• That Mr. Parnell intended his double attack on Mr.
Forster on Thursday night to imply an open breach between him and the Government was clear enough, and we confess that we are relieved by the result, though it has diminished the majority of the Government for the time being. Mr. Parnell
had clearly hoped to tarn the Bill into an instrument for en- couraging the tenants of Ireland to expect a suspension of rent, and finding that it is not to be so used, his wrath is keen, though, as usual with him, dry, bitter, and business-like. But all the more clearly it will be seen that while the Government desire to secure for the tenant, under very urgent circumstances, under circumstances in which he might easily have been deprived of it by an accident, that limited property in his holding which the Act of 1870 gave him, they do not desire to give the smallest encouragement to the party which encourages the Irish tenantry to take the revision of their voluntary contracts with the land- lords into their own hands.
Previous page
