Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-17
The Land Leagna.
STORY or Mr.. BENcR JONES, The BoYcorrar
LANpLORD-YICkS OF IANHI0KnIsN

Dc Lama League
STORY or Mr.. BKNcR JONES' The BoYcorrlp
LANDLORD-yICBS OF LANBLOKDIsM
The New York Herald of yesterday contains
q letter from Its correspondent at Clonakilty,
County Cork, Ireland. December 26. 1881 from
when We take the following extracts: Three
niles nom this little town of about three
thousand Inhabitants IS the rather picturesque
mansion or Mr. BeDce Jones. now famous as
Bence Jones the "BoycOtted!" / came to
he charges made against Mr.. Jones by his own
tenants, oy many people and the parish priest
OF Clonakilty, and to see for myself whether
landlord as he has described himself TO be Ia
tie columns OF the London Times, in M1cmU-
tan,s Mogos'ne and Ia bis book entitled "A
to be considered In England and In Dublin. I
left the irish capital for the south with an i'm.
preston on my mind that the land league
we're permitting .Boycotting" TO be carried
private feelings of revenge We're here allo we'd
TO play too promipene part, and that Mr..
beDce Jones seemed to be suffering for insuffi
rus1Dg Mr.. Bence Jones lie, tiers 10 the London
Times. Since then l have spent two DAYS ia
taking With Mr.. Jones ten ants aud neignb)rs,
IN talking with priest and laborers. and shop
keepers, and with members OF the Jones family
themselves, and have come to the conclu sion
l thlnk fairly aud hOue,tiy, that Me- Bencs,
Jones Is an excellent farmer on large scale, a
mar n tas knaSter. an extsrmipaung and rack
tnt1ng 1a dlOrd and mlddleman, and a huge de.
ceplf0n considered IS country gentemau For
weeks nay for months, this would be member OF
tbesET gliSn LANDED gentry has be "a permitted to
STATE his own case in the London papers ana
a9aZines. has been permitted TO paint himself
d. al English country gentleman DESTROYS OF
reducing an Improved system or farming Into
lrelabC. or hetteT1ng the social and general con-
dillon or bis laborers and tenantry, and at last,
AFTER all the good that he has conferred upon
ms ieioW men placed ny kind Providence I'M
der Lis benign Iule. as having fallen a
martyr to his beneficial Intentions and
.rIdeavors-as having been Boycotte1 simply
because OF the revengeful spirit OF
me me local n leaders OF the land league
ore OF bis tenants. know him well yer honor,
Sure an I've thought a moghty dale more OF
Mi,ther Bince Jones. esGuoire, fur the last two
ne threaten to process me, indade. because
couldn't pay the rlnt to the day?r Said another:
"Well may the ould diVil tell the paple OF Ing.
land that there are no arrares OF rint on HIS
esIrates. for sure II any wun OF us was short
didn't he compil US to git naber to soign for
us an git the munney from the bank. Dlvil a
bit Of arrares, indade, on Misther Bince Jones'
estate" ''An, sure, yer honor" said another
Durly tenant, 'he purtindS to be an Inglish
Jintleman. Begorra. sorr, the msnest Inglish-
mans better than Misther Bince Jones. No,
nor W1shman, but rale Zulu; an twinty
Mtsther Boycott's wouldn't make good speci-
men OF Bince Jones. esQuore. No
sorr, not hair OF his head'l be harmd here
atOutS,'
BENCB JONES AND HIS TENANTS
In this wise did Mr.. Bence Jones' tenants
0est rlbe their landlord TO me. And / do not
nnd That they exaggerated very much. The
league teTrorZes In truth, but its vengeance
has been Wreaked so far for the most part upon
lhose VINO have been guilty OF lransgresstng
the unwr1tten laws OF humanity. Mr.. Bence
Jones was selected for punishment because,
for one reason, he has been guilty OF traducng
the character OF the people among whom he
0Yelis; MI Jones owns as landlords middle
man about 1000 acres OF land, about 900 of
Which he farms himself and the rest be lets at
rents varying from POS. to Go an acre. As a
farmer MIR. Jones must be given great praise
He says that he cleared last year SSS an acre
from bis land. Much OF the land Is In grass.
Mr.. Jones prides himself upon the cot
lages he has built for his farm laborera
On this point there Is not a word to be said
Only /. should be remembered thar these labor
ers were once fairly prosperous tenant farmers
and had to be removed from the land, 10y fair
means or foul. before Mr.. Jones could secure
the bt st land OF his estate for his own farm II
was an easy process by which Mr.. Bence Jones
cleared the land OF tenant farmers; he Simply
increased the rent to such degree that in four
or nVe years the tenant was O year or two In
arrears, and, as matter OF course, eviction
emigration or day laboring followed. Ia all this
MI. Bence Jones acted quite legally" No
one can accuse Mr. Jones OF acting In opposition
to the written law. SO Mr.. Jones' farm was
formed out Of the small occupancies or some
twenty-five families whose names are still
fresh In tue memory OF their neighbors. The
farm land runs along the valley. On the outer
edge of the farm, On the mountain lands, there
are still many tenants, all OF whom pay at the
rate or Ct an acre for their land, good aud bad
lt Is worth at the most about fourteen Shil-
iiDgs an acre. Three miles away, beyond Clio
naklity, Mi. Jones Is the middleman over sew
eral farms, the rent OF which Is over CO an acre.
while Dir. Jones himself pays only two shilllngs
and fLuIpeHce haifpenhy an acre for the same
land TO the lord OF the soil-Lord Shannon.