The sun., 1890-06-07

The Parliamentary leader Of the Irish Ma
tionalists has made it rule, from which be
has seldom departed, to reserve his views on
public questions for exposition on the floor
OF tho House of Commons. His article,
therefore, in the current number of the North
American Rcrie,D on Mr. BAIFouR's Land
Purchase bill, has the interest OF novelty as
we'll as intrinsic value. 1t is true that Mr..
PARNELL does not say word about the
alternative plan which he submitted to Par
lament, and which proposed to lend money
on certain conditions to the existing land
lords instead OF using 1t to create n peasant
proprietary. Perhaps he thought 1t would
be difficult to reconcile Irsh-Amerlcans to
such programme, and In this he was I'M
doubtedly right. In this article he proceeds
on the assumption that the conversion OF
occupiers into owners Is highly desirable,
but recites cogent reasons for believing Mr.
BALFoUR's measure Ill adapted to attain
the object which it processes to aim at.
Mr.. PARSELL begins by pointing out that
the transformation Of all the Irish tenants
into proprietors OF the land they occupy Is
utterly out OF the question, because such an
operation would require an outlay OF $780,
100000. He admits that the $165, ,O0O, 900 al
lotted by the BALFOUR bill is the maximum
sum procurabe for such a purpose. For
that very reason the utmost care should be
taken to apply it where it will do the most
good to the relief, in other words, OF the
very poorest tenants in the congested dis
tricts OF the west OF Ireland. Unfortunately
MIR. BALFoUR provides no guarantees for the
wise and equitable distribution OF purchase
money. He has thus far refused to intrust
the distributive function to elective councils
In which the tenants, who are the pretended
beneficiaries Of his measure, would be fairly
represented. On the contrary. the distri-
button OF SlG5, ,0O00 900, like that of the smaller
funds created by the AsHBoURNE act and its
extension, is to be placed In the hands OF
persons notoriously representative OF the
landlord interest. How they will employ
the relatively large sum made available by
the BALToUR bill may fairly be inferred
from the manner in which they have dealt
with tho AsHBoURNE funds. Their record In
this matter is disgraceful. Mr.. PARNELL
shows from the Parliamentary returns that
up to Dec. 81, 1888, five hundred and thirty
one owners Of land sold estates to tenants
under the AsHBoURNE acts at total expendi-
four owners walked Off with $11, 1850, 900, or
nearly 60 per cent. Three landlords, all
Tories, namely the Duke OF Leinster the
Duke OF Abercorn, and the Marquis of Bath,
got between them $4,OOO.OOO, or more than |
one-fifth OF the whole.
Another important feature OF the purchase |
question is brought out distinctly in Mr.. |
PARNELL's article. The fundamental pur- |
pose OF all land purchase schemes is to re- |
lieve the occupants OF small holdings, who. |
owing to unfavorable conditions OF soil and |
climate. are scarcely able with incessant |
labor TO pay any rent at all. No genuine |
agrarian retormer has ever contemplated
lending Government money to prosperous
tenant farmers, who lease large tracts for
grazing purposes. Yet. according to MIR.
PARNELL, large fraction Of the land which
DIR. bALFoUR proposes to supply the means
OF purchasing. is occupied by rioh, non.resi |
cent tenants, who use their extensive hold |
ings as large grazing runs for cattle. II is
IN Connaught that the mischeyousness of |
such an application of purchase money ia |
most clearly seen This province contains |
the great majority OF congested dis
uicts. where tho stratened occunonts !
OF small holdings most need to be convert |
cd into peasant propretors. 1t is their un-
happy plight, indeed. which gave rise to the |
agitation for land purchase begun by the
Lsnd League eleven years ago, and now
proiessedly sanctioned by the Tory Govern
meht' The aggregate holdings, however, of
these small and poverty-stricken tenants
represent in value only about quarter OF
inc whole area of ofConnaught. Yet under the
pALfouh bill the part of the public money
Sppor'loned up to Connaught is applicable in
u'horehuy to congested holdings and tn
grass lands The small tenants can, there-
vie, only expect an insignificant fraction
"H RELIEF which they REQUIRE. and which