Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1881-04-25
THE IRISH LAND BILL.

understand the intricacIes of British !
politics, and especially the controversies !
growing out of legislation for Ireland
The United Kingdom is unlike the United
States, in that it is composed OF three
separate nationalities or peoples, formerly
three separate, Independent Kingdoms
The union of Scotland with England
was a sair event for the Scotch, though
IL was q descendant of long line OF
Scotch Kings who sat upon the throne or
the united countries, to whom both peo-
pies already owed allegiance But with
the Irish it was far worse, they had
never been subjects of the Stewart
dynasty; from time immemorial they
had been in open warfare with all that
was English OF Scotch. They had been
subjugated by force and transferred to
British rule by fraud. 1t could not be
expected that spirited and brave peo-
Pile would tamely accept enforced sub
lection or gratefully receive even protec-
ton from the hand of a master. There
fore ever since the Irish Parliament was
abolished Ireland has been in a chronic
state of instruction. There have been
times when British statesmen have sought
to deal fairly and justly by the Irish peo-
pie, but oftener British prejudice and
bigotry have loaded with oppression the
laws enacted for the government OF the
sister island, until, it would seem, almost
all Of confidence on the one side and
lconscience on the other have been de-
stroyed.
That Mr.. Gladstone is seeking to es-
tablish peace and confidence between
these estranged sections of his country,
by a measure of justice to long OPP
pressed people, and doing it in the face
of violent opposition, even from some OF
his own political friends, shows him to
be not only just but wise and brave
statesman. Mr.. Gladstone may be de-
feated in his effort; the land law which
he proposes for Ireland may satisfy nei-
ther the landlord nor the tenant; 1t may
not produce that peace so necessary for
the prosperity of the Irish people; but
he will have done his duty in proposing
1T. 1t does not, it is true, grant all that
Irish agitation demands, but it goes far
toward doing SO, and most of the wrong
now complained of will be removed if
this measure is accepted in good faith
by the Irish people. The bill is a
long and intricate one, and all its details
have not reached US, and might not be
entirely understood if they had. But 1t
secures fixity of tenure and makes i'm
possible arbitrary eviction; it establishes a
method for securing fair and reasonable
rent charges, with the right of free sale.
!, This certainly removes the most serious
causes of complaint urged by the tenants.
1t is indeed the land owners who most
object to the bill, and declare that if i,
becomes law, in its present form, they
will be in the future at the mercy of theil
. tenants They denounce it as ''revolu
: tionary measure" subversive of all theil
legal rights, and as one of them say!
may be made to transfer millions OF
! property at one stroke from the hands OF
, the present owners to those of the ten.
ants" This is doubtless an exaggeratior
but it shows that for once at least 6
British statesman has not proposed legis
. lation solely in the interest of the Irish
landlords and to the injury of the ten.
antry. This view is also strengthened by
the remarks made by Mr.. Parnell at the
, reception given him at Cork on his
, recent return from this country.
He admitted it was very strong bill,
and claimed that il was thus strong and
favorable to the tenants because of the
} obstructive course adopted by the Irish
members in Parliament and the firm
stand of the Irish people at home. In
discussing the provisions of the bill Mr..
Parnell said: "The provisions of the
second portion of the bill are taken al
most line for line from the recommends
tons of the Committee of the Land
League of April, 1880. look upon the
power of letting holdings to tenants in
fee farm as the most valuable provision
of the whole measure, as it secures to the
tenants of such estat IS as are allowed to
take advantage of this part of the
measure the right of becoming perma-
nent tenants, at q reduction of fully So
per cent. on their present rents. In fact,
do not see how rack-renting landlords
can receive any money at all for their
estates, or any rents in future, except
under the provisions of this portion of
the bill"
1t has been long while since an Irish
land bill has been presented to the
British Parliament by a British Premier,
in which Irlsh sgitators could find so
much to praise and Irish landlords so
much to condemn. 1t is to be hoped the
bill will become law, and have all the
effect for good its distinguished author
expects from it.
THE SENATE CONTEST.