The Parnellites cannot emancipate themselves from their idea that the
landlords are the English garrison. Whenever the Government annoys them, they seek revenge by en- deavouring to fine the landlords. Just now they are excited by the recent arrests, so they are preaching every- where that the poor tenantry should "eat the rent." The tenantry, who see what the "Plan of Campaign" involves, look askance at their counsellors ; so the orators try to appeal to their courage, and tell them that payment would be slavish and cowardly and base. Mr. Dillon, at Swinford on Monday, and Mr. Healy, at Dublin on Tuesday, both say the same thing in nearly the same words. They know, as we have argued elsewhere, that denunciations of rent never fail to attract and excite Irish audiences ; but they are also moved by another idea. They think that if they can represent Mr. Balfour as the landlords' agent, he will lose the respect which he would otherwise gain for his steady assertion of the sovereignty of law. They are afraid of fighting Purchase Bills much longer. Indeed, on Monday at Swinford, Mr. Dillon accepted them in principle. He said that in the congested districts, the landlords ought to be bought out compulsorily, and the overplus of the population moved into less congested places. That is sensible enough, though of course Mr. Dillon added that the landlords ought to get very little ; but, with the exception of that detail, that is precisely the Government policy. If Ireland will send up eighty-six advocates of Purchase, instead of the Parnellites, its chief misery will very speedily and quite peaceably be remedied.
