The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1881-12-08
sHAM-Nor A REroRM.


We arc strongly inclined 10 believe in
the verdict rendered by D. r. Locke,
affer his return from ireland, that the
people of that unfortunate country are In
the right in their struggles for land re-
form, aud are entitled TO sympathy.
The land measure granted by the Eng
fish premier, Gladstone, is, in plain Eng
lisa, nothing but miserable sham. The
cause OF the Irish people has been used
to such an extent by demagogues, both
in Ireland and America. as T. call down
upon 1t much ridicule, but this should
not prevent just Judgment of the facts
The new land law IS reform. or con
cession only in name. The poor people
are little benefited by it,sif repors be
true. Ireland asked for bread, or the
means of making bread, AMI got a stone.
The land bill was evidently q ioptsi only
as means OF gaining favor for the Eng
li,h government in other countries. II
gave her the appearance OF doing some
thing for her halfstarved aud cruelty OPP
preset suBjacts. when in reality moth
ing of real benefit was done.
Uuder the new land law To get re-
duction of rent the Irish tenant has 10
employ a lawyer 10 present and argue
his case. More cases have been pre-
senutd than The Land court can decide in
three years. The few cases decided thus
far show that, even when the tenant OBJ
tains q REDUCTION of feni, his lawyers fee
will cost him about all he
will save in ten ycstrs. An aver
age case is said to bc that of
McAtavey, the first ieaant who received
the benefit of the act. The reduction
OF his rent amounted 10 CO 15s year,
d his lawyer fee was eaJ. But after
obtaining the decision which will not
save him enough in seven years TO pay
the cost Of Il, be is liable 10 Iose his CPS
and get no reduction either For the
landlords have a right TO appeal To u
parliament of English landlords 20 over
rule, alter and reverse the land court de-
cision. The great mass of tenants are
unable TO pay the cost of obtaining re-
duction of rent. Those who can secure
the services of competent solicitors, see
that the land act offers them at best only
a remote relief from the cxactions which
make Ireland always the home OF want
and every few years the scene OF
wholesaIc death by starvation.
I Meantime the rack.renting business
with its brutal evictions goes on, strip
ping the tenants of all they have, and
turning them out homeless wanderers
from The little holdings whiells by years
OF Toll, they have converted from sterile
bog or stony hillside to fertile ground
Is IL any wonder Tint such wronged and
despairing wretches commit outragcs
1t can be easily seen fiom this state,
meht of facts that the Irish troubles are
onlytemporarily quieted aud unless there
is substantial hope that what has been
done is soon to be followed by something
better, they are likely TO break out at any
time with such violence that nothing
but an English army can suppress them
Irishmen worthy the name cannot hon
orally submit TO a tyranny that takes
from them everything but the privilege
of breathing. when Russia, few
years ago. marched an army into Tur
kish province because the latter persist
emily denied long promised relief to o
handful Of Christians under Turkish
control, the world applauded the act
and yet England has been permitted
without protest from other countries thai
We now remember, TO keep 100000 oil
5000. 600 OF intelligent and frugal peo
pie in an AFFECT state of dependence fol
fifty years or more, by the policy of an
iron heclcd despo,, When We glance a
the history of Ireland for the last 90 years
1t seems almost incredible that her peo
pie have not be IN rescued from their sac
fate England herself has made rec
ord us friend of freedom for othel
countries, bu; she continues her unreas
enable and selfish policy toward he
Irish subjects.