, 1880-03-06
MR.. BRIGHT ON IRISH LAND.
(Fyom the Tines.

IT ann QGIIOl 81 IN
cnmatances of our birth and education that
r. 10 impossible to Overleap them! Is
thera a path marked out for each OF us
from which we cannot diverge! Must we
acknowledge the truth of the saying OF the
cynic. that while few men grow IN physical
stature after they are twenty, fewer stlli
grow in mental stature after they are 1OrtyF
Mr.. Bright practically devoted the whole
of this his most serious speech-his nnual
speech to his constituents-to the conslde-
ration of the Irish land question. NO sub
iect could better deserve his attention.
We are glad to see that he turned aSlde
from the well-threshed topics OF foreign
politics to a matter of domestic concern as
pressing as it is difficult. The constituent
cies ought by this time to be fairly well
informed on the merits Of these cOntrOver-
sizes. They may be left to pronounce iudg-
ment upon Cyprus and Afghanistan aud
South Africa when the moment comes for
an appeal to their suffrageS. Meanwhile
there is q situation in Ireland which can
he satisfactory to no one; II a public
man fulfls a patriotic duty in addressing
himself to it. The subject is of that peril
Ous character hat most men avoid 1t az
much as possible; and we recognize the
courage of Mr.. Bright in not tiinching from
il. 1t is also fair to say that he dismissed
the subject with perfect good temper, and
with a special depreciation of violent rene
dies. But when We pass on to examine the
substance of his remarks, we are conscious
of the creeping progress OF that feeling OF
depression to which we have referred. Mr..
Bright attacks the problem of the Irish
land question, and offers us his suggestions
for it's solution. They are precisely what
we have heard from him before, neither
lu,c IL ro,rnIunoS HE old 1oc-
SONS without amplitication or variation.
His proposal is the same az ever-to
change tenants into proprietOrs paying
certain terminable annuities to the State.
1T is necessary that a man should thus
! repeat his story when he is struggling to
impress upon the world truths or opinions
that have received no attention. Nearl-
u some iteration becomes III that ease a
virtue, and we approve the devotion OF a
man who does not scruple to he tedious so
= t'xlt he may he heard. Here the circum-
stances are different. Mr.. Bright's plans
have been fully examined, and have been
tried. 1t is alleged that they have broken
down under the difficulties of the first adj
verse seasons to which they have been
exposed. 1t is certain that they have
been subjected to searching and severe
criticisms of a thoroughly practical charac-
ttF. SuCn dr. require cAdHllHatlOH ana Te1uJd-
etion, if refutation be possible. But Mr..
Bright takes notice OF none of these things.
He tells his old tale as if nothing had hap
pened. He speaks as if he never had
heard of, and perhaps he never has read,
Mr.. Fawcett's last speech to the electors of
Hackney. He make no observation on
the statement that many of the purchasers
of the Church lands have fallen in default
in the payment of their annual instruments,
to the embarrassment of the Church Es-
tateS Commissioners, who hesitate to eXer-
else their legal remedies against them.
: He takes up his parable as he first pro-
pounded it fourteen years ago, without any
note to show that he is conscious of the
tests to which it has been subjected.
We must deal with Mr.. Bright as we find
him; but if not for himself, then for the
sake of others who are seriously examining
this question of land tenure in Ireland, it
is necessary to examine his plans by the
light of criticism and experience. There
is something like a social revolt in Con-
naught, and we are not disposed to under
rate the significance of the fact. What is
the exciting cause of it? The allegation
IS that a numerous ~tenantry are so COM
pletely under the control of their landlords
that the latter Fix the rentals of their hold
ings at exorbitant rates, resulting in
chronic Indebtedness, varied by spasms
of absolute restitution. It was upOn such
an allegation that the remarkable resolu-
ton was drawn last week by The
OOOnOghue with which he maid his footing