Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-11-15
rchbIshOP CrOke and the Land
League.


Editor Morning Ne1Os One Of the great
questions which agitate the public mind to-
day is the Idsh land question. Some of our
most able lawyers confess their ignorance
Of the subject, which is not much to their
credit. The Irish land question is some
thing like Barnum's strange animal known
as the "What is It? ?" 1t calls for investiga-
ton, inquiry and research. Men must have
recourse to the library, read up old agrarian
laws, look over the Blble-the Old Tesla
ment and the New-and find out where the
authority or claim to absolute ownership Of
land came from, or who inaugurated 1t. The
principles Of the Land League are rather
abstruse and unique. They cannot be very
readily defined, especially by people who
are opposed to innovations of every kind.
Land Leagueism cannot be synonymous with
Nihilism, for It aims not at destruction OF
either life or property. It cannot be classified
as Communism, for it ignores the division
OF property, respects religion, law and Or
der. IT'S not Socialistic, for 1t upholds the
prior right Of the individual to that of the
community. The principles of the Land
League in a nut shell are these, viz: The
land for the people who till it, and the abo-
lition of laudlordism by fair, honest, legal
means, not by brute force. intimidation or
cOntiscation.
John Bright made speech In Parliament
two years ago. In that speech he told the
English nation how to solve the Irish land
question. He advised the government to
buy the estates from the Irish landlords and
sell the land to the tenant farmers VINO
were In occupation-all to be done accord
ing to government valuation-paying the
landlord down the full value of his estate,
and receiving payment from such farmers
as were able to pay, and to all who were
not twenty years time, the government
being secured by mortgage. Bright's plan
was disagreeable to the aristocratic palate
of John Bull. 1t was considered impolitic
and impracticable, first because lords
without land would become power
less and 60 to destruction ia
short time, and the destruction of lords
would cause the des. uction OF monarchy.
Secondly, there was no law on the statutes
Of Great Britain to compel a landlord to sell
out against his will.
But the land agitation inauguIated by Da-
Witt and carried out by Parnell, Dillon, and
others, has made things so hot for landlords
that there is scarcely one OF them who
would not be willing to sell out cheap, and
Bright's plan is now practicable and in or
der, and 1 believe it will be the ultimatum
of The whole business.
The land question is not a new one, nor
Is 1t an Irish question alone, nor an Ameri-
can question, nor a French question, or a
German question. 1t is a question of the
human mind. 1t is the spirit Of the age,
and the offspring of the nineteenth century.
1t will defeat English despotism without
grain of powder, an ounce OF lead, or a
pound Of steel. Eng and knows and feels
II. She has made glaring pretensions to
liberalitY recently, until the Land Lesguers
became too logical and effective, then John
Bull lost his tenper, and, with erected tail
and bloodshot eyes, the animal went for the
Land Leaguers like Toro ct the sight of a
red flag" The system OF the days OF Louis
the Fourteenth was revived-the lettres de
cachet and the bastile.
Parnell and his patriotic colleagues we're
Gagged. That mild and gentle reformer, Mr.
GladstOne-as mild man as ever scuttled
ship or cut tbrost-applied one Of his re-
sources of civilization, as he calls it, when
he throws men into lOathsome den for
using free speech. Sun | must admit that
John Bull is growing humane. A century
ago and Parnell would have been hanged
ard qu&Ttered Ike Robert Emmett. Such
was Englaud's civilization then.
The logic of the Land Leaguers in
Parliament and out Of It was too powerful
for the great Gladstone and his friends, so
they were compelled to Use brute force to
apply the gag and the chain, but the eter-
nal spirit of the chainless mind cannot be
fetteIed. Ideas are stronger than granite
walls ard dungeon bars, and the Land
League viii conquer in the end. And Glad
stone and Forster will go down
To the vile dust from whence they sprung
Unwept, unhonored and unsung."
Archbishop McCabe, of Dublin, has been
persistent enemy OF the League from the
first, and denounced it in pastoral letters.
But the great body Of the clergy sympathi-
yes with 1t. Archbishop Croke of Cashel
put himself forward as the special champion
of the League. He Endorsed the sentiments
of Davitt, that God made the land for the
people, and that landlordism should be
abolished. He made public speeches to
that effect, and by so doing won the affec-
lions Of the people. But when the crisis
came, when the leaders Of the people issued
the no-rent manifesto from Kilmainham
prison advising the tenant farmers to pay
no rent until the constitutional rights
taken away were restored to the
people, then Doctor Croke was
put to the crucial test and found to be
worthless metal; ne was weighed in the
balance and found wanting. Bishop Nc
Cabe acted, like fair, open, honest enemy;
but Bishop Croke's action looked very much
like the action of a traitor. Between Eng
lish fyrants and the Italian priests and
bishops poor Ireland is pretty well perse-
cuted. Bishop Croke by bis popularity had
more power to kill the League than any
other man in ireland, and he used the power |
to crush the hopes of Ireland by the won
derful wisdom of his advice.
IF traitors tongues or tyrants chains
Could crush her hopes or blight her fame,
Or armed hosts the nation kill
She'd died before his wisdom came"
1t would be more becoming to the Romish |
or Italian clergy in Ireland to attend to their |
spiritual duties and let politics alone. The |
laity Of Ireland are fully competent to at |
tend to political matters without being bull |
dozed by priests, especially when they are |
on the side OF the enemy CT the people. |
Every student OF history knows that Ireland |
was first betrayed into the hands of the |
English by Pope Adrian's bull seven CEN
turtles ago; and to-day Bishops McCabe and |
Croke are worth to John Bull SO, 900 men. |
The cobbler should stick TO his last, and |
priests and bishops should preach the gos- |
pei. ARGUS.
MARSHALL HOUSE.