The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1881-04-01
Cardinal Manning en- the Land Question.

A letter addressed by His Euiueuce Car
dinal Manning TO Earl Gray in the year 1S6S
has just been printed. 1t contains some re-
markable passages. The Cardinal writes:
''Iu England the traditions Of centuries. tho
steady growth Of uur mature social order the rIpeu-
ing OF our az euiJHre and industry, the even dls
trDutiou and increase OF wealth. have reduced tac
il he an unvrifte1 I,r b., yybi-f H.. I'M, of 7T
are protected. OEr land customs may BE- enforced
in the courts. aud thereby have Tie force of law
Their lands are their homes. English tCuaut-irc
Christian coIllltry--a rovtr which controls the
sovereignty of The CrOwu-thc force OF q vIglluut.
wut-hIul uhIgu5tpus public ouiufon Bur il Ire
land none Oi these thlugs are In uue-iUurth OF
ireland there are land laws. gv rather land Gus
toms which protect tine tenant In thrse-.8urtns
Of Ireland there are neither laws nor customs
The tenants tenants will over q part
ofIrcland the llntI.-lfs are abscutces Tns fnfti-
eating and restraining influences OF the lords OF
cluntry do more TO correct tle e..ssrs of agents
with equity and moderation. are hardly To Dee found
The tenants at viii may De put out lor
waste Of land. or bad farming or breach of cove
naLt II such can he supposed TO exist ali Of which
would bear color Of justice, but for the personal
advantage Of the landlord aTiS ing from the tenants
pr0ycmcuts. for political influence. for caprice.
fOr any passing reason OF for no reason. ssiGucd
or not ssiguable which arise iu minds cuusci
Gus Of absolute and iTesI sIousiuIc power
If the events which have passed in Ireland since
1873 had passed in England, tue pubic opinion Of
the latter country would have ulcriously compcli-
ed the Legislature To turn our land customs INTO
Acts OF Parliament II any sensible proportion of
moving down upou the Thames 1or enbarkati0n
TO America ana dropping ry the roadside from
wayside that they were tenauts-st- viii, evicted
for any cause whatsoever, the public opinion Of
Jhe country would nave risen 10 render Impossible
the repetition OF such absolute and Irresponsible
exercise o: legal rights. II five millions, l. C..
fourth OF the British people, mad either etnlsrated
in mass by reason Of discomfort misery. OF evic-
tion. had died 10y fever and by famine. since the
year ls4s. the wholeland system OF England would
have been modified TO render the return of
such national danger Impossible for ever. But
no1I 'iese suptoslliohS nave Deeu feIlheu IN ire
land II is precisely because these suggestions
have been verified in Ireland that we are now face
10 lace win a most dangerous AZ tdtien- lheTe Is
a loud and bitter cry against laudlUrdism.
and the due distinction between bad and good
landlords Is often airFesarded out u Is uudenia-
bic that this anti-laudlUrd agitation. far IL
goes, is a reaction against the unprinciIhed eXtor
ton ana the anti-udtl tlOnal attitude OF large pro
portion of irish landowners. The late Lord Derby
had the truth and courage charge the Irish land
lorus with nsatla3IS aN'lrce ana so notorious was
this spirit of ava-icc, that Walker, the compiler
the best OF dictionaries, defined the word rack
rent to mean the rent usually eNtorted by Irish
landlords from their tenants
His Emiueuce, in another fine passage,
showed how The conduct Of England was CON
demned by the whole world. He wrote
Il have talked freely tor many years with men
OF most countries in Europe. l have found every
where profound sympathy with Ireland. in no
way hattering TO England. Our insulaTity keeps
these things IRON our ears, and we therefore soothe
ourselves with the notion of superiority 70
other men. But such an abuse Of the rights Of
property is without parallel at least in this cen
tury, on the continent of Europe Our selCrcspeet
should lead Us to give up the illusion that our Of
nee in the civilized world is TO teach the nations
how TO live"
Finally, the Cardinal, or as he then was
the Archbishop thus sums up what the Land
Question is -
1t may be thought that 1 have ventsred to
speak upon a subject which is beyond my capacity
and my duty. But have done $ from the pro
found conviction that the deepest and sorest
oi the discomfort and unrest OF ireland is the Land
Question. see II daily in the destttutton OF my
flock. The religious inequality does indeed keenly
wound and excite the Irish people. Peace and
good will. can never reign in Ireland uutil every
stigma ehaced from the Catholic Church and
Faith, and the calling injustice Of religious in
equality shall have been redresscd- This, indeed
is true. But the Land Question, call II. by
a somewhat hcartIess euphemiSm, means HUNGER.
thirst, nakcdness, notice to quit, labor spefC in
vain, the toll Of years seized upon the breathing
OF homes. the miserieS. sicknesses, deaths, OF pa
rents, children, wives. the despair and wilderness
which spring up IN the hearts oi the poor when le
gal force, like sharp harrow, goes over the most
sensitive ana vital right of mankind. All this is
contained in the Land Question"