Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-02-17
what Are the SKYE Crof1ers ?

Wnat Are the skye CrOfCerS
What are the crofters? And what is the
trouble all about! The Isle of Skye is the
largest of the inner Hebrides, off the west
coast OF scotland, forming part of the In
yefness-Shlre, from the mainland of which
it is separated by the narrow Strait of
Loeb Ash. Its area is 535 square miles:
population about 1900. The surface is
mountainous, and contains valuable mar
bic quarries. The soil is Door and pro-
duction scanty. The greater part of the
island is in pasture and devoted to the
rearing of cattle and sheep. The we'll
known Skye terrier is raised there. Fish
ing is also an employment of the popula-
tlon. The people are of Gallo origin,
peaceful and moral as rule, but general
~ poor. The greater part of the land be-
longs to Lord Macdonald and the Macleod
family. The crofters are small farmers
who rent fields for tillage or pasturage. A
croft is a small close, or inclOsed field.
used for pasturage or other purposes.
What the crofters in the Isle of Skye COM
plain OF is precisely what the tenant
farmer of Ireland objects to-namely, rack
renting, capriclous evictiOnS, and the in
Vulnerable other indignities put upon
them by graspiDg and soulless landlords.
one species of outrage is that of ATTEMPTS
on the part of the landlords, backed by the
British authorities, to compel these hardy
Highlanders to emigrate. A number of
them, not long ago, were promised
work, help and land, if they would
go to Canada; and some of these
crofters being unwilling to leave their
native land, abscOnded from their homes.
whereupon orders were given to the po-
lice to pursue the people, which they did,
ana succeeded in capturing about twenty
from the mountains and islands of the
neIghborhood. Those men were brought
back by force. Some of them escaped,
and in that case families We're divided.
the wives and children being sent to Cana
da, While their husbands and fathers were
left at home. When they arrived in
Canada they found every promise had
been broken, and they were thrown desti-
tute on the land, 1t is shown that in Ross
and lnyernesSshire alone 100000 acres of
land have been laid waste for deer. which
the people are not permitted to till, The
effect has been to keep the crofters
mlserably poor; and whereas every
other class Of people in Scotland has pro-
crossed by leaps and bounds, these poor
Hlghlanders alone in their crofts have
made no progress. AS in Ireland, the in
security of holding in the Highlands has
much to do with the trouble, and unWise
land laws have much to do with it also
laws which cOnspire to throw landed
property into the hands of one class,
try into the hands of that class in the rural
districts, and which gives to one landlord
sixty miles of country used as a deer
forest, stretching from the Atlantic across
the Highlands to the Moray Firth; demand
ing that the people be cleared away that
other districts might also be con-
Verted into wilderness for sport. At
recent meeting in Dundee, Scotland, a
leading Presbyterian clergyman made
VIOnPOuG GDQnoh in -
outrages, holding that the people had
rights In the soil as we'll as the land
owners, and these rights needed to be de-
tended, not only in the interest of Justice
and humanity, but in the interests of the
country. The sport of few aristOcrats.
and even the enrichment of a few bank
rupt chiefs and needy lairds by the barter.
ing away OF rights that were not morally
theirs to sell, would never compensate
the country for even the loss of stalwart
and vigorous peasantry.
'.IIl fares the land, to fastening ills prey,
Where wealth accumulates. but men decay"
The answer of the landlords and deer
stalkers is, ''Let these people emigrate:
there is no room for them here" Why no
room! First, the poor crofters had been
driven down from the good lands to the
barren shores, their grazings being taken
from them, and now they are told to leave
the country, as there is no room for them.
No room for Highland men and women,
when millions of acres of serviceable land
are kept out of cultivation for the sport
of aristocrats? Room for such waste, vet
no room for the peoplel
The agitation in Scotland is intense.
The whole question of the peoples rights
in the soil is evidently to be opened up,
and determination is evinced to agitate,
to organize and demand restitution and
reform, The recent disturbances in the
Isle OF Skye have been caused by this de-
termination, the crofters openly defying
the authority of the law to evict them.
Their cause has the sympathy of all ex-
cept the titled classes; and, need we say,
calls for the most generous consideration
on this side the Atlantic. Their
houses have been burned by the land
lords; brigades of constables with crow
bars and fag0ts have demolished and
destroyed their homes, and thousands of
orofters have been elected from their
snug inland farms by means for which
we in vain seek a precedent, except, per-
haps, in the history of the Irish massacre.
No wonder then that the policemen were
recently met in remote part of the
island by hundreds of the inhabitants and
severely maltreated and repulsed. II ap-
pears that the action reported by cable as
above (the surrender of four of the ring
leaders, viii obyiate the threatened ne
cessity Of sending British red-cOats to the
island to coerce the brave crofters and
fhair yviVQa into an huaicciov fo fxy,.o,O-