Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-12
NOT PHYSICAL FORCE
Conditions in Ireland Improved by More
Conservative Procedure.
FARMERS ARE COMING TO OWN THE LAND
Changes That Have Been wrought by
the Reforms In Land Laws and
Bright Prospects for the
future.

I'VE have seen more physical force In
Ireland in the last eighteen months than
the blatherskites in America will see In
eighteen years." was the way in which
Joseph Devlin, member Of the British
Parliament from Belfast, spoke of the peo-
pie in this country who are d~ecrying the
efforts OF the Irish parliamentary party to
secure a measure OF home rule and own-
ership OF land through constitutional meas
ures.
Mr.. Devlin was speaking Of the condl-
ton Of ireland and used the language
quoted when asked what he thought OF the
position taken by the physical force party.
He continued:
'In the twenty-five years the constitu-
tional efforts to ameliorate the condition
of Ireland have been In progress we have
accomplished more for Ireland than
previous centuries OF physical force effort
which preceded It. When the agitation
along peaceable lines hrst began the Irish
man was little better than a serf. He had
no vote except as his landlord willed 1t.
Open voting was in vogue and in case the
tenant was permitted to vote he had to do
so viva voce, when his landlord or the
agent was present, and IL he voted in OPP
position to instructions he would be
evicted, and from that order he could make
no appeal, for at that time the landlord
could dispossess any tenant regardless Of
whether he paid his rent. And every i'm
provement upon the land became the alb
solute property OF the landlord as soon as
the eviction took place.
Some Changed Conditions.
1.-THE constitutional party made it's first
success when It secured the secret ballot,
q result Of this being that eighty-hve mem
bers of Parliament we're returned to Sc
cure further concessions from the govern
ment. Then came the law permitting free
sale, by which the tenant could dispose
OF his leasehold and its improvements with
out consulting the landlord. We have Sc
cured what is practically manhood suf-
frage; have secured the abolition Of the
grand %juries. which we're a constant men
ace to the people, because they had abb
solute power over all questions Of the ex-
penditure Of public funds and we're not
elected, but chosen by the government and
the landlords. Today we have county, dis
trict and parish councils. Some OF the
noblest lords OF Ireland have recently been
defeated for places on these boards by ten
ant farmers, and Lord Dunraven was re-
Gently elected by but a few votes over one
of his tenants, and another of the
victories is the passage of the
present land law under which 1000 former
tenants have become owners Of the land
which they formerly rented, their hold
ings averaging between thirty and forty
acres each.
improvements fra Land Laws.
"In addition to this we have forced an
unwilling ministry to pass a new land pur-
chase act. We desired an act which would
make the sale of land compulsory. on the
part of the landlord. We did not get this
directly. but the bill as prepared by the
government Is practically compulsory sale.
We call 1t compulsory by inducement, for
It offers terms to the landlord such as he
was never offered before and never will
be again. Az the bill is to expire in the
course Of a comparatively few years we
expect q large number, II not a large ma
jority, of the landlords to dispose of their
holdings under its terms. In addition to ad-
vancing a large amount of money to the
tenants on longtime loans at 8 per cent in
terest for the purchase of the land the gov
eminent appropriates the sum of $50, 900, 900,
which is a donation outright. to be used in
paying the landlords the difference between
the price at which they hold the land and
the price which the tenant is able to pay.
The purchase Of this land is made upon the
basis Of the annual rental. and 1t requires
. sum ranging from the rent of from sew
SaNoN W NWNANJ JNeAe ~
right. The tenant then has about sixty
years In which to repay the loan to the
government. 1t is worthy Of note that the
government recently announced that Of the
1000 tenants who have purchased under the
old land act but two have failed to keep
up their annual payments.
Party Deserves Endorsement.
with this record 1t is strange hat any
one should object to the course Of the con-
stitutional party In the British Parliament.
/ met a man in st. Paul who asked me II
II were not probable that, II the condi-
tion OF ireland from a material standpoint
were improved, the Irish would lose their
race pride and national aspirations. In
reply l asked him. a native Irishman, II
he had lost his race pride and national
aspiration since he came to America, fol
to Judge by his appearance he was neither
starving nor suffering for even the ~luxurie'
of life. and this is the reply 1 have tc
all who advance this argument. II there
IS anything in their contention II would
be we'll to d~lsfranchise the Irish. to keeT
them living in mud huts in squalor and
degradation, but we have seen the enect