, 1881-01-15

the penalty of not meeting them, to other
creditors very nearly, if not quite, as
powerless as the landlords The notion is
absurd. Such a revolution as Mr.. Parnell
contemplates would leave Inot only the
soil of ireland confscated, but the confs.
Gators in possession of unbridled and even
~insolent power. The class who had so
courageously initiated the unjust steward
in taking it's bill and writing down quick
" that it owed to its lord fifty or eighty
measures. when it really owed him a hun.
dred measures, would certainly not feel
inclined to deal with it's fellOw-servants
on any different principle. Ireland would
find itself in the hands not simply of a sin.
Gle class, but of a single class which had
lust successfully mastered the art OF con
fiScatiOn.
At present, however, Mr.. ParnelFs pro-
gramme has Just this little defect in it.
that he takes no account OF the BRITISH
Government. and that the British people
have not yet learned his lesson, whatever
NAV be true of the Irish people. But the
peril is great, and is a peril of a kind
which the Scotch and English constituent
cies should consider very carefully, even
if the Irish constituencies, in their present
intoxication, choose to ignore it. The les.
son we should lay to heart is this, in
doing Justice to Ireland, and doing 1t, as
wa hope the present Government will do
il. ON generous principles, it will be neces.
sarv not merely to offer terms which may
secure the Irish peasantry in all the rights
they have so often been compelled to for
felt. but to impose the new order with the
SORT of authority that shall wrest the gov
eminent of Ireland out of the hands OF this
party League, and gain for the principle
of law the dignity and the commanding
position of imperial justice. Not only Is
a large reform of the land. law wanted, put
simultaneously with it a stand should be
taken on the principle of the new settle.
ment. 4 stand of a kind to Overawe resls-
tance from either side, whether from the
disconnected landlord or the iScOntented
Land Lacquer. The worst danger Tor
ireland is not that caused either by bad
landlords or INSCRIPTIONS agltatOrs, cut
that caused by the absolute ~aScendency Oh
n sinnle clasS.interest over everything
that represents to Ireland either law or
Justice. This is chiefly due, no doubt, Ito
the perversion of law and justice during
many ages into legal lawlessnesS and III
Justice. But it is probably due also to the
unfortunate simplicity of the present
grievance in Ireland, which involves
directly only one class, and involves that
in a way the menacing aspect OF when inc
other cIasses-the classes OF the cities
have not understood. But the Govern
ment ought to take care that for the future
thew do understand it. They ought to
take care that the cities shall understand
what is involved in this attempt to die
tate TO Ireland, so that when once the
land grievance is settled, there shall DO no
danger of the agricultural class again TAX
ing the bit in it's mouth, and lntlmldatmg
ali who choose to challenge its DEGREES.
We do not believe it possible to regain
the proper Executive authority in Ireland,
without a great reform o the land.laws. AN
Executive identified with a system SO pad
AS the present system, can have no nope
of winning respect from the Irish people.
Rut we do also believe that with the re-
form of the land-laws should come a great
effort TO re. establish the authority which
Injustice has undermined; to take the
reins ont of the hands of that unScrupu-
Ions organisation which now dictates alike
to landlords, just and unjust, to tenant
farmers. satisfied and unsatisfied, to city
corporations. and to shopkeepers, and
which even wrings forced contributions
out of private persons who utterly loatne
it's ends. To reform the land'laWs Is d
great end, but to vindicate the authority
Of the Government over a society oominat-
ed by this organisation of tyranny, Isl
still greater end, though one quite unat'
tainable without the former.