Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-07
Sons of Erin Arrange for
Meeting This Evening.
PROGRAM OF ADDRESSES
w. Bourke Cochran Announced as
Presiding Officer.
PAST COMPARED WITH PRESENT
Michael, j. Ryan, Rabbi Abram ST.
mon and William'E. Curtis ON
List of Speakers.

ireland Past and Present" is the sub
ject to be discussed at a meeting this
evening In the New National Theater tn
which all true sons of Erin, regardless OF
political belief, have been invited. The
meeting will be presided over by Rep
resentative w. Bourke Cochran OF New
York and addresses are to be made by
Michael ]. Ryan, Rabbi Abram Simon
and William f. Curtis. The latter viii
also show a number of stereopticon views
of Ireland.
Those who attend the meeting will hear
of the great changes which are taking
place in Ireland through the splitting up
of the great land holdings there and the
passing of vast estates from the owner
ship of absentee landlords to many native
farmers large part has been played in
the drama of reform by the Irish national
party, which for several years past has
held the balance of power in parliament
and has forced one concession after an
other from the hands of the unwilling
holders Of the land.
Realistic View of Situation.
A realistic view Of the situation will be
presented by Mr.. Curtis. who will talk
on The Transition from Landlordism to
Tenant Proprietorship." The lecture will
be full of facts that Mr.. Curtis gathered
on his last trip through Ireland, and the
lantern slides to be used will show con-
ditionS now when the tenants are begin
ming to have a sense of ownership In their
farms and the contract from few years
ago, when the least improvement in
holding was sure to be taxed out OF ex-
istence by an increase in the rent.
Recent dispatches from Ireland have an
nounced that one of the most generally
execrated Of the absentee landlords. Lord
Clancarde. Is about to sell his great es-
tate of $1,000 acres. allowing the govern
ment land commission to set a fair value
on 1t and parcel 1t out to tenant farmers,
who will in the course of years be able
to pay for their holdings In the form OK
rent and will then own the land in fee
simple.
William F. Downey Explains.
In speaking of this feature of Irish re-
forms to a Star reporter. William +.
Downey said last night that the sale OF
the farms to the tenants of the great
estates was the most important victory
for the country that had been won since
landlordism was established.
II do not think a better summary of the
case of Lord Clanicarde can be given"
Mr.. Downey said. than appeared recent
ly in a weekly periodical. This spoke of
him as the worst hated landlord that
Ireland had ever known and added:
For fifty years the name OF this peer
has been the foremost In all the long
agony of Irish land agitation: with Its
annals Of misery and Its slowly evolved
solution. He Is not only an absentee
landlord. drawing rents from vast estates
without returning 1t in any expenditure
thereon, but absolutely deaf to all appeals
from the impoverished districts which
yield him golden tribute.
Some of the incidents Of the marquis
nnf hSA
able were they not simple matters OF cold
history Even his own agents have
pleaded with him In vain to make some
abatement of his rents in Ireland during
was always one reply-when there was .
reply at all-simple refusal.
Sacred Rights" Of Property.
MEN who took the agency for the es-
tate and survived the ordeal resigned;
one OF them sued the marquis. the widow
of another gave damning evidence against
his lordship before the Parnell COM
mission. Where all the agitators and his
own tenantry and agents failed, so keen
an upholder of the sacred rights Of
property as the Lord ST. Aldwyn tried to
succeed When, as Sir Michael Hicks
Beach, he was secretary for Ireland. he
wrote a letter calling upon Lord Clanri-
carde to behave as other landlords and
tenantry
Failing this. he threatened to leave
him without police assistance In the col
lection of his rents. All in vain: deaf
to appeals and entreaties, deaf to the
voice of starvation and misery, he was
deaf also to threats, whether they came
from his enemies or from the heads OF
the government Unbending. unheeding,
he went on the fearful tenor OF has way.
and gave as little heed to the threats Of
the government as he did to the spectacle
of starving families camped In winter
weather outside the holdings from which
the troops had evicted them. So the
long record of crime and violence, of
suffering and death went on, and still
goes on. till this last action of the land
commissioners bids fair to end 1t for
ever.
That Mr.. Downey remarked. shows
a little of what the real situation is and
what a material victory the Irish parlia-
mentary party has won in forcing salts
factory adjustment of the land sales is
sue. We Irishmen in America ought Ia
present a united front in strengthening
the hands of the parliamentary party in