The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-22

- rnent made in solving the Irish
problem during the last seven years,
II is necessary 10 describe briefly
vhst the problem is and review
lie Efforts made 10 settle IL Bound
I'D as II is fndissoIubIy with the for
tunes-and misfortunes-of the Irish
reople. il has been kept insistently be-
fore the British government for many
years. and the mass Of legislation upon
il demonstrates not only the vigorous
activity Of the Irish leaders. but a re-
citation on the part OF England that
great evl cries for remedy That the
successive statutes and their clustering
smendments stiu have not removed al
of the hoary infustices is in Itself evil
denoe that nothing short OF self-gov-
eminent viii meet Irelands manifold
demands.
IN former letters have reviewed
very briefly the bases OF this unique
Isnd problem. showing how the seeds
q futermfna bic wrong were sown when
the land was grabbed IN successive IN
rssions. and how the crop was matured
under the grotesque laws which made
the landlords virtual owners OF the
tenants as well as OF the lands they
tiIed- This was through the custom
which empowered the landlord 10 raise
rents as fast as the tenant improved
his farm. with the threat OF eviction
always before him. the hapless tenant
rad 70 pay. When he could no longer
meet the demands he was thrown out.
and AL his labor OF years legally con
fscated by the absentee owner
The Famine OF IS47
This general rule. responsible FOR un-
told misery. was brought into infinitely
wider operation through the terrific
famine Of lsE7 That catastrophe
spread blight OF poverty over the
nation. and in addition drove countless
landlords into bankruptcy Thereupon.
IN an effort TO do something 10 lift the
burden OF misery. parliament estab-
lished q court empowered 10 sell hope
lessly incum bered estates. The hope
. vas thar with fresh start ali around
The problem might solve Itself, but. of
course. while the tenant remained
without title 20 any part Of the i'm
provements he had made. and with no
protection against capricious eviction.
he was only exchanging masters. and
IN most cases exchanging them for the
worse
There was z rush of creditors 10 the
new court, the bankrupt estates were
bought wholesale by spectators and
rents were raised higher than before.
Erictions by wholesale ensued- All Ire
land was a place OF misery and mourn
ing. Finding rent collections impos-
sible the new landlords were seized
with a mania for making large grazing
farms; and the helpless tenants were
swept of the land as ruthlessly as if
thsy had been noxious animals.
In IS49 and succeeding years. when
an eviction was virtually sentence of
starvation. popuIous districts as large
as small counties were turned into
empty plains. Houses were razed,
fences leveied and the little farms con-
solldated in huge ranches Il was at
THIS period that the London Times.
never noted Tor sympathy with Ire
lands woes, confessed that ~the name
.of an Irish landlord stlnks in the nos
trfls OF Christendom." In the ten years
following the famine 100000 families
were thrust out Of their homes and
100000 victims Of tyranny and spoil
2 Ing fed from ireland TO America This
was the high tide in the wave Of en-
igrauon. but TO this day the hOw has
never ceased
"The Three F's"
As early as 1915 the Deven commits
sion had recommended the correcting
~ the glaring injustice which denied TO
the tenant any interest in the farm he
created from the bare land But il
was not until 1870 that the principle
was established. Even then the rem
-edy was ineffective. The law simply
made The landlord pay for improve
'ments when he evicted tenant. and
he could recoup himself by raising the
rent to the next incumbent Out Of
This grew the famors demand for ~the
three Fs"-fsir rent. free sale and
fxity OF tenure-which were finally
won. after the savage land war OF 1873
n the act OF 1851
Il not only established finally and ir-