The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-08-30

The following interesting letter form
Michael Davitt recently appeared in
the New York Times and is worthy Of
an attentive perusal:
Some of your New York readers
have sent me copy of your paper
for the Goth instant, containing con-
tribution from Mr.. John D. Crimmins,
of your city, relating to the prosperity
and the loyalty of our Irish people
under existing conditions. My friends
take strong exceptions to many Of the
statements made by Mr.. Crimmins and
ask me to reply to those which are
either untrue in fact OF are exaggera-
tions of actual conditions based upon
incorrect on prejudiced information.
Your well-known courtesy to cores
pondents will, I am sure, enable me
to comply with this request without
an undue trespass upon your valuable
space.
What, doubtless, happened to Mr..
Crimmins while in Ireland, was this:
He obtained information from per-
sons or sources favorable to England's
system of ruling Ireland and, wishful
to believe in the visions presented to
his receptive imagination of pros
porous and contented country, and
possibly without any desire to deceive
your readers, he has published impress
sions thus created which, as shall
show, are mainly derived from a one
sided survey of the industrial and
political Ireland in which many of
your readers take so keen and intelli-
gent an interest.
Mr. Crimmins is right in one gen.
eral cOntentiOn: Ireland is more pros
porous in one respect than it was a
quarter of century ago. This no
Nationalist. no matter how extreme,
attempts to deny. Your contributor
implies, rather than asserts, that this
improvement is due to friendly efforts
ON the part of the British Parliament.
This is absolutely untrue.
The great lanu act of 1881, to which
Irish agricultural industry owes it's
partial emancipation from landlord in
justice. was won by the Land League
agitation, on the admission of the late
Mr.. Gladstone Over one thousand
Irish Nationalists, of the ''disloyal'
class, were imprisoned. without trial,
in 1881 for having, as local leaders of
the Land League, forced the hands of
Englis = legislation in the direction Of
reform by making government almost
impossible under the existing condi-
ton Of things.
the annual earnings of Irish agricul-
tural industry amount to f4O.OOO,OOO
($2OO,OOO,OOO). This is correct. But
he does not mention the fact that no
less a sum than f9,OOO,OOO of this
($45 1000, ,O0O) is levied in rents, fixed
by the Land Commission, as a first
charge upon this total earning, in de-
lance Of the law laid down in the
Land Act of 1881: that is, they are
rents levied upon the tenants own
property or improvements, and not
upon the intrinsic value of the soil.
An imperial tribunal, one that would
be just alike to landlord and tenant,
and would be guided by the law as it
stands. would assess the landlords
rent at the present time at least so
per cent. less than it is now fixed at
under the decisions Of courts which
have four pro-landlords to one pro-
tenant administering the law!
The Land Purchase Acts, about
which Mr.. Crimmins has much to say,
are not operated in the manner he
has been informed. He says that
commissioners ."fix the terms Of pay
nent." after the landlord consents to
sell. This is not so. 1t is the selling
landlord who determines the price at
which he is willing to dispose of the
property, and unless he obtains his
own figure he is under no compulsion
to sell. Compulsory powers to induce
landlords to sell are demanded by all
Ireland, excepting the landlords, but