New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-24
IRISH ARREARS.
AND THE LATEST MESSAGE OF PEACE.

| Government
he declared but they are of great use III rounding
on Oppostiop speeches. This he said IN the course
of the debate on the Arrears bill Seldom has 1t
been less true or less applicable. The superiority
Of debating power on the Ministerial side of the
| IIouse of Commons is unqucsi0nable. 1he
speeches in behalf of the Arrears bill are far aber
considered as speeches, than those against that
measure But it is difficult to say in this case that
| Che weight of argument goes with the weight OF
ability.
And for this reason: The Arrears bill Is bill
dealing with rent. with debt. with admitted ieIai
obligations which 1t proposes TO cancel III TWO
ways: q part Of them are to be PAID rot ny '"o
debtor. but with other Teoples money he i'H'
are not TO be paid at all. but TO be cancelieu' !" "
| tolerablv obvious that such measure cannot be
defended for moment on economioM Pi"u""''
Like the Land Act itself 10 which it is corollary'
!, ronst bo defended if at all on political grounds
II is another measure of concession. concllauoh'
medication II it succeeds in conciliatng anyDo
If if pacifes or tends to paciy Ireland to that eX-
tent IFS violation both of principles ana OF lhdl-
vidual rights may be palliatcd; perhaps lustihed
bave stated the scope of this Arrears bill gen
orally and an examination of its provisions Will
hear out what I have said. But the biil is, OF
course carefully limited TO particular cases. NOT
all arrears are TO be cleared off, nor all Landlords
inc not more than certain rent can satisfy
some competent authority of their inability 10 Pay
are to have their arrears paid for them. only
years rent is to be paid III any case and the amount
Is limited in all those cases. however. the whole
f tbe earlier arrears are he wiped out the land
lord receiving no compensation whatever Tor them.
The total sum required is yarlously computed MI
Gladstone thinks il will not exceed two millions
sterling. Mr. Chaplin estimates IT at mnch moro.
To pay it, recourse is had to the Church una sur
plus. ana as to the thus available authorities
ocaiu differ the figures ranging from over a million
and \ half sterling at which Mr. FinlaySon, the
actuarv has computed the existing balance, down
to one quarter that sum, or IN Sir Michael HICKS
Beach's iudgment TO nothing at all The necessary
snin over and above this Fund is to lie provided
ont of the Treasury-by the British taxpayer, that
is. and it is tolerably clear that the British tax
payer does not particularly care to pat his hand in
his pocket for the benefit Of the Irish tenant or
Irish landlord either. Mr.. Gladstone thinks hall
million sterling may have 10 he provided from tins
source sir Stafford Northcote talks of two millious
and half as the total cost of the operation, aud
does not believe much of it will come ont Of the
Church surplus.
The Irish members are very keen for this rears
| bill Well they may be- II IS bill u atoI eve
| tons They are in mortal dread OF evctons
! They used 10 tell their clients that the Land
League would stop evictions, and when the tenant
found the League did not stop them, his ieaity to
| that interesting conspiracy was very considerably
! shaken. The League itself WAS shaHcn 10y them;
ITS power weakened. The tenant farmer was the
backbone OF the League. fhe ceased 10 be tenant
farmer. he was of much less value as a backbone
than before. The League precept TO keep a firm
grin on the land land also on the rent due for 1t
and the harvest he had r,aped from IT'D became in
such circumstances, purely theoretical cXloIta-
lion. This Arrears bll is one means of giving lie.
| newed effect to tie grip on the land doctrine.
| When the poor tenants rent has been rald I0T
him. or part of 1t paid eviction has no more teIrorS
| for him lie will keep land. harvest ana money all
three. | say money. because nobody protends that
! tbs machinery for discovering who can pay ana
who cannot VIII really me efficient. And the
tenant with money in his pocket is extremely
important factor in the Irish problem Where
would Nh. Healv's thirty dollars a wcek come from
! if the League supplies dried up And Mr. Iealy S
Parliamentary activity. which IS great, is under
stood TO depend wholly on the regularity Of his al
| lowance.
! When the Arrears bill was first brought forward,
| AS one item IN the Treaty of kiimauham,-the
effect of it IN Ireland was instantaneous At that
! moment rents were coming in fairly well. Arrears
! even. in some instances were being palt. The IN
troduetiOn of this bill a Government measure
put stop7o that The irish tenant az once said to
himself: Why should pay Gladstone is going
10 paw" That was true, if the Irish AGENTS may be
believed. of arrears as q whole. Current rents con-
tinucd to be paid, but less generally, and with
| larger demands Tor reduction.
You hear a great deal about tenants grievances;
less pcIhavs. about the grievances Of landlords.
VIII tell yOu Of a single instance about which nave
| good information. Three years ago next autumn
! certain Iush nobleman succeeded to Irish estates
worth G27,O0Oa vear-say in round numbers
yearly renia. of $4,000. 1t was well managed
and moderately rented property The tenants were
! kind tIcared. There had never been an eviction.
But il happened to he property conveniently sit
uated for League puI poses and The League at that
time was in a stat of great activity. OF the FIRST
! half years rent about $1,000 were pail. OF the
second not penny and from that day to this, with
| the exception OF perhaps another $1,000 III small
sums from sundrv tenants the owner OF tins estate
has received nothing whatever. There is a sum OF
| At least 5000. 600 TO which he is legally entitled,
which his tenants had voluntarily agiced to pay,
winch was IN tact 10 more than fair rent for the
| land they occupied and which they have SIMPLY
nut into their OWE pockets. wonder how We should
| deal IN America with men who took that view OF
| their obligations and of a certain commandment
What the Arrears bill will do in such a case rs
this is to extingush all the landlords claim which
| it does not pay, supposng the holdings TO be small
enough to come under the bill at all II be can get
"a years rent, or y;hng like il, he would doubt
less think himself only 100 happy. He has no
| chance of getting the whole. The tenants have
spent it, And 50 il aIlses that IN desperate cases
the lrish landlord Is himself in favor OF this meas
ure. 1t will rut into the pocket Of the Irish land
| lord some ten millions of dollars more or less,
| which ne has not much chance Of getting other
| wise And in these days he is thankful for small
mercies Ii the bill passes the House of Lords, its