The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-17
The Expense Estimated at 5000, ,O0O, ,OOO, To Be
Raised by Issue of Three Per Cent. Stocks
at the Rate of $1OO, 900, 900 a Year.
How Lands Arc To Be Valued and Pur-
chased, andthe Method of Payment.
Mr.. Chamberlain Opposes the Measure and Mr..
Parnell Speaks in It's Defense-A Number
Of Cases of Cholera at Brindisi.
THE IRISH LAND BILL.

introduced
Commons by Mr.. Gladstone.
LONDON, April 16.-Mr. Gladstone presented
his Irish land bill to the House of Commsns this
evening. There was hardly any excitement at
tending the event, compared with the enthusiasm
which attended the memorable proceedings of
yesterday week, when the home-rule measure
was proposed. At noon to-day but ninety seats
on the floor of the House had been "hatted," and
these were nearly all taken by Irish members
At o'clock the House was crowded to It's utmost
capacity.
Mr.. Gladstone rose in his place at 5:25 p. m.
and was greeted with cheers. When he began to
speak his voice was low and husky He said the
aim of the present endeavors of the government
was directed toward securing contentment among
the people Of Ireland and the permanent restora
ton of social order. The speakers proposals
would greatly benefit the tenants of Ireland, but
the landlords were the principal object of the
measure. although he thought many of those
landlords were hostile to the governments pol
ICY
At the outset the speaker endeavcred to make
the statement emphatic that it was not the in
tention Of the Scotch and English to run any
risk on account of the landlords of Ireland. The
history of Ireland was one long indictment
against it's landowners. Agrarian crimes ir-
creased under the absenteeism of landlords op
preston wodded to misery had produced hide
GUS crop. Crime had been endowed with vitality
to perpetuate ITSELF and had handed down its
miserable inheritance from generation to gener-
ton. England was not clear of responsibility,
for the deeds of Irish landlords were English
deeds The union itself was obtained against
the sense and wish of every class by wholesale
bribery and unblushing intimidation. The land
act was intended to go into effsct on the same
day on which the home-rule bill would become
operative II could not go on without the opera
tion of the other. which would provide legisla
ture in Ireland to appoint statutory authority to
deal with sthe landed estates, and act between
vendsr and purchaser. The purchase would be
made thrrs the issue Of fIen,000, 600 of 8 per
cent stock, ISSUED at par These new Irish consols
might, with the consent of the treasury, be COM
muted for stock of a lower denomination. The
act was to give the landlords the option to sell
out under its terms. It's enactment was con-
fined to agricultural holdings, and did not in
clude mansions having demesnes and woods.
The state authorities, acting between the peas
ant and the land d-owner, would purchase the land
from the latter and put the peasant in possession
as absolute proprietor, subject to annual rent.
The state would not force these small holders to
become proprietors. Nobody except the imme-
date landlords would have the option to sell to
the incumbrancer, and then he must sell by
foreclosure, and not at option for himself. Ap-
plcations to sell would have to be made by all
the tenants on an estate, and all these appica-
tions and sales would be registered Applicants
would be required to give security for costs in
certain cases. The land commissioner would be
empowered to refuse applications. The basis
of process would depend upon the rental for
a fixed period The judicial rental of 1845 would
be the standard in all cases wherein the rent of
the land to be sold was then fixed In all other
cases the land commission would have the
power to arrive at price by comparing the
other judicial rentals with Grifiths valuation.
The land commission would also be allowed to
examine the state Of the books concerning es-
tates for ten years back. Twenty years rental
would be nominal purchase. and in exceptional
cases twenty-five years rental would make a
purchase. Applications for sale would not be
received after March 81, 1890. Ten million
pounds of the stock would be issued during
1887; f20, 600 in 1888, and f20, 100000 in
1882 The speaker now thought it was an error
to ask forthwith for anything like the outside
estimate, and believed that by appointing re-
ceiver for the general rents armed with suff-
cient authority to collect them, but without COM
ing into contact with the new proprietary, the
repayment OF the purchase money would be
amply secured. The charge upon the Irish ex-
chequer would be f2, 900. 900 per annum. to meet
which it would be able to levy rents amounting
to f2, 500, 900 per annum, and this sum would
be the first charge on the rents and
taxes raised by the Irish government.
Addng to this the imperial contri-
button, the sum paid to England by ireland |
would be f6,A2,0O0 per annum, secured on
revenue amounting to f10 $50, 900, no portion of
which would be applied to any purpose until
f6, 600, 900 was paid into the English exchequer.
The present contribution of the Irish taxpayers
to England was f6. $50. 600. OF which England
paid back, in the Irish civil service and in the |
service of collection, f4, 100000. The residue,
which seemed to represent an imperial contribu- |
ton, was f20S5,000. What did England do |
with 1t? AS an instance, she sent an army of |
26, 900 men to Ireland and kept them there at an
annual cost Of $1,000, ,ooo-f9l5,OoO more than
the balance mentioned That was a specimen
Of the economy Of the system the speaker |
wan ted to root up
Mr. Gladstone commended the scheme to the
strict, Jealous careful, unbiased examination of
Englishmen. He was convinced Ii would be |
as fitting part of the great, auspi |
cious effort in the plans of the British legisla |
ture for the welfare OF what had long been, and.
the speaker hoped, would ever be, under circum |
stances far happier than heretofore, an integral
part of her Majesty's domain.
Mr.. Gladstone spoke for an hour and thirty