The morning call., 1890-11-30

serves, L UtlIeNt Cllc VIII phSSSc oOL44C NibO
among them cannot turn from them to his
own world of brightness and progress with
out a genuine sense of sadness for their
permanent, hopeless condition. 1t is IN
Guestionably true that the "Crofters' Act"
of 1856 was just and benei ent measure.
Fair rents" have been almost universally
fixed; arrears impossible of liquidation
have been either wholly Cancelled or largely
reduced, and personal freedom as a man,
subject and voter has been established.
The CTofters' Commission has already
righted countless wrongs to which the
crofter had been subjected for nearly a
century and half; and it may be truthfully
said that all has been done for this High
land grounding that ever can be done
under tie present land system of Great
Britain. Individual owners are so few,
such vast tracts especially in the north and
west of OF Scotland, have been permanently
transformed INTO game preserves, such
insignificant and inadequate holdings are in
the croiterS Ossesslon under the new order
of things, and communities Of these people
are SO lew, and those SO measer in numbers,
that betterment to these Il lghlauderS as
class seems impossible.
As stated in previous article, the process
of thinning them out Of, or their actual ex-
tiTpatio from, tremendous areas had been
so thorough 10y the owners OF Highland es-
tales, that few crofters were lett 10 receive
benefit IS. he 'tepaeity with which, despite
all sacrifice and terror, these few cluIg to
their mountain homes, Is wonderful tribute
to
LOVE OF HOMELAND,
which, in a hardy race like the Highland
cro1terS, could have been turned 10 Infinitely
better account by Scotland, and even Scot
fish landlords, than could the rentals from
sportsHpn tenants. This sentiment is so
\ a.
people Of all sections that here is notice.
able. growing and stubborn demand for
"land division, land REFORM" and even in
some quarters Tor naturalization OF
the lanQ." Many intelligent crofJers seem
confident. that some form of legislation
Will 5 NE time give them adequately large
holdings. An idea is certainly gaining
ground that at least sportsmen will 90 out
and Sheep aiSing return. Sentiment is not
Wholly responsible for this. The first ex-
perimentby the, great highland land-hold-
erS, after the barbareus clearances OF the
highlanders, was in sheep-raiSing. This
was successful, and, in consequence, the
cleaTanceS were largely condoned by a most
important class in Scotland; men who assist
IN making aud unmaking Parliament. These
were the Lowland farmers. Countless thou
sands OF, Highland sheep, reared in the north,
were annually driven through the Gram
plan passes, and before reaching the
shambles wiltered by Lowland farmers,
who thus secured profitable disposal of
immense quantities OF produce. Since the
Brush sp0rtSmen got possession of the
northern and western glens, Highland
sheep Lave become practically extinct.
Therefore what the Highland estate owners
have gained by game the Lowland farmers
have lmmeasurably more than lost. The
latter have no pity for the crofter on his
own account but they know in direct,
hard-headed- way that lie and his collie dog
are the best shepherds in the world. So
these and some other pressing economic
forces are gradually bl nding tie "crofter
question" and the LAND question" in Scot
land. and providing an &c, nomic question
which may at least reach that form OF legiS-
lation which will break down the now in
visible yet lntiexible walls of these great
Highland estates, and cause the repeOpling
OF their grand mountain sides aud glens.
But that can hardly come TO the grave, sad
eyes OF the crOtter who now lives. And it is
this man:whose condition. environment and
home-lne have set out TO describe.
Watcher he lives in the same cabin where.
his fOretathers lived before him, or is one
who has been removed" from the old
home. TO some new and worthless patch Of
ground fer the larger liberty of deer, he is
never the poSSesSOr, as tenant, of more than
thirty acres Of land, while nine-tenths Of
the entire class do. not occupy more than
five. In. some instances he has an "ontrun"
or common grazing" with others, where
from twenty to thirty sheep and two or
three cows may be grazed, and when this is
so, he is considered very well off.
TO. FIND HIM IN THIS CONDITION
Is the Tarest exception; and ordinarily his
miserable patch OF soil, Of from say two to
SIX acres, scarcely affords him the barest
means of livelihood. For this tiny croft he
pays an average rental Of &c under the new
lar rent system, and under the old track
rent" regime he tried to pay, but never
paid, from fl0 to Els and EGO. With the
certain uncertainties Of Highland climate in
mind, no one can for moment believe it
possible: for crofter to pay even the re-
duced rent and sustain himself and family
from tie results OF his labor upon the soil
alne, | believe it would be truthful asser-
ton that the croft in no single instance ever
SUSTAINED the crofter. 1t will not sustain
him under the fair rent" system of to-day.
The landlord now gets nearly the utmost
limit OF what the soil itself can produce.
The salvation OF the crofter can only be at
tanned by providing him with larger cr0fts,
so that the labor of himself aud family may
be concentrated where most profitable re-
suits eau obtain; or rentals for the beggarly
patch he Is forced TO exist upon must be re-
duced To almost nominal sum. A prosper
Gus peasantry Is impossible where the ener-
gleS OF the family are dissipated In half
dozen different vacations to simply pay rent
that.a thatch may be kept over the heads Of
o the very old and very young of the family.
Briefly. that is the cond ton of The crofter
and 1t is all that is, or ever has been, the
matter with him. To merely exist he has
been forced into becoming fisher, kelp-gath-
erer, poacher; anything to live His wife
becomes fisher, gutter" or dresser of her
rings at the seaside, musseLgatherer, or does
any tOrtuous labor poSsi BILE to add pound OF
shilling TO the store for meeting the ineXora-
Bile demand of the rent. The daughters are
forced from home into service, and their al
tered condition and needs deprive them of
both their love OF the Highland home and the
N mo- hon n Nit
Its keeping. The sons become gillies to
Highland spurtsmens with a few weeks of
demoralnlng luxury and ten months of
1dleness and unrest; or better. though still
bad, are crowded to the towns to further I'M
poveriSh labor there; or perhaps in the end,
best, reach Canada or the States, where for
years the little saved beyond a bare living
finds its, way back 10 the crofter father and
eventually to the landlord for rent. As a
rule the Oldest son marries and remains at
home. He seldom has the inclination or the
means to "hve off and set up hOusekeep-
ing on another croft, ana besides it is the in
flexible policy of Highland landlords to re-
strict, rather than increase croft holdings
This leads to a subdivision of the already
inadequate home-croft and two families, in
stead OF one. repeat an i'll tensifed struggle
for existence,
INCREASING THE EVIL.
And giving warrant for the ever-recurring
landlord cry of "conges,ed crofter dis
tricts. while millions Of acres of land. idle
save for Its use TO sportsmen, are sweeping
away into almost impenetrable wildernssseS
around them.
In all the crofter settlements, established
at the different occasions of ''clearanees,"
there is little of interest save the unvarying
des0latiOn OF environment and everyday
life This class Of. crUtters are the most
smileless, yoiceless people that live. FIRING
ing the entire, northeastern, northern and
northwestern coasts of Scotland may be
found hamlets of this class. There is not
the sound of mirth, the tone of content or
the look. of hope to be heard or seen in
one. The land is barren, the sea-coast is
grewsome and dreary, the habitations are