New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-16
TILE LRISH MOTEnENT.

Mr. justin MCCARTHY uIHCuSN'S /" ''O N'"i'"'
number of The International Rericr a SuO.ea
which has suddenly stirred the generous I'M
,,ulsos and lOOsened the tongues o. our legls-
laturs. In their imprisoned rhetoric they nave
STYLED it the struggle of the Irish people tor
legislative independcncc and personal liberty
and have expressed sympathy foi those who
were "fghting the old battle for the sacred
"cause of nationality He takes narrow
view of the subject. He deals with the Irish
question as an agranan controversy lie ana
lives the origin of the present system OF tenure
the laws of eviction, and the conditions OF ten
oncv. and the shOIt course Of remedial cg,la-
ton from the report of the Devon Comm> ion
70 the Land Act of 1870. He ncgl ct to draw
q parallel between the present agitation of the
Land League and the American War OF indie
nrndenre. He contents himself with N agic
reference to Home Rule and says nothing about
the slcrcd cause OF nationality 80 rigld Is
his self-restraint and so calm and moderate Is
the tone of his article, that we find ourselves
questioning the genuincncss Ut thc signature,
and wondering whether he ana oar ncrcur'h
legislators are talking about one ant The same
Il ing.
The Irish Land agitation has been movement
without definite aims. Mr.. Parncll has never
committed himself 10 any scheme OF remedial
legislation, but has stOutly maintained That the
Irish party were under no Obligations to l't the
English people know how much or how llllle
would satisfy them. Mr.. Mccarthy ha' more
courage. He tells what lrclrd wants, or
rather what he thinks ireland wants. II Is
"lcgislaiion which shall give security oi tenure
"to every occupant who pays lis rent; which
shall in some way provide that the rent shall
~u0t be a rack-lent; and which shall scculc
"hm compensation for III lmprOI rmcits, and
" at the same time slall be gin the foundation al
e peasant proprietary in the hop that IN its
"uatural growth and Development 1t may OvcI
"spread the land" lie ju~tii's the LAM agita-
ton on the ground that the League, with Mr..
PANEL at It's head, has forced the whole
question of land tenure on the consideration of
Parliament, and then advocates FiXity of ie-
nure Fair Rents, and such adequate comptn-
saiun for improvements as will virtually in
vest the tenant with the right of Free Sale; and
in connection with the Three F's the establish
ment Of new proprietary class by the extern
sion of the Bright clauses of the Land Act Of
1870. He regards Irish land reform as IL
simple question of outlay and energy on the
part of the British Government, and contends
that England, as the richest country IN Europe.
can afford to pay double rs much ~ Russia f0I
such work as the foundation of q peasant pro-
prietaIy.
1t is not our present purpose TO discuss the
efficacy Of these reform measures The point
on which we wish to lay stress is the fact that
Mr.. Parnclls Lieutenant in the Common,-the
very member who recently brought upon him
self scathing rcbuke from Mi. Gladstone for
q wanton insult to the CrOwn-confrsses that
what Ireland wants is that very scheme of Ic-
form which Mr.. Parnell has brought before the
English people, ard which all the advanced and
many of the moderate Liberals have been will
ing to cOncede He makes Mr.. GladStOnc's own
Act and Mr.. l}rght'S clauses the basis of fu-
ture remedial action, and this IL p. ecisely what
has been done in the Queens speech. When
he comes to details, he undoubtedly fayors
larger giants of public money and a more rad-
cal application of the principles commonly
known as the "Thrcc Fs" than any member
of the Government W Guild be willing to conccde.
but the general lines which lie follows arc
those laid down by the Liberals themselves
ten years ago, and about 10 be extended in the
Land acts to be init reduced in the Commons
early next month. We leave it for some of our
legislators, who have leisure for excursions into
the realm of foreign politics, to determine
whether IN this "strugSle with Great Britain. "
in which their own eympathieS have been en-
listed, ireland has not been striving to accom-
plsh the very purposes which English Liberals
were willing to work out for her. One thing
more. Has not the cause of land reform been
brought into dizrcDute, have not force hills
been rendered necessary, hnS not public senti-
mcnt in England ana the world over been
estrangcd by scnseless obstruction in the
Commons and Land League rule on the island
4 LOOK AHEAD