Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-31
DARK DAYS FOR IRELAND
.DUBLIN'S ARCHBiSUOP SAYS
THE OUTLOOK Is GLOOMY.
Home Rule win Come, bat the Land
Question Has Trouble in StOre-Ihs
Bitter and Obstinate LardiOrds-Cries
to Alarm.
From ne Frie York Tyi5aHe.

MOst reverend w lllidu - " oA0A' -
bishop OF Dublin:
MIR. Gill-Your Grace has no objection
TO my asking you lew questions as to
the view you take of the present state OF
affairs in Ireland?
The chbishop-Certainly not. so far
rs your questions seem fair and proper
shall answer them with pleasure. The
outlook, think, is in one way as gloomy
as gloomy can be. As tor home rule, IL
must come. Mr.. GladstOne's bill,
with the conflict that has arisen out
of it, has made it impossible for the
English Liberal party to 20 back. ana
take it that II is the Liberal and not the
Tory party that has the future of Eng
lish politics in its hands. 1t would, OF
course. by 10 means surprise me If home
rule came 10 us from the Tories, but
come IL will, and that very soon. When
speak OF a gloomy outlook | am thinking
rather OF another questionable land Ques-
tion-and the trouble fear that it has in
store for us. What fools our Irish land
lords have proved themselves 10 b.,
Mr.. GIll-YOur Grace then thinks that
the democratic movement in Ireland Will
now be strong enough TO break the old
notions about rent and the Obligation OF
paying it?
The Archbishop-Yo misunderstood
me. the rent question in Ireland has
but little to DO with tue questions Of de-
mOcracy or aristocracy. or with any
other merely political question. Let me
tell YOU Of an incident that bears on this
Not long ago an English gentleman who
had come to Ireland t. study the lard
question dld me The favor OF calling
upon me. His great difficulty was
about rent aud the payment or
non-payment of il. IL may seem n
little amusing to you. but the view be
took Was tnst the rent question ia Ireland
was in lie man question between Cath
oics and PrOtesIants. and in this sense a
religious question. ior, a. be put it to me,
the bulk of the tenants being Catholics
and staunch Catholics, aud the bulk OF
the landlords being Pr0testauts and
etauuch Professionals, he took 1t that the
difficulty about the payment Of rent in
Ireland was an unwillingnoss on the part
Ot our Irish farmers 10 let so much Cath
Ollie money 90 into Protestant pockets.
Mr.. Gill-But this EDgllshman must
have known very little OF tue state OF the
country
The Archhishop-Man be knew
practically nothing about II. He told me
that bis strongest sympathies were with
US. that he was anxious to help on the
Irish cause, that already be had done
some good work for US In England, but
that he now found il had become useless
Tor him or for any one Ike MIN TO put his
views on Irish affairs before his fellow
countrymen, whether in public or IN pri-
E3te, unless the man who put them Tor
ward was able TO speak from persOual
knowledge Of Ireland; and 50 he lad come
over 70 see things Tor himself.
Mr. Gill-After all, this 10 not an un.
a hin ff.f Tn. lfkb 80
The ArchblshOp-No. on the contrary,
il is a most reasonable view: that ia to
say, IL would be most reasonable view
If they took IL all rOund. but they don't.
what happens rs that any Engiishmaii
who takes the Irish popular side on any
IRISH question j. at once pulled up with
The remark: Nv bat do you know about
lrelandi How long have you lived
thereY and so forth; tut when Mr..
Chamberlain gives out bis speculatlons,
or Mr.. Goschen, or Mr.. Game, no such
question Is raised or even thought Of. IT,.
indeed, the settlement of the Irish d iffi
Guilty was really lett TO the judgment OF
those who know our country and our
people the prospect OF peace and
reconciliation between the two ma
tions would be a bright one
Indeed. But TO return to the point. Your
very natural observation turned me aside
Tor the moment from what | was about 10
cay. My English visitor came over To
Ireland full Of The idea that the Irish land
gu stlon was in the sense that have ex-
planned religious question. You seem
10 look upon it as more or less political
one. Well, as l told our sympathetic
friend from tue other side OF the channel,
IL Is neither one or the other. 1t is plain
commercial question, nothing more and
nothing less. IL is a struggle between
tue landlords as "A class, who insist upon
obtaining eXtraVagantly eXOrbitant rents
for the land, and tae tenants AS class,
who are unwilling and indeed unable TO
pay more than the land is really worth.
Dir. Gill-GOur Grace then thinks that
II due allowance were made in gisla-
tion for the difference between the COM
lnercial circumstances OF the two coun.
tries there would be no more difficulty
about the question in ireland than there
Is in Englaudg
The Archbishop-NO more difficulty in
ireland than in England! Are Won not
aware that the difficulty as it now exists
IN England Is far more serious than any
that exists in Ireland! Or PERHAPS
may put IL more accurately thus-thal
the difficulty in England would be
greater, aud would IN fact be insufTerablt
and appalling, il English landlords were
as unwilling as SO many of the lrlsl
landlords have shown themselves to bt
10 deal equitably with their tenants
and to make those reductions il
their demands OF rent which the present
conditions OF the agricultural Interest
render imperative. When saw impera
tive mean, of course, imperative in the
sense that they are absolutely necessary
Il agriculture is not TO end in bankruptcy
In England, rs you know, there are hun.
dreds ana hundreds of farms for whict
10 tenant can be fOund-farms whici
landlords would willingly hand over /,
any solvent tenant for even nOmina
rent. and In many instances Tor no rem
at all, merely 10 yet rid of the Obligation
OF paying local rates.
Mr.. Gill-Iour Engiish visitor seems L
have overlooked this.
The hbishOp-Strange to suy, wheT
put 1t % hin in this light he made thu
very cauGid observation that IT. was hi.
own case. He then told me that he II
himself al English landlord, and that Ia,
las farms on bis bands which ne huds i
Impossible - get tenants 20 take from
him on any terms at all.
Mr. Giii-WOuld 1t seem, tn gu, that tho
law Of supply and demand has done To-
the English tenant farmers all that tn,
land acts o. 1871 and 1880 have done TO
the tenant farmers of Ireland?
the Neutrality-suspicious. az much TO
them! That IN putting II very mildly in
deed. IN England, Tor the most part, tn,
law OF supply and demand has brough
down the rent or land to something Tx,
Sta npfgal Va Inc. in IpaIapl Tho tn1 Ia,