Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-07-28
orssia aaa Progress or tha Lana
M.@n0nA

Editor MorssinQ Nelos: Allow me space in
your valuable paper for few words upon
the origin and progress of the Land League.
The Land League is an institution of recent
but Of rapid growth-a child. as it were, of
yesterday. 1t originated at a public meet
ing, held at the small village of Irishtown,
county Mayo, Ireland, on the Goth day Of
April, 1879. The meeting was called at the
instance of Mr.. James DAILY, editor and
proprietor of the Coanaugh Telegraph,
Castlebar, and as true an Irishman as stands
upon Irish soil. His paper partakes of the
spirit and patriotism of its proprietor, and
has been from the beginning the organ of
the Land League in the province Of Con-
naught.
The object of the meeting was to call
public attention to the impending famine
that threatened to desolate Ireland, as did
the famine of 40, and to take steps to
avert it. Tue platform was occupied by Mr..
Daily, acting as Chairman, Michael Davitt,
Thomas Brennan, afterwards Secretary of
the League, Dublin, Joseph B. Walsh, dry
goods merchant, Castelar,, and others. Mr..
DAILY has but recently been released from
Galway prison. The remaining three are at
present suffering the penalty of their patri-
otism in British bastiles.
This meeting might properly be likened
to the parable of the mustard Seed which
has grown to such magnificent proportions
that the birds of the air may lind shelter
beneath its bOughs. On this occasion, for
the first time was unfurled the iridescent
banner of the Land League inscribed with
the motto of the Gland Tor the people," in
the declaration of the immortal Michael
Davitt that rent to good landlords or bad
landlords was an immoral tax upon the in
dustrY OF the people. That hencefOrth
''the tiller of the soil should be his own
landlord, P" "that the landlord must CO."
Mr.. Charles Stewart Parnell soon after
joined the standard OF Michael Davitt, and
at the public meeting at Westport, immC-
diately following that Of Irishtown, gave
utterance to the memorable sentence that
has since become proverb: keep firm
grip upon your hOmesteads." Since then
he has been faithfully working side by side
with Michael Davitt.
The object OF the Laud League is to over
throw the feudal and blighting curse of
landlordism, the most stupendous bias
phemy or blasphemous usurpation that ever
cursed any country on this man-accursed
planet. 1t has been charged, and Justly
charged, that the British Government and
British rule ia Ireland has been the cause of
all her wrongs and mseries. But tell you
that landlordism is the immediate and real
enemy of Ireland-the potent If not the
sole cause of Ireland's chronic misery, from
which eviction, famine, pestilence, the poor
house, the horrors OF the emigrant ship and
cOncomitant evils proceed.
The Land League, to enable them to &C
complish their object, have appealed to
the Irish race. Their appeal has met with
hearty and rapid response, there being no
less than one thousand branches in this
country alone, which constitute the Irish
National Land League of America, whose
duty is, financially and morally, to hold up
the hands of the parent league in Ireland
until its object is accomplished.
The Irish Land League of Savannah, to
the extent of its limited membership, are
nobly endeavoring to aid the cause, and it
Is to be regretted that many, very many,
Irishmen and sons Of Irishmen of wealth
and position In Savannah find it their duty,
in person and pocket, to hold themselves
severely aloOf from the movement. We
would appeal to the chivalrv and magma
nimity of the Americau-Eorn citisens of
| Savannah aud other nationalities If these
men are discharging their duty to the land
of their birth or their ancestors as patriot
ism, humanity and religion dictate. hold
that the man who would deny the country
/ of his birth in a crisis like this is not worthy
| the noble appellatiOn of man.
| we have enlisted In TINS business Tor the
whole war, so to speak, and have promised
not to disarm or disband until the object of
our organization is accomplished. Whether
! that be in the near or remote future, God
only can tell. In order to make the meet
| ings and exercises of the League as beguil-
ing and attractive as possible, we have
adopted system of entertainment in vogue
IN the Leagues throughout the country,
consisting OF speaking, recitation, declsma-
ton and song, programme of which char
acter will be enacted at our meeting
on next Friday night. When we can
not obtain eminent speakers from a
| distance, we call upon home talent, upon
| our own members, upon the principle Of
encouraging home industry. For as every
man is likely to be called upon some time
in his life to speak In public, hold It to be
the duty Of every man to prepare himself
for such an occasion by practicing the noble
| art of oratory.
10 conclusion l would exhOrt those who
have hitherto been keeping aloof to join
the standard of the Land League, and man
fully stand by it until victory perches upon
their banner and the landlords sre gone
with a vengeance"
Lawn EAGTrER