The Portland daily press., 1883-05-15

Last evening Rev. John Ker, D. D., lectured
at Chestnut street church on the social, relir
ious and historical aspects of his country.
The speaker commenced with a description
of ireland, its size, beautiful scenery and great
antiquity. Its sad condition, he claimed, was
not due to any radical physical, moral or in
tellectual defects of the people Her Boyle,
Goldsmith, Moore, Burke, jeremy Taylor,
Adam Clark and Wellington are representa-
uves OF whom any country might be proud.
The religious aspect shows that for hundreds
OF years the ancient Irish church was light to
all Europe, and 1t was not destroyed until the
vicious compact between Pope Adrian ~ and
Henry III was carried out
The speaker said the people of Ireland were
now better fed better clothed, live in better
houses and are better instructed that twenty
years ago. There were a number of generous
landlords in Ireland who took deep interest
in the prosperity of their tenants, and so, be-
tween them and their tenants there always ex-
listed mutual friendship and good will, nor am
sure that the condition of tenants holding
under such landlords will be much improved
by the land bill. This state of things how
ever, existed, in spite of laws which enabled
fair advantage of their tenants. And SO Ire-
land has got bill that will establish fair play
between landlord and tenant throughout the
entire kingdom. Without lingering ON the
means by which this measure became law let
me pass on to explain its principal provisions
First, then. IL secures fair rent, and SO no man
IN Ireland now can say that his landlord
charges him rent out of proportion to the
value OF the land he holds or to the value of
the produce which by industry he can cause il
to yield, for the rent is laid on by a court ap-
pointed by the Government, which is solemniv
pledged to do justice between landlord and
tenant. 1t secures what we call security OF
tenure. On this point the act amounts 10 n
lease renewable forever. 1t not only secures to
the tenant all the advantages of his own indus
try, but it makes those benefits his own or his
childrens' from generation to generation.
This regard as q matter of the greatest
moment TO Ireland, as / believe q sense of in
security in their holdings must needs react in
that discontinued spirit which manifests itself
FROM time TO time amongst the people. In a
word, the land act makes every mans house
his castle, and on most reasonable terms his
castle forever so that be his house large or
small, stone or mud, matched or slated, he
can nov dwell therein safely, none daring 10
make him afraid. The bill also secures the
free sale of all his interests in his hol ling
Yes, he may now plant and build, drain and
fence, and then, il so disposed he can sell his
farm, with all his improvements thereon, to
the highest bidder, and so he will improve his
land as he never did before, and in so doing he
is, BY the operation OF this most wonderful
measure, putting money into his own pocket.
or the pockets of his children and the final
result will be wonderful change in the land
the people cultivate and the houses the people
live in. The bill secures the one other result
namely, what we call in Ireland peasant pro-
prietary, or in other words, it helps the peo-
pie TO become the owners instead of the Guilt
vators OF the soil, wherever the landlord
wishes to sell and the tenant wishes to buy.
and many will now wish this. The govern
ment will advance to the tenant the necessary
means, for which he will be charged per
cent. interest. for thir ty years, at the end of
which time. by this payment, the land be-
comes bis own forever. Thus the people have
now an interest in the land, which will lead
them 70 take an interest In the prosperity of
the country such as they never did
But will this arrangement satisfy the Irish
people? In answer TO that question, say that
there will likely always be some people in Ire
land dissatisfied. The truth is, dissatisfaction
is thing which has often paid well in Ireland
and some people make a trade of it, and sup
pose they will work at their trade SO long as
they find It pays; but give il as nv opinion
that among the great bulk of the people, there
will be satisfaction and quiet such as has not
been for long time past But what about the
no rent cry. Well, that cry will not take in
Ireland as is obvious from the fact that appli-
cations to the land commission for the fixing of
rents are increasing at the rate of 800 day
In fact, the doctrine OF no rent is abhorred
alike by priests and parsons, BY all protestants
and by all Professionals and Roman Catholics
with whom / am acquainted.
OF course there is in the social condition Of
the Irish people one great drawback, which is
the extreme smaliness of many of the farms.
Eighty per cent. of the entire population,
which is now 5, 159. $50. live by farming There
are 5I4 ODD farms and 527 AL farmers; 50613 of
these farms are under one acre, "a 292 farms
are under i've acres, and l6l 1886 farms are I'M
der fifteen acres. Now, it is clear that no land
bill can do much for one or five acre farmers.
Their condition, even If they got their land
free, would be poor, so that to meet their case
one OF two things must be done, either send
piece of this vast continent to ireland, say a
state, or bring all of those who have one or five
acre farms out to America. This is the plan
strongly recommend to the class of which
am speaking, believing as l do that its adoption
by them would result in great good both to
them aud their children, who, il they stop in
Ireland on one or five acre farms, must be in
poverty forever.