Morning journal and courier., 1888-11-21
GLADSTONE DEFEATED.
His Proposal 10 Cancel Rent Arrears in Ireland Defeated by Vote of 330
 

His Proposal 10 Cancel Rent Arrears in Ireland Defeated by Vote of 39O
 to 246.
 LONDON, Nov. 20.-On motion of MT.
 SmisE, the government leader, in the House
 of Commons this evening the rule requiring
 an adjournment at midnight was suspended
 in order that the debate on the land purchase
 bill, extending the operation of the Ashbourne
 act, should proceed until division was
 reached.
 Mir. John Dillon said that 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 securities for them. He hoped
 that debate had resulted in waking up the
 taxpayers to the imminence of the danger of finding themselves committed to scheme of landlord purchase without due guarantee. It was astounding to hear the Tories speak with ferver about the creation of peasant proprietary, and then charged the peasants with trying to frustrate the messnre which was directed to that end. Among the first principles of the league stood the peasant proprietary league which armed at procuring such an alteration in the law as would enable every occupant of the 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 land, while 1t was breaking up the combination of the tenants. He must warn the English people that the day might come when the national programme would include the repudiation ofliabilities under the act. This position has bean forced upon the Irish people at the bsyonst's point. Mir. Dillon continued on the subject of rent arrears. He said It was absurd to say that the existence of arrears was not used to raise the price of land, and it was equally un- untrue to deny that coercion tended to raise | the price by crushing the power of the tenants to combine. The government was | trying to reduce the tenants to the unpro- tectsd position held by them in 1879. Such | a course was cruel, dastarly, mean. It might l were welded to liberty and were willing to | make sacrifices to achieve it. (Cheers). Lord George Hamilton, Conservative, as- | sailed the Parnellites as opposing the bill be | cause they were conscious that it would en- \ able the people to forsake the league yoke. | The landlords yoke might be heavy, but il | was nothing compared with the tyranny of | the league.
 After some further discussion, Nr. Glad stones amendment was rejected by vote oi | 330 to 246. The motion to introduce the bill was agreed to.
 \ Mr. diadstOnes 8 am6numehL ko Ine Asn@ bourne act was Rs follows: Resolved-"That
 in lieu of voting s5, ,600,000 it is expedient, in view of the lamentable sufferings arising l from recent evictions in Ireland, to extend | the land law of 1887 so as to empower the | courts to reduce or cancel arrears of rents that are found to be excessive"
 The second reading was fixed for Thursday. \ The Unionists voted solid with the govern l ment. Two Gladstonians voted against the | amendment and two others abetained from l voting. The Gladstonian leaders did not
 challenge division on the second reading Correspondence passed between Mr. Glad
 stone and MT. Smith to day in reference to
 the bill under discussion. Mr. Gladstone
 maintained MT. Smiths reference to the bill last July was not understood to cover such ( large sum as s5, ,0e0, 900. It is stated that ar ! amendment to the bill will be moved in com
 mittee to reduce the amount of the gram | 000 0n0