, 1881-12-18

Gladstone's act, The landlords have III
many cases accepted the inevitable, and set
tied the unpaid rents by reducing tile GID de-,
1nand to the average rent fixed for new
leases by the Land, Court. Wherever tliis
has been done the tenants have Quickly
availed themselves Of the opportunities Of
fered b, the Land bill. -
+: The Lanu law:does not permit the court to
grant new leases to tenants who are IN ar-
rears for their ront, unless they pay or make
some arrangement with tue Landlords lor tne
arrears.W When the holding is good one.
and the tenant INDUSTRIOUS the Landlords
who accept for the past the rates hxed tor
the future ,lnay demand payment :ot me ar
re3rages in cash or permit 1t to.be PAID IN
ANIMAL or se1ni-anuua1 install.nents, and gen.
orally come to an amicable agreement
Those not paying rents at present are OF
two CLASSES, those who are actsiated by pol't-
ical motives, and those who demand a rettne-
ton Of the rates under which the arrea{ages
have accrued. Others who are liopelesly IN
solvent, Of course pay no rent, ;snd naturally
rank themselves with the patriotic class, anu
the landlords are preparing to evict tnon a1'o
sell their tenant-rignts to the highest olape1s'
1t will take some time to arrange anu se1r
tie at co,nplications and difficulties among
half a million small teuant-farlners, but the =
general tendency is to secure the great pene-
fits Of the Land bill as soon as possible. !.
The new rates Of rent fixed BY the Land
Court are universally accepted as fair ana
equitable, and the resulting benefits of low
rent, fixed tenure, and property right OF tue
| tenant will eventually break doYn the polit-
| ical and revengeful antagonlsm to the Land
! law. Personal interest is steadily sett4Ag
and qiileting the con1motion among inc
.peasantry. The wild and ehinerlcal Fellan
dreams Of secession and independence have
not taken deep root among tho masses ot tne
Irish population: but are restricted prettS
much to the students and young po!ltlclahs
and writers Of the cities. Inc oioer anu
cooler men have more conprefienslve no
tions Of the power and determination OF the
| British to stamp out any attempt ln that
direction, For veal or for wo, the Two
islands are linked Together III one Govern
nlent, and there is no divorce court strong
enough to sever them:
The work Of placing loyal rental valua'
tions upon the land held by $50, ooo tenants Il
| a great undertaking, but even that work Is
principally embarrassed and delayed by the
fact that lnrge proportion of the tenants
are one or two years III arrears for BACK rem
and the difficulty Of making equitable settle
mcnts of these arrears. It may be that. ow
ing to the obstinacy of some OF these laho
lords this inability to compromise the ovor
!, due rents may lead to evlctlons altd to u'e
outrages and barbarities incident to sucl
proceeding OIL many estates; but the "a fac'
remains that ireland is in the process OF pael
tication. and Of permanent character: The
$50, ,o00 land-occupiers have it now in thell
power to beconio permanent holders OF tns
land, and under a legal tenure TINT VII
give them a property interest in man!
cases equal to the value of the land
lords interest in the rated land: q
people thus. lifted from poverty ant
endowed with permanent property INTEREST,"
! will readily address themselves tp the PRO
motion of their: material interests, to Wllict
peace Is an essential prereQuislt It will re
qilire time, patience, and forbearance, but !
| is probable that within even a,year from tn
opening Of tneLand Court two-tllirds OF tn
!. tenant farmers OF Ireland will he in posses
sion under their fifteen years. leases at tat
rents Of tie lind, audi that in duo time tn
whole populatio1rwai be enjoying the ben
etits of Gladstone's7egreat measure OF 1ustlc
| y