The San Francisco call., 1909-07-14
Again Rent Is Raised

There was no escape. The man could
not threaten to leave. Land hunger
has ever been the afflietion of the
people. and there were a dozen ready to
take his handmade farm at the in
creased rate. He paid. Next year, per-
haps, he harvested his first crop. Again
the rent was raised. If he drained a
field or built a cattle shed or added
any visible thing to the equipment or
productiveness of the farm, that was a
signal for an increase in his burden.
And finally, having spent his strength
on the land, living within sight of
starvation in order to meet the re-
morseless increase in the landlord 5
demands, knowing that the harder he
worked the more he must pay, he
reached at last the limit of his re-
sources. He could not meet the de-
mand
There was no choice for him. BY a
simple but deadly process of law he
and his family were evicted. cast out
on the roadside to die or to start the
weary struggle afresh on some new
patch of bog or stony hillside.
rms is a very brief and imperfect
explanation of complicated system
of injustice. but ii will assist in an
understanding of the whole problem.
In these conditions were to be found
af the long, bitter story of the cam
paign against 1andlordism, with its
record of blood and misery. In 1870
came the first ray of light in the dark
record, when Gladstone first estab-
lished the main principle of dual own
ership-that the tenants industry Gre
ated for him a certain proprietary in
terest in the land he titled. The first
legislation-like all that has followed
twas imperfect. The savage land
war of 1880 showed how much of
medieval injustice still persisted. But
the barriers We're crumbling. Land
purchase acts followed. the most not
able being in 1881 and 1903. and with
these the death knell of Irish landlord
ism was sounded.
Conditions Improve
Under the persistent prodding of the
Irish parliamentary party. the British
government is now engaged. upon a
huge scale, in buying the great estates
and establishing the tenants upon
in some cases too high, are infinitely
more advantageous than the old Ten
ants who paid G 10 a year rent with
no hope in the future, and the GER
tainty of an increased demand, now
occupy the same ground as owners,
paying the purchase price and inter-
est at the rate of f6 to e. year
When the writer described seven
years ago the conditions here referred
to briefly, copious details were given
of the evils of the system, but 1t was
predicted that change was in sight
The change came, and progress has
been steady ever since Again the
writer has come to Ireland to see for
himself how the people are living and
what measure of justice they have
won
Let it be said at once that the
change is nothing short of marvellous
1t was dark picture that the writer
drew seven years ago, but that picture
is fading. Seven years is brief span
in the life of nation, and this gener-
alton will not see the last of injustice
But the regeneration has begun. Thou
sands upon thousands of families
which seven years ago were suffering
want are now contented and near to
prosperity. Many wills have been
wiped out and others are doomed to
go. In the succeeding articles we are
to see a new Ireland--a nation once
more on the upgrade.