New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-14
LAND REFORM IN DETAIL.

LAND REFORM ~ DETAIL.
The dcput tion of Advanced Liberals, who
have presented a memorial to MIR. Gladstone
in relation to land reform in Ireland. have
recommended a comprehensive scheme OF
peasant proprictOrship, accompanied by the
"three Fsr and reclamation Of waste lands.
| These phrases represent in general way the
maximum OF remedial legislation which the
Irish people can obtain at Westminster, and
| should bc examined in detail.
l. Peasant PrOprictorSl ip.-At present there
are 10000 landowners ard about 100000
tenants, representing from 100000 to
! 100000 of population. So long as the
rights of property are the rights of 50 small
minority. the land tSy stem will be permanent
source OF discomfort, agitation and disorder. This
principle il recognized by every one who has
given the statistics Of the subject a single
half-hour of serious study. or cOnrasted the
miSfortuucS Of the Irish tenant with the thrift
and prosperity Of the peasant proprlctOrS Of
b, lglum and France. The Bright clauses Of
the Irnd act Of 1870 were designed 10 in
crease the number of landowners 10y Il syS-
tenn Of STATE aid, and we infer from the
Queens speech that PaI!am, ut will be asked
10 enlarge those provision, and thus render
them operative such schrm' is outlined
in a pamphlet sent TO us from Dublin by
Joseph +. Pm. in which the establishment of
q Land Commission j, aIvocatcl. THIS body
would Ice empowered to advance, not two
th,ri4. which the BRIGHT clause, allow. bIt 20
much of the purch l~c-moury rs the farm
may ic considered adequate security for;
thi, advance would be repaid by haIt-yraiiy
..It. al al T.
i've yclr.. interest being calculated 40 the Iatc
If jis per cent; and the purchaser would be
allowed to iorcStlll thc cxtncul,hmoni of the
wmciId by additional payment, az hi, own
pleasure The man objection t. these sv--
tenn, OF STAT AID is that they are not easily
rn!r!,iooI hy the class f.. WHOSE benefit
they arc planned. lhe puipl dung which
pI,urnt, are ~ be- IN dc J, ot necessity q l"ns
one ud impoverished tcuut, fail to- dis
crimmatc between an interest charge by the
State and IN cXtOrtlonate Icut; aud a Whole
generation is long time 10 wait before
owuri IMP will become reality. Lord Duilcrin
has recently urged th' adoption of some fc..-
tulc. Of the Russian Land system, but hc must
have known that the result, OF Inn
pcriu grants t. cnlrlnchi>ci peasants
have fallen short of popular rx-
pcclation. he growth OF new social
class is invariably slow, and there have been
FEW instances ia agrarlan history in when it
has been ajilicaly stimulated by State
grants.
II. Free Salc.-'Ih- is the tirst suggestion
which Charles Russell. one of the ablrst adj
vocatcs Of land reform. makes in ~ elaborate
scheme outlined in The FrccmanS JouRaI. ii"
would abolish every ~ stem OF settlement or
entail, 50 that there would always bc Il real
owner with absolute p,wcr to sell land aud
make a good title to it; and in all cases where
land is held by mi ddlcmcn he would enable
them either to buy out their landlords com
pusory or to dispose of their interest to the
owners on fair terms. In this way primogcni-
ture would be abandoned, existing settlements
would be broken up, trustees would be enabled
to pay of permanent charges, embarrassed
landlords would be allowed to sell portions of
their estates, and there would be Il real owner
for every acre of land. 1t is scarcely nccrs-
sary to add that so radical a plan for inter
ieriug with entails and settlements would
cause panic among the English landed
arislocracy.
III. Far Il nts and Fixity of Tenure-Mr
Russell would make ten years occupation of
a holding the condition of perpetual fee
farm grant or lease, at rent to be fixed
either by "A land commission or by Judges of
county courts. Tenants vino acquired these
grants would have fXty of tenure and at the
same time be left free to purchase with or
without State aid. There would be- however,
very little induccmcnt to purchase 80
long AS the tenant had the right to
remain on the ground Indefinitely aud
pay a rent which he might consider
reasonable. 1t is extremely doubtful whether
il would he possible for either II land COM
mission or the local magistrates to make sat
i,lActOry terms between landlord and ten mt.
Practically, it would be found more cove
nlcut 10 make "a temporary arrangement at the
outset, 80 that the representatives of the State
would be forced periodically to rcyauc tire
holdings aud keep the peace between owner
and Orcupicr. FIxlty of tenure at fair rent
is a smooth phrase, but it involves one of the
most complex agrurlan problems.
". Reclamation OF Waste Lands-This il
perhaps the simplest element Ol the remedial
scheme for Ireland. The Government would
bc expected to purchase property of this class,
drain and improve it, and then divide 1t into
lots and sell 1T by auction. The merits Of