Mr. Parnell has been greatly hurt by the frankness of
Mr. Ferguson, the Glasgow Home-ruler, upon the subject of the salaries paid to prominent Land Leaguers. He assumes quite accurately that the public, reading that speech, will believe that Members of Parliament are paid from Land League funds. He declares, therefore, that "no Members of Parliament are paid by the League for Parliamentary services." No persons are, in fact, paid salaries at all, unless they give their whole time ; and of these there are twenty-five, who receive, on the whole, about 260 a week, not a very large average, especially as the League is spending £1,200 a week, or £60,000 a year. Does the League, perchance, pay its Members' elec- tion expenses ? There is not the smallest objection to its doing so, as such expenses are paid by subscription and by political clubs everywhere ; nor do we see why it should not pay its Members also, if it pleases. The only objection is to any secrecy in the matter, the electors having a right to know whether their Member is responsible solely to them, or liable to be influenced by gratitude towards any other body. The League should publish its accounts in detail, of course with an inde- pendent audit, and not keep them so secret that important Members, like Mr. Ferguson, can make radical mistakes as to the disposal of the funds.
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