The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-10
HE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ALABAMA
Irish Land Bill.


 The acceptance by John Redmond, the Irish leader, of the Irish land bill insures it's acceptance by the l03 Irish members of parliament. No doubt the bill as presented by Premier Bal four will be amended, but its reason able amendment bids fair to be fol- lowed by it's enactment into law, thus settling forever the land problem or unhappy Ireland by eliminating the alien landlords and rendering the tillers of the soil peasant proprietors.
 Chief Secretary Wyndham is said to be chiefly responsible for the prepar- ation of the bill, and MT. Redmond favors letting the land bill stand or fall on it's own merits, altogether dis connected with the question Of home rule. The latter may follow in logical crder, but it should not be pushed, so Mir. Redmond says, to the embar- rassment, and perhaps defeat, of the land bill.
 Several amendments will be press ed by the Irish members when the land bill is taken up. but none of them will be of nature that will pre- vent MT. Wyndham's bill from having a fair trial. Ireland is evidently in a mood to meet the government half way, and at this writing the great measure has bright prospects.
 There are happier days ahead for Ireland when the liberals and con seryatives are both ready to devise re- lief measures When the Irish farmers become proprietors, they can afford to wait for home rule, which will come in good time. The proposed purchase sys- tenn consists of a gift of 60,OO0,000 and credit operations approximatlng $500, 100000 for the gradual extinction of dual ownership by the purchase of tenanted land. Three commissioners would supervise the purchase, hold ing $60,000000 in hand to accelerate transfers and to terminate the present rent system. While it would be ad- vantageous for the landlord to sell his property the purchasing tenant would be promised reduction in install ments, as compared with existing rents, of from 10 to 30 per cent on second term holdings and from 20 to before 1896. Advances would be made wherever landlords and tenants came to an agreement on these lines among themselves; and when there was no bargain the commissioners could pur- chase the land and resell it to the tenants, and when it was unoccupied to claimants as well, including evicted tenants. The period of repayment would be sixty-eight and one-half years; there would be stringent provi- sio1s against subdivision and mort gazing of holdings one.eighth of the purchase money would be kept as q perpetual rent charge and seven eighths would take the form of terminable annuity.
 MT. Redmond's objections relate to tho permanent rent charge. The land lord will receive in cash the capital ized value of the purchasers install men;s, seveneighths of which will constitute an annuity terminable iii sixty-eight and one-half years, while the remaining one-eighth will remain practically as a permanent ground rental. This provision will convert the occupiers into ground tenants of the crown for life; and to that extent landlordism will not be abolished. The state, however. will be an easygoing landlord, who puts the occupiers at once in complete possession of the property and enables them to pay for 1t on the easiest possible terms; and the permanent rent charge will be a safeguard against subletting, mort
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