The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-10
How Mr.. Parncll Would Solve the
Land Question.

How Mr.. Parncu would SolVe tho
Land Question.
Now that we have before US the full text OF
tho Land bill which Mr. PARNELL proposed
"a q substitute for Mr.. BALFoUR's meas
ure, we can understand the surprise and
perplexty which it excited on the part OF his
own followers as we'll as his political oppo-
nents. 1t is not true however, that he de-
clared himself In favor OF retaining land
lords in Ireland and opposed to the creation
of u peasant proprietary. What he said was
that it is better for the present TO retain the
landlords. provided the rents OF all the
poorer tenants are materially reduced, tnan
to accept the partial and unfair application
OF the purchase principle recommended py
the SALISBURY Government In that way
general and immediate relief could be BE-
cured, while the definite transformation OF
tenants into owners would be reserved for a
Home Rule Parliament sitting at Dublin.
The obvious objections to Mr.. BALFoUR's
proposal are, first that the sum approprl-
ated TO land purchase Is not large enough to
convert more than q quarter OF the irish
tenants into owners; secondly that the sum
Is to be distributed among large tenants as
we'll as small, although only the latter suffer
severely from the existing agrarian con-
ditions; thirdly, that to benefit one-fourth
OF the tenants the whole local credits OF
Irish districts are exhausted, so that further
relief from the same source is Impossible.
1t is also urged against Mr.. BALFoUR's bill
that it offers landlords larger prices Tor
their estates than could be obtained in the
open market. 1t is true that those tenants
covered by the provisions OF the measure, II
they choose to accept exorbitant terms and
punctually return to the Government in an
nual installments the purchase money adj
vanced. will, at the end of forty-nine years,
become owners In fee OF their holdings Sup
pose however, that long before the lapse OF
half century Ireland should have aseparate
Parliament, which would convert the remain
ing three-fourths Of the tenants into owners
on much more favorable terms; then those
who had awaited themselves Of MIR. BAL
FoUR's offer, would be apt to repent of their
bargain, and might refuse TO pay the unliqui-
dated installments of their purchase money.
Starting, then, with the assumption that
any land measure likely to be passed by the
present Parliament will be tentative and
partial, Mr. PARNELL would have such funds
as the Government is willing to appropriate
placed where they will do most good. He
proposes, accordingly, that instead OF lend
Ing some 2OO.OOOOOO to one-fourth OF the
tenants Including the most prosperous, who
need no help, the British Treasury should
lend $135, 600, 900 to the landlords for the re-
moyal Of their most onerous encumbrances
on condition that they assent to an imme-
dlate reduction Of thirty per cent. on all
rents under $3.50 q year. Under this pro-
Rramme the relief afforded would go 10 those
who need 1t most, and would be distributed
all over Ireland. Moreover, the Gov
eminent, instead of exhausting the To-
cal irish credits as security for the
repavment OF advances, would look directly
to the landlords for reimbursement, and
would leave the local credits available for
future comprehensive scheme OF land pur-
chase. Meanwhile. all rents under $3.50 a
year having been cut down about one-third,
the value OF landlords estates, and, conse-
quently, the prices to be ultimately paid for
them, would be correspondingly lowered.
In word, the poorer tenants, whose repre-
sentative Mr.. PARNELL Is, would obtain
forthwith and Rratuitously large measure
| OF relief, and would also be assured that
when their holdings were eventually sold TO
them, they would get them at much cheaper
rates than are now offered by Mr.. BALFoUR.
| This scheme seems Ineligible enough
when its details can be studied on paper al
| though Mr. GLADSTONE avowed his Inability
| to understand 1t, as orally outlined. 1t
seems, however, not to have been received
with favor by the Irish Nationalist party,
| for which reason Mr.. PARNELL will refrain,
| it Is reported, from discussing 1t In the COM
mlttee stage ON which Mr.. BALFoUR's meas
ure has now entered. Tho Opposition will,
| therefore, confine themselves to the grounds
| OF objection indicated above. together with
| the fundamental arguments brought for
! ward by Mr.. GLADSTONE, first that the
present House Of Commons has no mandate
to enact land purchase law for Ireland, the
constituencies having declared against the
Liberal proposals to that end at the last
general election; and secondly, that Parlia-
ment has no moral right to force an agrarian
measure upon Ireland. against which the
spokesmen OF three-lourths OF her popula-
ton protest. We are not unlikely, however,
TO hear more OF Mr.. PARNELLs propositions
by and by, for, as Mr.. MORLEY has said the
| Irish leader has tho knack OF propounding
ideas to-day which are accepted the day
after tomorrow.