The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-01-15

| for him that he carried with him an idea
! destined to revolutionize that which under
the name of the Irish question had been
the unsolvable problem of English states
men for 800 years. Yet it was true An
ardent Fenian and firm believer in phys
ical force, Davitt, during his eleven years
behind prison walls, had learned, first from
the study of Mazzini's career in life of
the great Italian conspirator, and second
from reflection, that to do any good for
Ireland he must have a cause which would
appeal to all the Irish people in one way or
the other, and in addition ne must not an
tagonize English public opinion By the
methods he pursued. This cause he found
in the land, on which, either as proprietor
or laborer, nins-tenths of the people de-
pended for their bread.
The man had the nerve TO wait for two
years until a partial famine came. During
that time he satisfied himself that the
Irishmen in Amefica would support those
in Ireland with money. Of the men in
parliament he selected Charles Stewart
Parnell as his colleague in the work, and
to him proposed his plans. Parnell agreed,
provided he had full control of the parlia-
mentary work and the naming of the mem
bers elected by the nationalists. And so
the Land League was born, and the long
struggle began which has resulted in such
great changes There were several basic
ideas about the league which were new in
Irish politics. The weapon was to be con-
stitutional agitation, in parliament and
out. There was to be systematic relief for
evicted tenants. The whole people were
to be welded together for one purpose, and
sectional feelings and jealousies were to be
stamped out so far as possible.
The league took like wildfre. The farm
ers, laborers, dreamers of an Irish repub-
lie, theorists, physical force men, each
and all accepted it. Many gave their adj
herence without much heart, taking it as
makeshift. The Irishmen in America,
Australia and Canada welcomed it gladly;
the plan of systematic relief for those who
were suffering attracted them. Branches
sprang up in every county and town, and
from the central Office in Sackville street
in Dublin Davitt, who had the league
work under his control, ruled Ireland as
no lord lieutenant ever ruled it, Slowly
but surely the work of forming a nation
out of the disunited, disorganized peo-
pie Of Ireland went on, and slowly but
surely the work of directing the relief of
lied channel was accomplished.
In the meantime neither the government
nor the landlords of Ireland were idle
Coercion bills were passed to suppress the
league, but at the same time so genuine is
the English belief in agitation that with
these came measures for relief OF Irish
troubles. The league in and out of Par
Lament had secured hearing from the !
English people, and this was proved by the |
results. II did not take long for the Irish |
people to realize that agencies were at work |
which brought about reforms when needed |
and secured concessions in a manner which /
was utterly new in Irish history, and with |
the realization of this fact the allegiance /
given to the league became more and more /
loyal
The landlords of Ireland and their SYM
pathizers could not be expected to look at
the work going on before their eyes with
any degree of eomplacency. One of the
most picturesque figures in Irish politics
and English society was Arthur MscMur-
rough Kavanagb, the man who was born
without srms or legs There was an ele-