The Irish standard., 1888-06-02
MR., DAVITT Ar LIVERPOOL,
Continued From First Page.)

forget the services the Irish nation and
people had rendered to the cause of
Cathollcity throughout the civilized
world. (Applau3e). 1t would be 81
bad day and day which he hoped
would never come when the people of
ireland might be compelled to rpake up
their minds that all they were to re-
ceive for their lifelong devotion to the
Church was ingratitude. Clear, hear).
The four charges in the rescript read
more like an extract from one of Mr..
Balfour's speeches Qaughter) or q pass,
age in /. l.. 2. u. pamphlet daughter
and applause) than what should be in a
pronnnciamento in which they were
anxious to believe error could not be
taught or prejudice and falsehood be
allowed to triumph over truth and
justice. With regard to the date on
which the rescript was founded, he
asked were the tenants of Ireland
equally free with Irish landlords in this
respect ? (No). II was fact that not
onehalf of the tenant-farmers had en-
tered the Land Court to have judicial
rents fixed under tn 9 Land Act of 1881
This was a thing so patent that they
might have got inquiries in Rome from
where they could have obtained reliable
information on the spot to satisfy them
that Irish tenant farmers did not enter
the Land Court because of fear OF evic-
ton for arrears Of rent, and also be-
cause they would require the services
OF lawyer whom perhaps they would
not be able to pay. There would not
be freedom of contract 50 long as land
lordism existed in Ireland; and the rea-
son was because of the economic con-
djJions of Ireland to-day. If there were
other industries in ireland to which
the tenant farmer could go with his
family to earn a living. then there
would be something approaching to
free action on his behalf in dealing with
the landlords. When, however, the re-
fusal Of the landlords decision, or the
Land Courts decision, meant eviction,
the workhouse, or exile, he denied that
there would be anything like freedom
Of contract in Ireland. Freedom Of
contract in Ireland, translated into
actual plain fact aud plain English,
meant freedom of landlord robbery
tempted by legal chicanery in the
Land Court. (Applause). The Irish
tenant farmers were not represented in
the Irish Land Courts, and the Irish
and tribunals were more favorable to
he landlords than to the tenants.
Those tribunals were inclined more to
MIR. Balfours's opinion than to Mr.. Par
aell's judgment. He wished that Car
1inal Monaco held farm for year or
TWO under Lord Clanricarde or Col.
King Harmon, or any OF the Catholic
landlords in Ireland, who we're as much
rack-renters as the other two gentle
men. His Eminence would then soon
earn the extent to which the law was
ready to protect the interests of Irish
;enant farmers. With regard to che
third allegation, he denied that tenant
farmers had been compelled or forced
% pay rent into the hands of campaign
ITS. With reference to the Plan of
Campaign he might say that he had
lot been an active campaigner himself.
The plan had one principle which he
could not possibly subscribe to-, and
which he could not defend or uphold,
namely, that rent less Is, 20, or 80, or
%, or 20 per cent was fair rent to an
IRISH landlord. He denied that any
ent-they must not misunderstood
i'm, he knew what he was saying, he
enied that any rent but a prairie rent
7aS 2 fair Or inst rent; to an Irish land