The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-07-19

oGaCe duu IionA o1ASSS
flowed to the society in Ire
land not only warm words OF en-
and Indictment, but the
substantial stimulus of many thous'
ands of dollars. Both Mr.. Parnell
and Mr.. Gladstone confessed that
the greatest element in the power OF
the Land League lay in the support
it received from the United States.
tits certain that it was the formida.
BILE and pers istcnt agitation of the
Land League, in and out of Parlia-
ment, which impelled Mr.. Gladstone
to propose and carry the great Land
Act. of 1881, which in a. large degree
emancipated the Irish peasants from
the grasping and selfish dominica Of
their landlords abolished the odious
system of rack renting;" and open
ed possibility, at least, to the tile:
of the soil of becoming one day the
proprietor of the soil he titled. The
Land League, too, proved the practi.
cability Of organizing into a power.
full political force the mass Of Irish
people. 1t gave witness to the world
that at last the Irish could put forth
their claim for justice and liberty by
enlightened, orderly, and moral
methods.
The Land League has been sup
pressed. But the agitation which it
set in motion, and which it fashioned
into a great national impulsion, has
not ceased, and will not cease. The
cause of Ireland is in the hands of a
group of very able, eloquent, states
man.like men; a group of men. too,
who have devoted their careers to
their country, and are thoroughly in
earnest in their work. All that ag-
rarian agitation could accomplish, at
least for the present, seems to have
been. we'll achieved. The Land
League suppressed. a great improve
ment having been made in the ag-
rarian condition of the farmers and
peasants, Mr.. Parneli and his fellow.
patriots have resolved to take anoth.
er step forward. The land agitation,
indeed, was only one of the phases
of the Irish struggle. It was an en-
tering wedge first movement to-
ward a far broader end than the
amelioration of the land system /;
auxiliary only to the chief aim of the
Irish leaders. That chief end has
always been, and continues to be,
the self.government of Ireland, her
emancipation from the control Of the
Imperial Parliament the making Of
Irish laws by an Irish Legislature
not only the repeal OF the Union
which was forced upon Ireland by
PITT eighty years ago. but the con-
stitution in Ireland, for the first tim
in her history, of local Parliament
elected by the free and general stuff:
rage of the Irish people.
| For the extinct Land League ther
has been substituted the Nationa
League of Ireland, and it is unde
this new name, and with a broade
purpose. that the agitation will g
on. The National League propose
to press for nothing more nor les
than Home Rule. OF course, tn
despotic repression law, the rigi
tralldom under which Ireland is held
bound hand and foot, greatly re
stricts, and will restrict, tie opera
tion of the new League. Its orator
can only speak the greatest Caution
its newspap ers must be most mode1
ate in tone its meetings must be
} ware of provoking the extraordinar
powers confided to the Irish Execu
tive. But still the National Leagu
J has yet its little band of brave, elo
quent, and persistent leaders in tn
, British House of Commons, and
has its vast CASTS of support in tn
Irish National League of the Unite
. States. The Convention which me
a few weeks ago at PHILADELPHIA
transformed the Land League her
: into the National League, and tt
harmony, the spirit, aud the earne!
: temper Of that Convention showed /
3 Ireland and to the world that tt
f zeal of Irishmen in this country f,
l the cause of their unhappy natl,
land is quite undiminished, and TIL
: their confidence in Mr.. Parnell /,
4 the Irish leader has suffered no i
f of batement.
d The effort of the National Leag,
# to secure a repeal of the Union, al
: native Parliament in Dublin. is
q no means so hopeless one as a s,
8 perficlal observer NAV IMAGINE TT