New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-22
would inevitably prevent the sale OF bonds bear
ing lew rate of interest.
BOYCOTTJyG BEYCE JONES.

The failure of the recent attempt TO
Boycott w. Bence Jones is described in
letter which he has written to The Standard
(London) While he has succeeded in holding
his ground aud making firm stand against the
local Land League, the moral which he draws
from his own experience is that no one can
safely carry on any industrial occupation ID
Ireland, even so small as a farm employing
thirty or forty men, unless he mas sufficient
proportion Of them who can be relied upon 10
stand by him whatever may happen. lie be-
longs to the best class of landlOrds-those VINO
have dealt not only fairly but even Literally
with their tenants, and who have made pur-
chases under the Landed Estates Court guaran-
tee and extended capital largely in improving
Their property. Yet his thankless tenants were
as malicious as those of Lord Erne, uniting In
deliberate attempt to ruin him by deprlyng nm
of farm hborers, leaving his cattle, sheep, ana
horses unfed, and starving him into SUBMISSION
He never had a thought Of yielding, and found
means to battle their plots, but he confesses
that no one who can help it will face such
time again. He asserts that not only large
nroDrietOrs but numbers of small ones are
leaving the country, and is confident that GER
tain projected reform measures will put stop
to all landlords outlay of capital IN Ireland and
TO the residence there of all who can get away
His conclusion is that more industry and more
"honesty can alone improve the condition OF
the tenants, and that to fix bad tenants IN
" their farms-idle, INDECENT, drunken men-ls
"to fix more firmly the worst evils we have"
A faithful and thrifty landlord, who has been
engaged in so desperate struggle with faith
less and thriftless tenants, would be more than
mortal if he could rise above the prejudces and
resentments which such thankless conduct
naturally exctes. 1t may not DO wise to lay
much stress upon his remOnstIances against any
concessions whatever to Irish tenants, but his
experience deserves careful study for the sake
of the side lights which are thrown upon the
Land Agitation. 1t illustrates the influence OF
the clergy upon the peasantry. The local Land
League, with which he has been battling, con-
sisted of few wO1 ,hless men, but the real
leaders throughout the proceedings were two
priests. 1t was only by means OF their in
fuence as clergymen that his wcll-paId laborers
were drawn away. They agreed to pay them
their usual wages 50 long as they shoIld remain
idle, and when local resources failed, one Of
them went to Dublin to obtain ass stance. To
this day those two priests are deeply pledged
to the poor men for payment, and the rcspon-
sibility for the affair rests upon them alone.
Yet their ecclesiastical superiors have allowed
them to 20 on Tor weeks, paying workingmen's
wages to idlers, violating the common law, and
iniunng a kind-hearted landlord, who was
striving to feed his stock and save his property.
This incident proves that Whatever may be the
attitude of the Vatican toward the Land Agita-
ton, and however Outspoken the Archbishop OF
Dublin may have been in dcnouncng the law
lessness OF League rule, the clergy stand ut the
head of the peasantry in this agrarian reyOlu-
ton. Themselves the Sons of peasants. they
depend for support upon the class whose mis-
cries have excited their sympathy. Why should
they wait for a signal from the PoDe7 Instead
of exercising a restraining nnuercc upon tho
tenant farmers, they give the methods of the
Land League the sanction OF their clerical
authority.