The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-01-06


The Objects of the Land League
The trial Of tho leaders of the Irish land
league agitation now going on at Dublin is
not exciting es much interest as was expected.
On the h8t day there was a great crowd
present. but since then no difficulty has been
experienced iu finding accommodations for
visitors in The court room. There is q great
deal of anxiety, Of cou,Fe, about tho retalt,
but tho proceedings are dull and tirslome,
and present little or nothing that ia not
already known.
Thare seems to be considerable uncer-
tainty about tho real objects of the land
league. Ia the December number Of tho
Contemporary Review, Mir. Il. T. O'Connor.
a leader of tho League, ftAtos the gurposos Of
the organization, aad gives r graphic and
deeply Interesting account Of its o1eratioRs
To uSderslaGd fully the objects Of the league
It is, perhaps, necessary 10 explain tao rSls-
ton bstwasa tho landlords aud tsnsnts
The ITish landlords, unlike the land.
lordS Of England, arc, a6 rule
aliens. The majority of lhom never yisii
their estates ard few of them reside in the
country. They have 20 sympathy with Inc
people and are intar5 sted In them only to tho
e&tenl oil the amount of money they can
squeeze out Of thom. In'Englasd the farm
ers have leeseS OF the lsnds which they cult.
vata, and they IRE protected IN their rist..
by law. Ia Ireland the fernera arc tepaRi,
as-Will and can be deprived Of THAR hnmof ,.
short notice by tho landlords or tsgir ar D..
Ihoao who arc acquainted with tn.
history OF Ireland know that thera vss
a terrible famine there, comnsroing
with the yesr 1886 aud ending vith Tho rpor
lSA9. To tho horrors of famine wera eddod
those Of pestilenCe Starvation and disease
made fearful rSvSCes among tho pg3ple.
Hundreds Of thou andB died. Whola + mi
lies wero frequently found daad in their mis-.
erabo novels Oarpsos we're strcwn along
the highways and scattered over the l3S
Thousands ard thousands whs woro sb,o to
sorhpe together few dollars onligrstcd. In
1916, when the famine commencsd
land was S,l74,i2i. By naInro, l rs
crome it ought 10 have boon Q O0o 00n
in 1851. In fact, it WIS only 6 $50, AK
showing less Of nearly 100000 by stSyS'
ton, pestleneo and emigration in little
more than four years. What was tho
conduct OF the Irish landlords during ,hnss
years Of terror, and tho years which imr,ee
diatsly followed Were thay lsaiont with
their tenants, and did they do their mart ~.
ward relieving the general distress2 By no
means. They ex' cted their rents with tbo
same regularity as If the couatry vere nros.
porous and tho land yielded the usual sbnnd.
aucc. When the rents were ma,
paid for want Of means ihs
law vss put in force, ana
the tenants turned out of house and homo n
perch. In lSiI moro than 10000 fermers
wero evioted. Thev with their Gmilio,
numbered at least 100000 people. la ls4a
Ihsrn were 10000 evictions, and in Tho f,nr
yc' from lS49 to 1862, the number az svic.
tior wRt 22l, S45. The cruslty of the lsnd.
lords was bcyend suythiog over witnessed in
'Hy civilized eNnatry. They cErGd not how
Iaany human lives wcrO sacrificed. They
Thought only of their rents, end these they
Insisted upon having with a relentlos;.
meas that showed thy wsre dovois
OF The eommonOst instincts of huwanitv
when, therefore, Ireland was threatened
with famine in 1879, tho Irish peerlo rpcalle5
The teenes of 1916, and the following Can,ins
years and the course pursued by Ia lRpSs
lords during that terrible period Of sufiorino
with these facts before then,." saws M
O'Uennor 'tho land leagutra were ogtitled
10 draw three conclusions frat. hat ,bo IN,
nre of tho petStO crop in ireland was lik,lv
10 lead to famine, and thst the preportions
OF famine must in Ireland be gicnntic
second, that famine would lead TO eSssIIy
destructive pestilcncc; third, that thalard-
lords would take advantage of tho fsnoino
aua pes,lleuc9 10 push the most extreme a,
sertion Of thoir rights" ''' ~
That the landlords in 1S7OFS0 wor, ami
mNe1 by tho ssne spirit as th,y wore /,
loAN- AZ, isshown by tho fact that ms sooH
rs the effects of tho iailuro of Inc No
tattoo crop Of 1879 began 10 be lelt. and H., ~
Tos want OF means TO psy rents tho civic.
tons Commenced. OC course eviction So,
s,seIyGuon, Tor without land or emplo, msnt
taere Is 10 possible way 10 obtain food and
snel'er 1t is a we'll known fact that while in
thls country money YVES contributed last
year by tNo hundreds of thousands Of dollars
10 relieve the di''rc" in Ireland the irish
landlords coat ou nothing. Tho land
leSEse then, aec"' 20 Mr.. O'Oopnor. was
called into existclc, oy ihsthseatensd fami0 ma
eohjeci, he Gays, was to prevent fsminc
and, IN cas- OF - fsmino, 10 prevent eyio,isns
which cause such widespread suffsring snd
distress Mr.. OConnor Ostimstes that
If 1t lad not been for the land l,as~ ns
ag'tston, there would have bssn
10000 evicioas in 1880 instead Of ON TSa
principles of The league are, that oslv fs;r
rent shall be paid, and that where a fsr,,..
has beos svicted no enc else shall rant an, tho
lana from which he was evictej Tho.s
principles, when enforcsa As they hsys hssr
oeEpel lsndlon to accept a reasonable rsnt
or lot their lands rmain idle. The l.,sns
also recommends organization among iSs
nnAnu for self protection. Mr. O Oeunor
claim, that the ssssssins,ions which HAYS 90.
CURED since tho land agitation Commences
cannot be charged 10 the sccount of Tho lana
iiosgue. Tho league condemns eli y;olancs
sst Cannot Of course, prevent those who fssI
they have bsea wronged from seeking roarsss
IN their own way. Mr.. 0'Connor, howsvsr
claims that fewer crimes arc committsd H.
ireland now than before tho league wa, or !.