Mr. Parnell, who had in the meantime returned to the
House, then rose, and in a speech of the most carefully marked modera- tion, declared that the economic prospect for the winter is much more serious than it was in 1880, when crime multiplied so rapidly ; that ho and his friends do not for a moment con- template such an agitation as they set on foot in 1880, but that there is every reason why such a Bill as the Compensation for Disturbance Bill, which they introduced as a private Bill in 1880, and which was afterwards taken up by Mr. Forster,—Mr. Parnell forgot to remind the House how the Irish Members themselves deserted him in its later stages,—should be intro- duced; and he declared that be would be satisfied if only the Government would promise to find time for its introduction and serious discussion before the introduction of the Appropriation Bill, since he really hoped to get the assent of the House to its main provisions,—the inclusion of leaseholds in the Land Act of 1881; the revision of rents at short intervals, in proportion to the price of produce ; and the grant of a power to the Courts to stay ejectments in the case of tenants who have paid three- quarters of their judicial rent. He made an earnest appeal to the House not to let " the golden moments " pass. The condition of Ireland during the winter would depend on their decision. Neither he nor any of the popular leaders would be able to hold back tho wave of violence if the Irish people were driven to desperation by the prospect of wholesale ejectments.
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