National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-29
THE IRISH LAND WAR.
JAMES REDpATH ON THE RosTRuM.
A Picture of Ireland's Condit;on-The Government
CT the Land League-What the 0rganiZa-
ton Has Done and is Doing
Ireland for the Irish.

The lecture-room of Masonic Temple was filed
last night with an audience to hear James Red
paths lecture on 1.-THE Irish Land War" Miss
Ella Saner prefaced the lecture by very beautifully
singing "The Wearing OF the Green" aud, being
encored, gave another genuine Irish song. Mr..
Brannigan then introduced Mr.. Redpath, who was
received with genuine Irish welcome. On the
platform were seated Senator and Mrs. Bruce DR..
Basil Norris, U. S. A, and others.
Mr.. Redpath commenced by thanking his au-
dience for their cordial welcome, and accepting it
as an evidence of that enthusiasm which the Irish
always manifest for those who have done service for
Ireland in trying TO relieve her suffer1ngs; TOR
Ireland Is the Gethsemane of Europe Today. Inc
English say, not the ignorant but such men as Ma
caulay and Froude such newspapers as the London
Telegraph, Standard, and Times, that lreiands sur
fering are because the people are Catholics, lwIess
eXtravagant, drunkards, and Ireland over popu-
lated The fact was that the chief cause of Ireland
misery was the eXactiOnS OF the landlords-tne
pitiless impoverishment of the country by British
power for the benefit of loafers. No American
student can understand any problem OF Irish poll
tics any phase of Irish character without study
ing the whole question with reference to the past
The great error of American students is in regard
ing Ireland as unit The truth Is, there are two
Irelands from q scientific point of yiew-the east
and west; and from a political view three Ire
lands-north east and west. Each has a different
land system. There is suffering in one section and
none in another: that is, from an Irish definition
of suffering for Ireland had been solong stepped in
misery that what the rest of the world would call
hopeless suffering Ireland called comparative pros
perity. Macauley said that the Catholic counties
of Ireland were poor and degraded-the Protestant
counties thriving and happy; yet the truth was
that in counties where the landlords ground the
people into the dust both Protestants and Catholics
alike were wretched beyond description. The rea-
son was the land tenure Up to the time of Henry
VIII. of England, Ireland was divided into septs
or clans, and the land was held in common, except
during the brilliant, but brief, reign of Brian
Boroihme, Ireland never had been nation. The
sept domination a sort of state-rights run
mad. Henry, having embraced new religion as
well as new wife, tried to force his religion on
the Irish, and when they resisted gave the lands
in Ulster 10 his soldiers. Elizabeth and James fol-
lowed this policy: The settlers under these lands
were given the Ulster system of tenure the Three
FS" Xity of tenure, free Sale and fair rent. Fair
rent up to 1917 meant living rate: fXity of tenure
as long as tenant pays his rent he could not be
eVicted free Sale that the tenant was entitled TO
the value of his own Improvements. This system
prevailed only in Ulster. For the last three hun
dred years no landlord had ever spent a shilling
TO improve his lands.
In the east there was different system of tenure
from either north orwest. The east of Ireland had
a lovely climate Tor six months of the year it
was like our Indian summer. Up to 1S47 il was
densely populated. Modern Irish history CON-
mences in that year. From that year to 1851 the
years of the famine, 1.500 600 people were starved
TO death or emigrated, and the landlord did not
gives shilling ofrelief How many landlords were
driven out of Ireland last year? Only two. The
speaker said there were no outrages in Ireland
save those committed by the landlords. And he
depressed here TO say that Mr.. Simonton, of the
Associated Press, had telegraphed all over the
country that the speaker had justified assas
sination. He denounced Simonton as a
liar. There were just ten thousand murders COM
mitted by RObespierre and the Jacobins during the
French revolution, but under the reign of Victoria
by the force of the British constitution one million
five hundred thousand people had been murdered
in Ireland, and an equal number banished. Some
people asked why did not the Land Reformers
join with the English Liberals? There was no
reason why they should. The English Liberals are
as hard against the Irish as the English Tories
The English ruling classes had no sympathy and
would do no justice TO Ireland.
The speaker went on to show from his own eX-
perience and by the British official returns that
The Irish did not drink as much whisky as the
Scotch by about onc-fth, and that there was about
ninety per cent. violations of law by English and
Scotch to ten per cent by the Irish. Their extrava
gance was also lying charge of the English.
Disposing of these charges as also the one of over
population, Mr.. Redpath proceeded TO give a most
pathetic picture of the west of Ireland Every sod
of the west had been wet with human tears. The
murmur of ever brook in Connaught and Munster,
time out of mind has been accompanied by the
signs of sorrow. The land was holy from suffering
The country was one of marvellous beauty, but the
soil was damp and barren. Into Connaught were
driven the Irish by Cromwell, and there the land
lords followed them. All estates were tenances at
will As the land was cultivable the rents were
raised. He described the hideous suffering he
saw, suffering more horrible and intense, and
hopeless than ever Dante imagined in the divine
comedy.
The landlords never let up, and, besides the
rents, there existed, until six months ago, when
abolished by the real government of Ireland, the
Land League, duty work, serf labor, abolished
in England five. hundred years ago. Land
lords charged for the use ofthe public roads. They
made their tenants pay for the privilege of going
to town. Now what had the Land League done?
It had saved one-half of million of human beings
from being evicted from their homes, and eviction
meant starvation. 1t had saved at least 100000
from actual death by starvation; it has reduced
the rental Of all the farms; it has turned the
peasant from covering slave to O defiant free
man.
In conclusion, the speaker said that the Irish
will not be satisfied until they the assembling
of Parliament in College Green, and he did not be-
eve that they would rest quiet until the honor of
the Irish race indicated by the establishment
of a distinct nationality, and an Irish Republic
prove the full CAPABILITIES of the Gaelic race.