The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-04-18
SATURDAY, APRIL IS. 1905
THE IRlsHsLAND BILL.

ID AZ stated in yesterdays Times Dlspatch'
" the National Convention convened by the the
irish League at Dublin. by an overwhelm-
81 1rr vote, accepted the Wyndham lang
Bill a bout which SO much has been said.
s1t seems to be the most liberal offer the
~ British government has ever made 70
4 ireland, and 1rlshmen accept It as IN, me
M ART rtep and a most important step, they
II claim. towards Home Rule, for winch
they have so long battled.
W ccording to the provisions OF the BILL
@ az we have seen them outlined mere
\ are three characters In the measure, me
K "a ndlord, the tenant and the British treas
ury. Let us suppose O case. here 't - = !"
IA tenant who rents a farm OF ten acres acres.
Il IL ten pounds, or fifty dollars. a year w 9
viii also suppose that this sum rep-
81 resents "second term rent, WA ich
N means that the rent has been twice re-
t,uced for a term Of fifteen years by the
giFair Rent Courts. The bill provides ina
u the tenant may purchase the lano W 'l''
he has been renting. provided the iano-
[ lord is willing to sell The landlord can
u not be compelled to sell, but II ne Is VII
Ing to do SO, the next step IS LOT MN
ana the tenant to agree upon the Value
Il the land. II they agree. well sif nor e''
three Estate Commissioners, appoint
Id under the bill, will act as arbit ira Ir
and will determine the value Of the land.
Il This poirt having bee nsettled, the tens
L Int asks the government for loan ana ana
q for d portion Of the grant from the STATE
&'Then. for reasons which to US are not
d r,,,te9 clear. in order to determine the
Il price, further reduction OF from zen
"a thirty per cent. is made, ana ASSUME
ling the average reduction to be twenty
4 Der cent, the ten-pound rent VIII ran
a. to eight pounds.
The State now comes in as landlord
ls Z nd the Chancellor OF the Exchequer In
forms the tenant that he must pay to the
government his reduced rent of eight
pounds for period Of sixty-eight and a
n half years, after which the land VIII be
his on condition that he goes on paying
one pound a year SO long as he holds it.
This is done in order to prevent tenants
from sub-dividlng the land or mortgag-
ing 1t too heavily. for the State Will con-
& tinue to keep hold upon 1t. This con-
troll does not prevent the transfer of the
4 land as q whole, but will prevent It
X from being cut up.
The tenant has not the money in hand
to pay for the land and SO the State
81 agrees to purchase 1t from the landlord,
The State borrows the money from tho
Mt "a cent.
M the security OF the hents received, and
on the land as, a further guarantee. The
81 bill contcmplates borrowed sum OF
z money, in the aggregate, OF one hundred
i million pounds, and the State throws In
v q bonus to the landlord of twelve million
pounds. not moro than three hundred and
s. ninety thousands pounds OF which Is &c
" be given in any one year,
This sort of government paternalisn
would not be tolerated in tho United
states, but conditions are different y
England and ireland. and as the govern
nent Is willing to assume this response
Il bility. and as the Irish seem TO be NOR
than willing to accept the terms OF TN
deal, II is not for outsiders to criticise
- "a a. family affair and seems to be
long step in the direction OF solving tn
1r,sh question. One thing Is we'll es
tahlIshed. and that Is that when MAJ
hecomes the owner OF his own farm
whether he has paid for It or not, he be
comes a better citizen and surer cham
Mon OF law and order and good govern
ment.