Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-06-13
BLOW AT IRISH LANDLORDS.

The Oakland Tribune-Now that
the house of commons has passed the
bill empowering the Irish Land Com
mission TO appropriate landed estates
that they may be sold to tenants on
the twenty-year installment plan, it
will be interesting to note what action
the House of Lords will take. The
Lords did not hesitate to turn down
the liberal governments educational
bill. as they did Gladstones home
rule bill, and they may go SO far as
to defy the CampbellBannerman min.
!istry in The Irish land matter. The
bill is a radical innovation. although
it has been provoked--made almost a
|necessity-by the attitude OF few
great absentee landlords like the Mar
|quis Of Clanricarde.
In neither England nor Scotland does
the government buy land to resell it
again TO long-term purchasers, as is
done in Ireland Rackrenting and
wholesale eviction are not unknown in
Scotland. but no land act has ever
been passed for the relief of the peas
antry of that kingdom However
rackenting and eviction. coupled with
absentee landlordism and political dis
ability, We're carried to an extreme in
Ireland that happily no other country
has ever endured. The abuses and in
humanities Of the alien landlord sys-
TEN in the emerald isle kept the popu-
lation in a condition of frightful pow
erty and in chronic state of dis
content verging ON revolt They also
threatened the depopulation of the ISL
and for each year saw thousands of
the bone and sinew of the land de-
part to seek homes and political free
dom across the sea-
To soothe the agitation for home
rule and stop the exodus of the Irish
youth, the land purchase act was pass.
ed but while 1t has ameliorated con.
ditions somewhat, II has failed to
placate the demand for local self-gov-
eminent or stay the tide of emigra-
ton to America, Canada and Australia
, in some of the most impoverished
districts landlords like the marquis OF
Clanricarde refused to sell their lands
to the government and persisted in
turning their estates into sheep walks
and great grazing farms, forcing the
miserable tenants to seek habitations
and occupations elsewhere.
In consequence the liberal govern.
ment decided to take the extreme
measure of exercising the right OF emf
nent domain to remedy deplorable
condition. II the peers decide to stand
by such ignoble representatives OF
their order as Lord Clanricarde they
may offer the time-honored excuse of
the sacred right OF property, but they
cannot evade the moral odium of de-
Tending the most atrocious system OF
industrial oppression that ever dis.
| gfaced a civilized country
Lord Clanricarde is type OF all
that is worst In the Irish absentee
landlord He is said to have set foot
on his Irish estates but once In his
life. A peer of the realm, he never
attends the sessions OF parliament and
apparently takes no interest IN the af.
fairs Of his country. BY law his
lands are exempt from taxation, the
rates being paid by his tenants. He
spends nothing 10 improve his prop.
lerty, gives nothing In charity. and ex.
tends no aid to benevolent and edli-
IcationaJ institutions. He gets every
dollar he can out OF Ireland and
spends all he gets In other countries.
He spends most OF his time In Paris.
living cold-blooded sybaritic exisr.
ence at the expense OF hunger and
suffering on the part OF thousands Of
miserable human beings. A man who
SO abuses the right Of proprietorship
should have no rights that the law IL
bound to respect. Men have no right
to be a curse to their country and the
human race