In the House of Commons on Tuesday Mr. Arthur Samuels
made a general statement about Lord French's extraordinary Proclamation offering land to any Irish recruits who might come forward. He explained that an amendment to the Land Purchase Act would secure to ex-soldiers privies in /egad to the purchase of untenanted land. The Government intended the proposal to apply to Irish soldiers who had enlisted at any Urea during the war. Sir Edward Carson naturally called this "a very vague proposi- tion." " Vague " is a mild -word- in the circumstances. One can hardly imagine any proposal less likely to work. To begin with, there is in Ireland very little untenanted land of agricultural value. The offer of land is, of course, as might easily have been foreseen, being regarded as a bribe. One can but dimly imagine the happy
life which would be led on the Sinn Feiner; who had overcome-their Sinn Feinism in order to acquire- land. Their neigh- bours would never leave them alone. They would not even, wait for the moonlight nights. The Government policy in Ireland, if there is one, becomes more and, more bewildering. It is urgently desirable to thresh out the whole subject in Parliament as quickly as possible.
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