In moving the Land Bill, Mr. Balfour renewed the assurance
that the Government felt the necessity for a much larger measure, and subsequently explained to a deputation that this would be a great Purchase Bill, which, however, it was most difficult to devise. This is now more necessary than ever, for the Liberals on Monday surrendered, through Mr. Campbell- Bannerman, the idea that the judicial rent must be in any way a settlement. It must, he contended, be revised whenever prices fall, and this in spite of the pledge that it should last for fifteen years. Parliament, there- fore, must either adopt a sliding-scale, as it does in assessing tithe, or it must constantly debate new proposals for farther revision. Under such a system, landed property can have no value, and it would be far better for Ireland to adopt peasant-proprietorship at once. It would appear, however, from Sir George Trevelyan'e address to the electors of Glasgow, that the Liberals intend to reject any scheme of purchase which involves any risk to the British taxpayer. They prefer that the time of Parliament should be taken up with eternal debates on the letting value of land. That is a most formidable threat, but for once there is ground of hope from the Parnellite side. The Liberals take their orders for the time from them ; they take their orders from the tenants, and it is just possible that the tenants may like Mr. Chamberlain's Bill. If they do, and the Parnellites resist, Mr. Parnell will soon find- out what his popularity rests on.
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