The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-01-25
THE IRISH LAND PROBLEM.

The Speech from the Throne having
announced the Introduction of bill
to facilitate the sale and purchase Of
land in Ireland, we may assume that
an effort will be made to remove the
fundamental obstacle to the promotion
of Irish prosperity. The details of the
proposed measure are as yet unknown,
but we know what has been demanded,
not only by the Irish Nationalist. but
also by Mr.. Z. w. RUSSELL the most
conspicuous of the Ulster Unionists.
1t may be well to recall what Mr.. Rus
sell has written upon the subject, in
order to see what will be accepted as
satisfactory settlement of the question,
says the New York Sum-
Mr.. T. w. Russell proposes that the
sale of all landed estates in Ireland,
which exceed specified area, shall be
made compulsory by act of Parliament.
But at what price shall they be sold.
and to whom? Let us glance at these
questions separately. Since the second
revision of Irish rents made by the
Land Courts. which We're established
by the Gladstone Land act of 1881,
the average rate Of purchase in the case
Of a voluntary sale has been seventeen
years OF the judicial rents. Mr.. Rus
sell comedies, however, that no com
pulsory and final settlement of the
Land question can be reached on the
basis of seventeen years purchase Of
the rents all round. Compulsion, he
admits, must be paid for. 1t is paid
for in every other transaction where IT
is employed, and it must be paid for in
this case. Moreover, rs it is the tenant
who will reap the main profit, Mr.. Rus
sell holds that he ought to pay some
thing for the great boon conferred
upon him by law making the sale of
landed estates compulsory. We are
assured that the tenant would not de-
muir to the proposal.
Mr.. Russell does not think, however,
that the tenant should be called upon to
pay all the difference between seven
teen years and, say, twenty years of
the judicial rents. In his opinion, the
State may fairly be asked to pay
part of the difference, for the Irish
landlords We're created by the State.
and have served as the English garrl-
son In Ireland for centuries. More
over, precedent for such contribu-
ton was established in the case of the
Local Government bill for Ireland,
when the Imperial Exchequer assumed
the landlords share of the poor-rate.
If 1t was eXpedient to enter into such
bargain to make local self-govern-
ment in Ireland POPULAR how much
more would 1t be worth to secure
permanent and honest settlement of
the Irish land difficulty? With such
settlement the police force might be re-
duced one-half; the resident magis-
tracy might also cease to exist, and the
whole world Of Irish offlcialdom might
De reorganized upon sane and sober
basis.
The opponents Of the measure will
undoubtedly contend that 1t is unwise
to expel from Ireland great civilizing
Influence, and that it Is unjust to the
British taxpayer to impose upon him a
vast expenditure which will run the
risk Of reputation. Let us see how
Mr.. Russell deals with these ob1ec-
tons. He declares that Irish landlord
ism, considered as a civilizing force,
has practically ceased to exist. 1t now
renders little or lyo service. Forty
years ago landlordism controlled to n
great extent the parliamentary repre-
sentation of Ireland; it cannot to-day
secure on its own merits single Irish
seat. Five years ago it was supreme
In local administration; now, outside of
one or two counties in the North, the
control Of local administration has
wholly passed out Of its hands. It was