The Irish standard., 1903-10-17
First of all, we say to the people, {"

landlord is one man." We say to the
tenants, Act as one man in the ne
gotiations with him. 1t is the only
safeguard that you have. Let the
tenants on every estate act as one
man. Let them also be slow and
cautious. Now, do not mean by that
that the tenants ought to allow this
golden opportunity of purchasing their
land to slip from them. Far from it!
My advice is the exact opposite; but
what l mean by slow and cautious is
to wait little, to consider all the cir
cumstances we'll, and in most eases to
take the advice given by the Rev.
Chairman, think, in his speech
namely, wait to see what the move of
the landlord is before you rush in with
ill-considered and hasty offers. When
you enter into your negotiations, don't
enter into them in any unfriendly or
hostile spirit. Enter into them in Il
friendly and conciliatory spirit, and
do not be deferred from buying. If
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the shape of Il large reduction in your
present payments, do not be deferred
from buying by the fact that others
to come after YOU will have to pay
some part of the cost of the trans
action. Remember this, that every
year you abstain from buying the land
you are adding another years pur-
chase to the price which eventually
you will have to pay. And, finally,
| say to the tenants, remember the
evicted tenants. Every honest man
amongst you knows that you would
not be in the present position on the
land question We're it not for the
evictcd tenants (cheerS). Very we'll;
remember this. No evicted tenant in
Ireland can get back into his home
unless the sales take place, and l say
therefore. that on every estate where
ought to be very slow, indeed, in re-
fuSing reasonable terms OF purchase,
because by refusing them they will
be keeping the evicted tenants still
longer out of their homes. Now, at
first | know there will be delay in the
working of this act. but | have no
fear of the ultimate success of this
act Our experience of life shows us
that every bargain about even the
smallest commodity takes time. Men
will not ut once speak their minds
frankly. No bargain can be made
right off without delay and nc"u1ia-
ton, but | am u,litr convinced that
after Il while the landlords ,,rl the
tenants will, over IL great portion of
tive country. arrive ut Il rough and
ready standard, and the sales will go
on quite as rapidly as the machinery
provided 10y the act will permit The
landlords. in my opinion. will very
soon see that in view of the bonus and
the other advantages that they will get
it is but fair that the tenants purclaS-
ing under this act should not be worse
off as regards the immediate relief
afforded to them than if they had pur-
| chased under the .\ShbOurnc Acts and
the tenants, il they find that they are
getting reductions under this act as
large, or larger. than they would get
under the old acts. will not. | am GER
tain. refuse to buy because the next
generation will be called upon to pay
part of the cost. Now. this is Il rough
and ready standard. do not put it
in the terms of years purchase, but
put it in II different way. say that,
speaking broadly, the tenants have
right to ask that they will get reduc-
than under the AShbournc Acts in
sales under this act. and that the land
lords would be most unwisc if they re-
fused to accept such Il standard For
my part, do not believe they will
refuse such standard. Allusion was
made by Mr. MncVeagh to the labor
ers. Next session must be Il labOrers'
session (chcers). We obtained Il prom
Use from Mr.. Wyndham that the first
and most important bill Of the session
would be Il comprehensive laborers'
bill. The National house owes much
to the laborers. When l speak of the
laborers include those of the towns
where the housing question is, If pos
siblc, more urgent than in the country
. say to you today that the Irish
. party will make the Laborers' bill the
great work of next session, and that
if-which l do not anticipate-the
government were to play us false up
, on this question, we would not hest
; tate for a single moment in using oul
power to bring them, if possible, tt
: destruction and defeat (cheers). The
t next question is that of organization
. 1t is now the foundation Of everythin,
2 in Ireland. You can have 10 indie
/ pendent party in parliament withou
it. You would have had no Land Ac
D but for it. You can have no LabOrers
II Act without it. Your duty is to main
$ tain and spread the power and eff
$ cheney of the United Irish League (aI
IL plause). At present we have Owe
e 1000 branches scattered over IRELAND
l was looking the other day over
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