Evening star., 1909-03-09
IRISH PROBLEMS UP
Landowners Convention De-
bates Proposed Land Bill.
PLEA FOR PUBLIC ORDER
Resolution Demands That Govern
ment Suppress Intimidation.
LATE INSTANCES OF VIOLENCE
Agrarian outrages Reported From
Various Parts Of Country-Stock
Driven Off-Hounds Poisoned.
LATE INSTANCES OF VIOLENCE

Special Cabegram to The Star.
| DUBLIN, March "a special meeting
Of the Irish landowners convention wa:
held in the Ancient Concert rooms here &
few days ago to discuss Mr.. Birrells lant
bill and the state Of the country.
The chair was taken by Lord Clonbrock
| There was a large attendance. Letters OF
| apology for absence were received from
the Duke of Abercorn, the Marquis OF
Lansdowne, the Marquis of Londonderry
and Lord Castletown.
| Lord Lansdowne wrote that the tyranny
of unscrupulous combination was not sub.
stituted for ordinary law in Ireland. The
effect of this had been accentuated by the
| Introduction of a land bill which must
| entirely put an end to the progress Of land
purchase.
Lord Londonderry said in his letter:
"It seems to me that the unparalleled
success of the act of 1908 has provoked
the attacks of its enemies. To a govern
ment sincerely desirous Of furthering land
purchase the obvious remedy would have
been to accelerate the raising of funds
for the completion OF sales.
ITO throw the whole system Into the
melting pot is surely the most direct way
of arousing suspicion as to the sincerity
Of the governments convictions. Doubts
are not lulled by the action of the chan
cellor of the exchequer in going out Of his
the Investment of money in Irish land.
and advising people rather to keep their
spare cash in their stocking"
Land Bill Opposed.
.The chairman declared that if the land
bill! were passed it would put a stop to
voluntary agreements all over the coun-
q
body composed mainly of the nominees of
the very people who promoted the dis
turbances for the district councillors hold
Office as long as they were subservient to
their party.
"Viscount Middleton proposed q reso-
luton declaring that while the act Of
1858 was on strictly voluntary lines, the
bill Of 1908 introduced the unjust and
unnecessary principle Of general compul-
geous proposal to place the landed prop
erty of nine counties at the mercy of a
board largely under the control of agra
rian agitators. He declared that IL the
bill. were allowed to go forward the am
nesty created during the past five years
would be arrested. good feeling cut away,
and land purchase stopped.
THE O'Conor Don, in seconding. point
ed out that though Mr.. Birrell's bill pro-
fessed to be based on the Dudley report,
II departed from the empRatlc ana unanl-
nous finding Of the report on the ques-
tion OF the provision Of land for class
called Iandless' men. Once that sys-
tenn was started, 1t would be to the in
terest of every corner boy In the country
to create disturbance and turmoil in the
hope of acquiring piece of the property
of some one else. The resolution was
adopted.
]. H. Campbell. MP, proposed a reso-
luton calling on the electors of Great
Britain to compel the government to put
an end to the disgraceful intimidation,
boycotting and crime which small Sec
tion Of the population had been allowed to
create in many parts of Ireland. He OBJ
served that there was no parallel in
British history for the extraordinary sud
denness and completeness with which Mr.
Birrell had succeeded In reducing the