The Portland daily press., 1890-03-26
pARNELL DECLARES THE BILL ABSURD.
English and Irish Opinion OF the
Land Purchase Bill.
Mr.. Gladstone Refers to II as In
voidng Great Liabilities.
Count Herbert Bismarck Fellows His
Fathers Example

LONDON, March 25.-After the presenta-
tion Of the Land Purchase bill by Mr.. Bal
four in the House Of Commons yesterday,
Mr.. Gladstone made speech at a dinner at
the National Liberal Club. In the course OF
his remarks he spoke Of the bill as a bold
measure which involved the British taxpay-
ers assuming large pecuniary liability, and
which, therefore, demanded searching con-
sideration. Referring TO the Parnell Com
mission. he said he could not conceive Of q
shorter method Of suicide than that adopted
by the House Of Lords on Friday In APPROX
ing the commissions report.
The government In allowing a commission
OF judges TO decide question OF libel had
restored to them power bestowed exelu-
sively on juries by an unreformed Parlia-
ment. The commission was crippled and
one,sided, inasmueh as it did not condemn
the Times. The Tory majority had invented
political methods which were as new fan
gled as they were abominable.
The Post, referring to the Land Purchase
bill, says:
1t must be frankly admitted that the plan for
obtaining the needtul security Is cOmplica ed aud
artificial while any organized resistance to It's
operation would in tee emo involve recourie 70
is more likely b. welcome the TACT than Mr. BaR
four Unles5 this Is done, it deserves the treat
ment dne to the only feasible scheme under pub
lie notice.
The Daily News says:
A more elaborate and complicated measure
than the Land Purchase bill has seldom, II ever,
been introduced In Parliament Que thing stands
out clearly from the tangled labyrinth. that Brit
1sh credit may be pledged 10 the extent OF $685.
100000 for the benflt nomlnaIly OF the Irish ten
ant but really for the benefit OF the landlord.
While he was ,peaking many Of his hearers must
but the hand was GOschen's The fragrant inc.
quality OF a scheme nomlnally applicable TO the
whole country but really limited by the arbitrary
will Of the landlords. must result In chaos and
disorder. Mr.. Balfour stated that II the landlords
dlsllked the proposed Irish stock at ga per cent
done to please the landlords. But II the govern
ment Is obliged to advance and therefore 70 bOr-
row, e33 100000 1t will be obliged TO give more
than "a per cent and will. in the Judgment Of
competent authority, lower the price Of eonsOls.'
The Chronicle says
The scheme Is comprehensive and ingenious
and II the opposition Opproach the question In the
of lettering Ireland. rather than Of damaging the
government, we may get scheme that VIII 90 far
toward solving the irish problem.
The Times says;
We do not like to commit ourselves without
having seen and studied the bill TO a decisive
judgment. Doubtless there are SONS provisions
which are open TO comment, but on the whole, the
bills seems to promise the creatlan in process OF
time OF peasant proprietary on very large
SCALE without practically involving the British ex-
chequer, or taxpayers IN any additional risk what
ever.
The Times explains that as the interest on
the government stock Is to continue at least
thirty years, the stock Is better than cOnsOls,
because the interest on the latter will be re-
1uced to q per cent In twelve years. Mr..
Balfour omitted TO mention this. The Times
praises Mr. Gladstone for his courteous re-
,eption Of the bill.
Mr.. Balfour's speech lasted an hour and 40
minutes. Mr.. Parnell left the House when
Mr.. Balfour was about half through. Lord
Churchill was absent.