The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-11-03
TELEGRAPHIC
Meetings, Risis and Rumpus'

Dublin, MILITARY force has been
sent to Belmullet from SAlinste, to quell
disturbances. Police are drafted from
ell quarters. The workhouse Is con-
yerted int barracks.
Archbishop Tusm, in a sermon on
All Saints Day, condemned the doc
trine of "No Rent" in unfparing Ian
guage.
The first decision under the land &C.
was given at Meney5am, to-day. The
com missicners, after reviewing the hold
ing in the case. reduced the rent by Sos.
for the next fifteen years.
Sexton was released from prison on &C.
count of i'll health.
Government has discovered the de-
linquent who conveyed Parnell's mani
festo from Kilmainham Jail.
Constable Delany ia committed for
trial for unprovoked assault by him dur
ing the recent disturbances in Dublin.
New York, I.-Herald's Castle Blay-
ney: At last. after struggle of ten
yeare, landlord and tenant came on Mon
day face to face before the judges to de-
eide what was fair rent The first case
examined under the land act has just
been decided here. It's result is a sweep
ing reduction, amounting altogether to
60 lbs. in q yearly rental of e8 los. Two
commissioners are sitting, but that at
Castle Bleyney was more important than
that at Belfast, the latter being concerned
with cases under the Ulster custom, The
former being in district where smaller
holdings prevEil, and being more likely
to bring out the characteristic features of
the lard question. Castle Blsyney is
surrounded by much wretched land and
minute holdings. 1t is the home of the
Molly Maguires. The coming Of the
commissioners attracted q number OF
persons to the town and many lawyers.
Commissioners Kane, Bailey and Gar
land sat in the Court House. The first
ease gone into was one of the most fam
GUS which has arisen in the land 1t
WAS one in which the League triumphed
far and near, as it was q case typical OF
hardship. The members for north
west Lancashire became sponsors
the circumstances throughout the
press Of England. The government,
to-day. accepted the challenges. The de-
cision was of great interest and import
ance. The first tenant who thus come
under the operation Of the act was Pat
rick McAtvey. Of Calatro, County Mon
sghan, on the estate Of Harry Bond, an
absentee landlord living in London. The
holding is ten acres; rent, 2S 16s.; gov
eminent valuation, 96. McAtvey is an
intelligent young fellow, about % years
old, who after considerable wandering,
having lived in the United States four
years, returned to his native land and
claimed possession of the holding which
his uncle then held. Since then be has
lived mostly as q railway employee in
England, being as the landlords counsel
characterized him, Gan absentee tenant. "
The first witness for the tenant was, uu-
fortunately, lsmentable failure. He
was Vincent Smith, surveyor and val
uer for some of the large estates in the
north Of Ireland, who swore that he sur
veyed MeAtvey's holding last week, and
gave an official estimate that it was worth
los. I'd. per acre, but the oress-examina-
tien brought out that he made vslua-
ton for the landlord in 1876, when he
valued the holding at 23s. Sd. per acre.
When confronted with the former figures
he said that he rendered the valuation by
order Of the landlord without regard to
his own estimate; but, as this ad-
mission convicted him Of fraud in
giving a false valuation, he left
the court discounted and barred as
q witness in any future cause. McAtYey
then made his testimony. He proved by
documents that his landlord had forced
him 20 sign an agreement contracting out
of all the benefits Of the Ulster custom.
This was not denied, and witnesses were
called to prove that McAtvey's holding
was too highly rented, one swearing that
the tenants right in it was worth moth
ing, ard others that it was worth about
e5. The agent on the estate, however,
swore that McAtvey had refused el0O
for his holding, and wanted 81 so. Some
tenants swore that the land was bad, and
would hardly support the family. The
agent wore that it was light and sandy
sell, capable of bearing good crops if
accepla bly, farmed. Thus issues are
fairly joined. The commissioners re-
solved to visit the holding this morning
and then give their decision. They
therefore drove out early to-day, to
McAtvey's holding, where consider
able number of neighboring tenants
gathered, and followed curiously at their
heels, as they went from field 10 fell,
testing the soil. They examined the
gathered crops, and asked questions of
the agent, tenant and all who were con-
eerne5. The land on his holding was
certainly in Wretched condition, badly
drained, and really incapable Of being
made very valuable. Returning in the
afternoon the commission sat to hear
further evidence. but nothing important
was ELECTED. When the testimony was
finished there seemed to be many
doubtful points, but the commission
decided to give judgment at once,
and reduced the rent to 96 6s., and
obliged the landlord to pay half Of the
county cess, the whole of which the ten
ant paid before. saving the latter 5s.
yearly. It also revealed that the gov
eminent valuation on McAtvey;s holding
was really 81 8s., making q reduction of
FL Is. under Grifiths' valuation. This
is q serious defeat for landlords, but it
was inevitable that the first decision
should involve reductions. This decision
proves Parnell's cleverness and wisdom
in selecting for test cases those in which
rents were not exorbitant, but moderate.
so that decision which was at first really
necessary to the success of the act, would
be precedent for further decisions. It
was taken for granted that landlords will
appeal to the chief commissions and the
important judgment. in connection
with this case, was the decision of both