The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-11-10
IRISH LANDLoRDIsM.
Personal Recollection Of an Irishman,
Lately q Citizen cf Missouri, now of
Texas-Patriotie Reflections.
DESrsoS, TExAs, Oct. p, 1881.

DENIsoS, Texas, Oct. p, 1881.
EDITOR REPUBIIcAN: Having OBJ
served that the REPUBLICAN, unlike
some of It's contemporaries, is disposed
to do Justice to Ireland in her present
controversy with Iandlordism and British
tyranny, | venture to offer few recol-
lections of certain phases OF landlord
ism as they presented themselves about
thirty years ago in the north of Ireland.
In Armagh county there was an
"estate" consisting of about II, 900 acres,
the property according TO British law
of his grace, the duke Of Manchester.
This body of land was rented to small
farmers, who, in ordinary times, were
able to keepssoul,and body together after
paying the rent. The first money real
lied from the produce of the soil every
year was taken to the rent office and
handed over to the agent, who always
took care to collect the utmost farthing.
The great question with the tenant, at
all times, was, how shall pay the rent?
What shall | eat? What shall | drink?
or wherewithal shall | be clothed? were
questions of secondary Importance. The
rent, the everlasting rent, must be paid
first and foremost, and then the tenant
might live if he could. A prominent ten
ant Of the dukes. having on one occa-
sion killed a pig for his own use, re-
marked in great remorse to one of his
neighbors that he ought to be tried for
his life for such extravaganza.
1t was very seldom, indeed, that his
grace favored the ''estate" with his
presence, the money extorted from the
tenantry being RENTED to the Cont
nent, or whatever place might chance
to be the temporary residence of this
''lord of the soil" Your correspon-
dents father contributed very materially
to the Duke of Manchester's rental for
many years, and invested quite exten-
sively in improvements. As the land
became productive under his careful
and skilful labor, however, the rent was
raised, till at last he had to surrender
all to the landlord.
On the estate in question, many Of the
people made an existence by weaving
linen. The Dukes land agent, one
Henry John Porter, conceived the idea
of establishing kind of bank, which
he called Mont de Piete Mount of
Pity for the purpose of accommodating
these poor people with small loans of
money. His plan was this: After
securing the amount loaned by two re-
sponsible individuals he let the borrow
er have so many pounds sterling, to be
paid in twenty consecutive weekly in
stalments of one shilling on the pound,
reserving as interest in advance one
shilling on the pound. Thus the bor-
rover actually received nineteen shil-
lings, for which he paid twenty shillings
within twenty weeks. Besides illus
trating the rapacity of landlordism this
presents problem in interest that some
of your readers may solve at their lei
sure. Take this example: What is
the rate per cent. per annum when the
borrower receives one pound, one shll-
ling of which he returns Immediately to
the lender as interest, and pays the one
pound within twenty weeks from the
time of borrowing, paying shilling
each week? Any one who will give
this problem a little consideration may
see how ingeniougly the penple of IsAlA d
| have been robbed by landlords and their
agents. The above facts are given
| merely as illustrative of landlordism in
| Ireland at the time referred to.
The Duke of Manchester was not re-
garded as one Of the worst of landlords
by any means. Compared with many
others he was in fact liberal and indul-
gent with his tenants His selfshness
was not characterized by that brutality
which brought the late Lord Leitrim to
an untimely end. He was what might
be called fair type of an Irish Lord.
1t is Just such men as he that sustained
by the British government, have infict-
ed on Ireland the wrongs which have
produced the present state of affairs in
that unhappy country, The system Of
legal robbery which the British govern.
ment is now vainly endeavoring to sus-
tain has too long cursed the country,
and no honest man will lament the doom
which so surely awaits it.
How any American paper can, fol-
SDam6, say OHe MOIu III ueIGnC0 VI IloH
landlordshipis more than | can conceive
but how an American citizen can attempt
to justify the British government in sus
tanning such an iniquitous system, is
still beyond my comprehension. The
President of the United States seems
to be a great admirer of John Bull
Judging from his speech the other day
at Yorktown. "The expression Of sor
row and sympathy" said he (which oul
national bereavement evoked from the
people of England and their angus
sovereign, profoundly thrilled every
heart" The expression of sorrow al
luded to were all right if sincere. A
the best however, they are of no NOR,
value in this country than the expires
sion of sorrow of any other "augus
sovereign. Queen Victoria has beel
forty-four years the "august sovereign
of Great Britain and Ireland, during
f which time she has received at leas
l one hundred millions of dollars for he
! services % President Arthur's fathe
had not, in all probability. such an ex
! alted idea of the august sovereignty Q
English rulers when he was leaving hi
native Ireland like any other victim G
British misrule and Irish landlordshiI
Very respectfully,