Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1899-03-11
DenOuncc the Laud Act and Re-
port of the Fry Commission
as Illegal and Unjust.
Always Loyal, Charge Parlia-
ment and Government
with Ingratitude.
BEING SUPPLANTED BY THE REBELS

The annual convention of the Irish
landowners was held in Dublin on Feb
ruary %. The chair was taken by his
Grace the Duke of Abercorn, and there
was large attendance, amongst those
present being: the Marquis of London
derry Lord Farnham, Lord Castletown,
Lord Inchiquin, Lord Clonbrock, Sir
Thomas Butler and others. The Presi-
dent, addressing the convention, said:
81 am glad to have this opportunity of
presiding once more at the annual meet
ing of the landlords of Ireland. and of
addressing a few observations to you
upon matters affecting our common in
terests. AS compared with former meet
ings, it may be said that we meet this
year under altered circumstances and in
new state of things. refer, of course,
to the great changes-amounting to a
complete revolution-which the act of
last session has made in the law and pro-
cedure relating to local government in
this country. These changes are in no
wise limited as to their effect to the class
which is represented in this room. They
have taken the local government of the
country and the power to impose or reject
local taxation out of the hands of the va
rious classes, in both urban and rural
areas, by whom these matters have been
heretofore administered, and who had
acquired considerable experience and
knowledge respecting them. Grand
Juries, Presentment Sessions, Boards of
Guardians, Dispensary Committees, City
and Town Corporations, Town Commits
sioners, Lunatic Asylum Boards and all
other local bodies, as heretofore consti-
tuted, have practically ceased to exist.
In lieu of them we are to have new bod
les, in most cases with new and unfamil
lar names, elected by an electorate, the
great majority of whom have up to this
time taken no part in local government,
and because they pay little or no taxes)
will incur little or no loss, if local taxa
ton is largely increased. 1t seems to me
that no man can be accused of being
illiberal or narrow-minded for regarding
such a measure as an experiment, the re-
suits and effects of which no one could
foretell. Still less can we be accused of
such motives, because we thought that,
as precautionary measure, some sub
stantial representation should have been
secured at the outset for those larger
atepayers-whether landlords. or ten
ants, or traders-who pay the great bulk
of all taxation in Ireland, even though
in point of numbers they constitute only
small minority of the population. l
pass next to the report of the Fry COM
mission, and in doing so 1 can not but
express my establishment at the fact that
in both Houses of Parliament last year
Government certainly endeavored to
make little of the findings of this conf
mission on the questions which we're di-
rectly referred to them, and to treat as
most important some passages in their
report on questions which do not seem
to have been referred to them at all. 1
can only say that we have no intention of
allowing this important report to be
treated in this way. We must insist on
the Pink Schedule being made as perfect
as possible, in the directions indicated by
the Fry Commissioners. We must press,
even more strongly, that rehearings or
appeals must be made to deserve the
name, instead of being the costly farce
which they have hitherto been. Above
all, we should demand that tenant farm
ers should cease to be employed in fixing
rents, and that men must be found for
the purpose who have no personal inter-
est in the issue, either as tenants or land
lords. / should like to say few words
next on the proposals which we have put
forward as likely to mitigate some of the
losses inflicted upon us by the Irish
land acts. We all know that these acts
have greatly interfered with dealings
with Irish landed securities. We, there
fore, ask the State to assist us in restor-
ing healthy tone to the Irish land mar
ket by measures calculated to tighten the
burden of mortgages and other private
charges, to assist in making them
marketable securities, and to facilitate
them being gradually paid off. The State
has authorized large advances to enable |
tenants to buy their holdings, and no loss
is anticipated. Our next demand relates
to an old grievance, the 1.-THE rent charge. |
As to this, we have at last the satisfaction
of knowing that the government intends
during the present session to redeem the
promises made during many years past.
We must, of course, wait for their bill
before we can express any opinion upon
it, but we shall have just reason to COM
plain if it is not large and liberal meas
ure of relief. Passing to the land pur-
chase acts we ought surely 10 find the
present government willing to listen to
any proposals calculated to make them
work more freely. We appeal to these
classes to unite with us in pressing these
claims upon the government and Parlia-
ment. Incumbered owners and mort
cages are to be found in large numbers
in every part of the. United Kingdom,
and wherever they exist they possess
he same interest as.they do in Ireland
n our proposals relating to mortgages.
Again, when we advocate measures to