Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-14
CATTLE DRIVING CRUSADE
Grip of the Gombeen Shopkeepers Oh
Small Farmers.
THE GOVERNMENTS POSITION
Serious Clash Between Police and
Peasants Is Reported From the
Crofton Estate.

Special Cahicgram to The Star
DUBLIN. October 14.-Rent reductions
In the land commission court no
longer on the down grade and appeals no
longer inevitably lead to increase of
judicial rent. That is one OF the most
suggestive facts disclosed by the report
just issued for 1867 The reductions on
first term rents, which had fallen from
PAT per cent in 1867 to 14.T per cent in
1908. have risen again to 2n.I per cent,
and the reductions on second-terin rents.
which had fallen from 26.i per cent in the
former year to $50 per cent in the latter,
have risen to 1873 per cent.
The commission has apparently been
relieved of the pressure within the law
which being applied to compel the
tenants to purchase at any price. The
proceedings also being expedited.
s. go appeals were disposed OF last year
and only 2.43l lodged. so that the block
has been reduced by over 5000 cases. At
the same time there is a steady fall in the
number OF appeals. The landlord appel
lants are not fortunate. The appeals
against the nrst-term rents fixed by the
commissioners resulted in net increase
all over Ireland of 0.S0 per cent. or about
halfpenny in the pound and in the case
OF secondterm rents Of 1.lp. or less than
twopence in the pound. The game of in
timidaton is no longer worth the candle.
II is surprising in the circumstances
that more OF the first-term tenants do not
exercise their rights to have second
term rent fixed. OF the more than 800 600
tenants who have a right to a second
term rent. oaly 81. SIS have had their cases
disposed OF by the commission up to date
while only 4T.6O6 have had second-term
rents fixed by agreement. Allowing for
the number OF first-terrn tenants who
have purchased under the various pur-
CHASE acts, there must be some hundred
thousand hrst-term tenants who are re-
framing from exercising their rights. No
wonder. then. that first-term rents are
being sold at a price that gives the ten
ants very little more by way OF reduction
than they are entitled to If their rents
were made fair.
Gombeen Shopkeeping.
Giving evidence before the royal COM
mission on congestion at Leenane, the Rev
John F1atley. Roman Catholic curate at
Clare Island. Westport made some start
ling statements regarding the conditions
or society in Connemara. Father Flatley
has been Roman Catholic priest for
thirty-seven years. and has spent all that
time In the congested districts. Wine
anxious for the further distribution of
grass lands among the peasant popula-
ton. he attributed the existing conditions
In Connemara mainly to the system Of
living ON credit and of paying exorbitant
been Eaen. Father Fiatley said that by
getting the smaller farmers deeply into
their books these gombeen sbopkeepers
largely controlled elections to the county
and district councils and to the magis-
tracy. That condition was producing the
most frightfuI results
The local councils, to a largo extent.
were worked entirely In the interests Of
very low class OF magistrates. The magiA-
trates shamefuliy utilized the bench for
the purpose of promoting their business.
1t was quite common for them to favor
their own customers I'm the NEST fragrant
manner. and vast amount OF intriguing
and cany assing was exercised to this end.
He assured the commission that magis-
trates went to the length Of coaching wit
neases as to the evidence which they were
70 give before the court and that Ii was
q common practice to influence drunken
doctors to give mitigating evidence in
cases OF assault. Complaints had been
MADE to him Of the unpleasantness Of
having to sit on the bench with men who
had been fed with whisky for three weeks
before a case came on. In one case a
magistrate had been Obliged to adjourn
the court because his gistrate
was drunk on the bench. In another the
county court Judge had been obliged to
warn magistrate for his drunken inter-
ruptions of the business of the court. All
this arose from the fact that the people
who lived on credit We're the slaves of
the witness said that number of specific
cases which had arisen in his experience
showed that where the small holder got
Into the debt of the shopkeepers the re-
suit was that he very often lost his land.
Answering Bisnop O'Donnell the wit
ness said that the solution of the difficulty
was TO provide the people with such
remunerative employment as would enable
them To pay ready cash for the necessities
of life
The Present Crisis
Mr.. James ". Campbell, x. c., NJ. P,
speaking at a Primrose League meeting
at Kingstown, said that the popularity Of
the present crisis in Ireland was that for
the first time lin the political history of
the country those who were responsible for
ths prevailing agitation and lawlessness
claimed TO have as their confederates in
crime certain members of his ma jesty's
government Mr. Ginnell for some months
past has been going through the country
proclaiming the new gospel of intimida-