The Irish standard., 1890-11-15
IRISH TENANTS LEAGUE.

is purely defensive and protective in its
character, and was 1naugurated for the
sole purpose Of protecting and defend.
ing the tenant farmers of the country
from the arbitrary exactions Of the land
lords who had combined in a body to
keep up high rents and prevent the
farmers from deriving any benefit from
the land acts passed by parliament in
their behalf. 1t was further intended to
assert the right of free speech in public
meetings, at which they could ventilate
their grievances without being ruthlessly
assaulted by the police under the direc.
tion of removable magistrates appointed
by the chief secretary. The farmers
ASSOCIATION was also organized to vindi-
cate the right Of combining In the same
way for mutual protection, as the Eng
lish laborers organize to secure their
rights. The natural law of self preser-
vatlon impelled them to the combination
for defence from their tyrannical land.
lords. Mr.. Balfour, when defending
the landlords association in the British
parliament, had stated that the tenant
farmers of Ireland had the same right
to unite against the landlords as the
landlords had to combine in their Owl
interest; but when he spoke that way he
never anticipated that the tenants would
follow the example set them by their
landlords. In any other country but
Ireland the farmers could enter into
legal combination without being mo.
Tested. Had Smith Barry and his fell
low landlords not joined in a conspiracy
to aid landlords who had trouble with
their tenants on thu question Of rents,
there would have been no necessity fol
the formation of Tenants Defence
League to go TO the rescue OF the ten
ants who were contrasting for their rights
There was an agrarian struggle between
landlords and tenants on various es-
tates, and The landlords and tenants OF
other estates took sides with the re-
spectiye combatants, the sympathy OF
the landlords going to their brethren,
while that of the farmers went to their
fellows. That is naturally what might
be expected. But Balfour took the part
Of the landlords and placed at their dis.
posal his armies of police and red coats
to eject the farmers from their homes.
A campaign of eviction was inaugurated
and il kept up to the present day. The
farmers of che country voluntarily as.
sessed themselves to contribute to 8
fund for the relief of the evlcted ten.
antry, and they have been paying the
assessments right along. The war in
T1pperary on Smith Barry's estate has
assumed gigantic proportions. His es.
tates have no tenants, for they have all
been pitched out of their homes for non
payment of rents. The town of old TIP.
perary, owned by Barry, has no 1nhabit-
an s, and his exchequer is growing
smaller. by degrees and beautifully less
in consequence. The town OF New
Tipperary has grown up mushroom
fashion, and is inhabited by the people
of the old town and the adjoining coun-
try. It has been built by the people
themselves. and for the first time in
their lives they have no landlords to ex-
tort enormous rents from them. The
question is whether it is the landlords
or the tenants of Ireland will first throw
up the sponge and acknowledge defeat.
The object of Dillon, O'Brien, Sullivan,
O'Connor and the rest Of the ENJOYS in
coming to this country is to help the
valiant farmers in their life and death
struggle with felonious landlords,
backed up by the Tory government.
There are enough Irlshmen in America
to gain the victory for the tenants if
they only do what is expected OF them
in this crisis, The Irishmen of the
East are contributing generously to the
cause, and we are confident that the
Irishmen Of the West will follow the ex-
ample set them.