The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-21
BUYING OUT LANDLORDS.
JOHN DILLON WARNS THE TAX
PAYERS OF THE RISK.

A Declaration That the Scheme Lacks
the Proper Guarantees-Future Re-
pudIation Among the Possibilities
The Existence of Arrears Used to
Increase the Price of Land.
LONDON, Nov. 20.-On motion of Mr..
Smith, the government leader, in the House
of Commons this evening, the rule requir-
ing an adjournment at midnight was sus-
pended in order that the debate on the land
purchase bill, extending the operation of
the Ashbourne act, should proceed until
division was reached.
John Dillon said he thought the time had
come to take broad view of the Ashbourne
act, and show the British taxpayer what
advances might be asked and the nature of
the security tor them. He hoped the debate
had resulted in waking up the taxpayers
to the imminence of the danger of finding
themselves committed to a scheme of land
lord purchase without due guarantees.
PEASANT PROPRIETARY.
1t was astounding to hear the tories
speak with fervor about the creation of
peasant proprietary, at the same time
charging the peasants with trying to frus-
trate a measure which was directed to that
end. Among the first principles of the
league stood peasant proprietary The
league aimed to procure such an alteration
in the law as would enable every occupier
of land to become an owner. He said that
he had formerly spoken in favor
of the Ashbourne act, but it
was when no coercion existed. With
coercion the act was assisting the landlords
to raise the price of their land, while it was
breaking up the combinations of the ten
ants. He must warn the English people
that day might come when the national
programme would include Reputation of
the liabilities under the act. This position
has been forced upon the Irish people at the
point of the bayonet. Hear! Hearl
NOT EQUALLY INTERESTED.
Mr.. Goschen had tried to show that there
was adequate security for the advances, be-
cause the terms of purchase included both
the landlords and tenants interest. The
truth was that in hundreds of cases the land
commission had reported that the landlords
and tenants interests together would not
afford sufficient security for the price
Hear hear] 1t was absurd to
say that the existence of arrears was not
used to raise the price of land and it was
equally untrue to deny that coercion tended
to raise the price by crushing that power of
the tenants to combine. The government
were trying to reduce the tenants to the un-
protected position held by them in 1879.
Such course was cruel, dastardly, mean.
1t might infiict more misery upon the
people, but they were welded to liberty,
and were prepared to make sacrifices to
achieve it. [Cheers]
Lord George Hamilton conservative as
sailed the Parnellites as opposing the bill
because thsy were conscious that it would
enable the people to forsake the league yoke.
The landlords yoke might be heavy, but it
was nothing compared with the tyranny of
the league
Mr.. GIadstones amendment was rejected
by vote of $50 to 246 The motion to in
troduce the bill was agreed to.
SKATING ON THIN ICE.
Maj Saunderson, conservative, said that
Mr.. Gladstone excelled in making the best
of bad cause and in skating on thin ice.
The members below the gangway knew
that this bill was most popular In Ireland.
1t was hardly fair in Mr. Gladstone to ad-
vocate relief of arrears without telling
them that those arrears had occurred
since the passage of act Of 1882,
which act Mr.. Gladstone pronounced
a final settlement of the land question
Mr.. Gladstone talked as if Irish landlords
lived on arrears. Laughter. He QMr.
Saunderson) thought they much preferred
rents. With regard to evictions, he would
like to ask the Scotch separatists what a
Scotch landlord would do if he failed to
obtain his rent. 1t was because the govern
ment had been armed with power to'frus-
trate such reputation of liabilities as Mr..
Dillon had predicted that he be-
lieved the security offered the state
was ample, and that the obligations
of Irishmen to the state would be Loyalty
and honestly met. He objected to remis-
sion of arrears, because lenient landlords
would suffer, while those who enforced pay
ment when due would escape. Further,
such remission would cause discomfort
among tenants who honestly paid their
rents.
A LIVELY LITTLE TILT.
Lord Harrington said he thought that Mr..
Dillon's argument was not very cogent
against the BILL but was very cogent in
favor of coercion, because he not only con-
fessed but boasted that the value of land had
been reduced from twenty to fifteen years.
purchase by combination which rendered
it impossible for a tenant with safety to
take a vacant farm.
Mr.. Dillon denied that he used the words
with safety
Lord Harrington retorted that nobody
ever followed Mr.. Dillon without receiving
a contradiction.
Mr.. Dillon hotly protested.
Lord Harrington, under great excite
ment, resumed his speech. He said he had
not intended to make any imputation, but
Mr.. Dillon insisted upon exactness in repro
ducing his arguments, which it would be
difficult to attain. He proceeded to argue
that Mr.. Dillon's language justified every
thing that the government had been forced
TO do in order to uphold the law in Ireland.
TWO DISTINCT QUESTIONS.
The land purchase and arrears question
were quite distinct. The rejection of the
bill would not facilitate dealing with
arrears, the necessity for which he thought
were much overrated. The government
never refused TO deal with tho arrears ques-
tion. The delay arose from difficulties in
deciding as to how to deal with the subject
The Ashbourne act had been most success
full experiment. Why abandon it now2
The experience thus gained without loss
would be invaluable when parliament en-
barked on a more ambitious scheme of land
purchase.
Mr.. Morley made a spirited defense
of Mr.. Dillon against the remarks Of Lord
Harrington. He said that Mr.. Dillons char
acter stood as high as that Of any other
member of the house. AS far as the taking
of vacant farms was concerned, Mr.. Dillon
relied upon the creation of an esprit de-
corps among the tenants, not upon intimi-
dalton. Mr.. Morley fully supported Glad
stones contention that the arrears question
was more urgent than the Ashbourne BILL
which, he said, ought TO be postponed. The
government admitted the necessity of a set
ei...owe - tha N rraa 20 <,raaft,v, and hax,s~1.