New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-06-10
LORD LANsDOWNE.
wuy TIE WAS APPOINTED vIcERoY OF
CANADA.

.,r rrs,urAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.
P"'" 80 LONDON, May %.
The appointment Of the Marquis of Lansdowne to
no aforementioned of Canada for five years from
6,etober next has been extremely well received by
tho press of both parties. Ii in accordance Win
the traditions lin these days too often neglected. OF
English public life that nominations to great I'M
perial posts abroad should be judged on their mer-
its and not with reference to party interests. Lord
Iansdowne has been judged in this way, and the
result is honorable to him and suspicious for tho
great colony be is TO rule.
The only important opinion hostile to Lord Lans
downe is an Irish opinion, one section OF ir'sh
opinion aud that based, OF processes 10 DC oaSeu
ON his dealings with his tenantry. IL Is perfectly
true that Lord Lansdowne has the misfortune 10 po
an Irish landlord. His best friends cannot deny
that He was singled outfor attack al time wnen
every engine was put in to secure stringent
Irish Land act. The greater part OF ms ir'sn
.sto,ss lie in Kerry. The land and the tenants are
.l;Le moor dare say those of you who read the
CRITICISMS on Lord Lansdowne at the time pictured
him to yourself as a receiver of enormous rents
We'll. he owns 95 900 acres IN Kerry, and the rent
amounts as nearly as possible to half dollar an
acre Short of giving his land away,
landlord could not ask much less than LORD
Lansdowne does. The truth in bis case Is inc truth
in many other cases The tenants holding Is not
large enough to support him, If he sat ON 1T rent
free Aud then the landlord is blamed Lord
Iausdowne was very particularly accused because
he set his face resoutey against the practice COM
mon on estates managed in a slovenly way, OF al
lowing the number of tenants to be increased on
holding already inadequate; as, for example, when
man gives his daughter in marriage and seeks to
establish his son-in-law on the same property and
in the same cottage. thought Lord Lansdowne's
action in that matter wise and humane. read.
NAV add the testimony adduced to his discrcds at
the time 1t was ex-parte one-sided, saturated with
prejudice and wholly inconclusive to substantiafe
any important charge against Lord Lansdowne
No doubt it created hostile prepossession In the
minds of those who did not sift it carefully But
shonld much like to take the judgment. on this and
other kindred points, of any American accustomed
TO conduct bis business business principles-say
a large mill owner, any other great employer OF
labor / have no doubt what his answer would De.
He would say that Lord Lansdowne had reduced
the profit of his estate by attending to sentimental
considerations.
There is. it must be added, Radical cutlery
against Lord Lansdo vines appointment just as
there is Radical outcry against every new nom-
inec 10 no matter what Office who has not the good
fortune to be sprung as the phrase goes. from the
people. But il is not. in this instance very well
sustained The one leading journal which gives
timd voice to it, comedies that the VIceroyalty OF
Canada is hardly the office with reference to which
a challenge of this kind can most proitably be
made The people of Canada, If the Radical oracle
may be trusted. like to be governed by a man OF
high birth Ii that be So the expostulatIon OF the
cntic az home must fail. The same
sort of thing was said when Lord Lansdowne's
brother Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice, was made
Under Secretary of State in succession to Sir
Charles Dixie. He was born into arstocratic pur-
ple suggested then, and may repeat now, that
Americans might, for their part set of against this
disqualification the fact that the Fitzmaurices OF
to-day are the neal defendants of that Lord Shell
burne whose name must always be honored by us
as one of the authors of the Treaty of Peace be-
tween Great Britain and her revolted colonies.
But ii is said that Lord Lansdowne deserted Mr.
Cladstone's government and opposed the Irish Land
Act No doubt he did. but il Mr.. Gladstone does
not deem that reason for Withholding bis conn.,
dence from the offender, or for not appointing him
Governor General of Canada, 1t is difficult to see
why others should. And the criticism implies
view of the facts which is, think, at variance with
the true one. Lord Lansdowne well knew that no
opposition of his needed to induce the Lords to
throw out the Compensation for Disturbance BILL
OF would avail ultimately to defeat any Land bill.
on which the Government and country were re-
IL.
science as the Duke of Argyll did, and as Mr.. Bright
subsequently did on different question. He could
not with his convictions support the measure the
ministry had resolved Oh. and would not remain IN
Office When be had ceased TO be az one with his COL
leagues on questions be Thought VITAL Conduct oil
that sort requires eulogy not defence sui more
does il when the Minister resgning, as IN Lord
Lansdowne's case, not merely abandons an Under
Secretaryshp, but renornces certain and near pro-
motion to Cabinet rank. He opposed the Land
Bill, bat not, so far as know, with acrimony at
any rate, that was not the opinion OF his former
colleagues nor Of his political associates. have
heard Lord Lansdownes conduct discussed The
Judgment of those most interested may be summed
up in the phrase often used about him by the Minis
tiers he had quitted-that he had behaved extremely
we'll.
Our Canadian friends, apprehend, will be likely
10 regard debates on this already distant past as
sterile and will be more eager TO know what man.
ner Of man the actual Lord Lansdowne oil to-day Isl
70 know in q word what sort Of a Governor-Gep-
eral they going to have. They know him as the
possessor of great name historic title, heir 10
estates that might bs called great. but which
lie unhappily for their present possessor In just
those two parts of the United Kingdom where
estates have lost most in value You from your side
Of the Atlantic impaired property In Ireland by
sending money to support an agitation against
rent which was largely Fictitious. and which could
never have been maintained six months without
American or Irish-American contributions fon
cut down profits at the same time IL. the English
County Of Wiltshire by exporting bacon aud cheese,
and supplying the English market at price which
the Wiltshire tenant farmer could not compete
with. One visible evidence of this twofold attack
has been the letting Of LsDsdowne House, in Lon
don. and the shutting up OF Bowood; both houses
which have played brilliant part in the social life
Of England.
What was saying just now about Lord Laps-
downes probable admission into the Cabinet nd-
Gated clearly Mr. Gladstone's judgment Of the man,
rt, D.:... N,ossfsr 10 not suunosed favor