The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-11-20
Gladstone Earnestly Opposes the Proposition,
and Demands that the Arrears Question
Be First Given Consideration.
Emperor Frederick's Widow Arrives in
England and Proceeds TO Windsor.
France Declines to CO-0psrats with Germany
and Great Britain in the East African
BlOckads-0ther News by Cable.


this evening. Mr.. Madden, Solicitor general for
Ireland, in the absence Of AIr. Balfour, Chief
Secretary for Ireland, who is i'll. brought in the
bill TO further facilitate the purchase by tenants
of land in Ireland by adding f5,O o 900 to the
amount applicable under the Ashbourns act.
Mr.. Madden, in explaining the proposed meas
ure. described tho Ashbourns act as q great
success. There had been, he said. II, 3SS signed
agreements for the purchase of land, OF which
S,632 had been completed. There we're only
two courses open to the government. One was
to abandon tho scheme o, land purchase, and
the other was to extend the act. The fact that
the act had been 5 conspicuous success justified
the government in seeking to enlarge Its opera
tions.
When Mr.. Madden had finished, Mr.. Glad
stone arose. He was received with prolonged
cheering from the opposition. He moved the
following amendment to the government pro-
posal:
THAT In lien Of voting Go, 000, 900. it 10 ex-
~pedient, in view or the lamentable sutsrlngs
arising from recent ~evic.ions in Ireland, TO ex-
tend the land law Of 1857 so as 10 empower the
courts to reduce or cancel arrears or rents that
are found to De excessive
Hs complained that the government had
broken their pledge to the House, after obtain
ing the whole command of the time at the dis
possl Of the members under engagement that
no controversial measures should be introduced.
Here was . bill OF the first importance, chsl-
longing discussion. 1t was submitted with the
threat that it would be put forward daily until
it was settled. His protest was equally against
the mode OF presenting the bill aud
the method in which its discus
sion was to be pressed. His amendment
did not strike at the Ashbourns act, nor would
Ii necessarily stop its operation. He did not
desire to stop the operation of the act whatever
be might consider its dangers, aud hs did not
oppose the bill because it proposed to keep the
act alive, but he objected TO 1t because Of the
amount demanded. The government ought to
have asked Parliament for q limited grant,
which would suffice to enable them to continue
the operations o; the act until spring, when
Parliament could reconsider the whole matter.
The opposition would cheerfully agree to sach
40 advance. but the goveruusnt, instead OF
taking that course. produced a bill involving
Parliament in a fresh approval of Its land pur-
chase policy. [Cr;es of Hear" Hear"
Mr.. Gladstone continued, stating that it was
the manifest design of the government to with
draw the subject of Irish land from the view OF
Parliament for several years. lCheers-l That
was not the course which could be allowed.
The opposition was not insensible to the value
of land purchase. He did not desire to see the
landlords. or any other class, removed in a
body. He wanted to see them not less. but q
great deal more Irish than they are, and TO
see them residents instead Of absentees from
Ireland. The principle of the previous land
acts WAS totally different from the Ashbourne
act, under which s5. OOO, 900 were obtained. ap-
parently as o precedent for another Is. 0OO. 900,
thus drawing the House by slow degrees into a
system from which there was no
escape from putting the land into
the hands Of the state. making the
State the Immediate landlord without proper
guarantees. How different was the proposal
from the Liberal side, when Mr.. Trevelyan laid
Down the principle that the government should
not ask the national taxpayers to advance pur.
chase money unless the taxpayers in Ireland
evince ed confidence in the tenants by offering
local guarantees. He [Mr. Gladstonel had al
ways objected to tie Ashbourns act as giving
the initiative OF purchase to the landlords,
whom he considered second, as the peasants
ought to have the initial view. II an imperial
guarantee was ever given for the purchase of
land in Ireland the security must convey a moral
certainty from the government. Cheers.
What reason had the government for refusing
with such tenacisy to deal with the arrearsi
Were they the mems Of insuring the servitude
Of the tenant tParusllite cheers. It was
certain that this bill would give the
landlords . leverage to bring up rents, while
il would enable only q handful of tenants
to acquire holdings. Certainly. it would assist
the government 10 their land purchase scheme,
but under what inadequate and precarious Sc
curity for the repay men. of advances! Doubt
less the Irish tenants could be praised as scru-
pulous in the payment OF fair rents. but If an
other collapse of agricultural prices occurred,
the farmers might be unable To pay their in
stallments under the bill. The government
were not justified in relying upon the tenants'
will ID pay. after the recent declaration OF Lord
Salisbury that the majority Of 5000, 600 in Ire
land were bent upon putting down the minority
of :. 600, 900 in order TO get and rifle their peck
cts. Cheers IL lrishmen had no respect for
the pockets OF their countrymen, were they
litely to respect the English exchequerl Were
those who have been thus described by the head
of the government, the people to be trusted as
debtors of the stated Laughter and
cheers This land purchase had no immediate
claims TO the character of the arrears question.
The tenants themselves had urgently demanded
a settlement OF arrears. a similar necessity had
been acknowledg ed IL the case or the ~crof;ers
OF Scotland. Much greater had been the need
of Ireland, where the arrears were running
without limit, and led TO q paralysis OF the farm
ere engagements and an unceasing flow of evie-
tons. EvIctions upon arrears prevented the
tenant from obtaining the benefit Of judicial
rent. "Hear," Hear The arrears were
thus . weapon against the tenants, defeating
aud annullins the land law which had been
passed for their benefit They made the land.
lords masters OF the land act and masters of the
conditions for the Gales Of the land aud the fort
upes OF the tenants. IL the government had
the tenants welfare earnestly at heart; if, in
stead of supporting the landlords, they meant
to relieve distressed tenants, they would deal
with arrears instead of pressing q dangerous
measure which provided machinery for prevent
ing n reduction of rent, and which afforded IA
CITIES for augnenting rents aId multiplying
~evictions with all their horrible incidents. He
asked the House to intervene and prevent . re-
curreucs OF mischief too certain TO snsue. per-
haps on a greatly augmented scale, under the
governments policy. Let them do justice to
Ireland IN the matter OF arrears. fChsers
Mr.. Goschsn, Cbancellor Of the Exchsqusr,
denied that the government were pledged not to
introduce controversial measures during the
winter session. Mr.. Giadstons's statement that
IL the government had asked sufficient TO keep
the act IN operation until the next session. IL
would have been granted, was incorrect Steps
were taken TO ascertain whether such q proposal
would be acceptable. aud the response did not
encourage the attempt The immediate extsn-
zion Of the Ashbourne oct sAs Q necessity. IL