .lAy.
cry to DO natural and proper
institution, and Of divine ordination, has SO