In a letter which appears in Thursday's Times "An Irish
Taxpayer" very properly calls attention to an extraordinary speech delivered at Kilullagh, in Westmeath, on August 25th by Mr. Ginnell, the Nationalist Member for North West- meath, and reported in the Roscommon Herald of August 31st. In this speech Mr. Ginnell warns his hearers that the Com- pulsory Land Bill which he declares the Government will bring in next year will only apply to ranches which the people have left derelict. He then goes on to express his satisfaction that the present Government contains men "to whom nothing would be more agreeable than to help you to deal the deathblow once and for all to landlordism and ranching. There are a few amongst the powerful men there 'Waiting for you to deal the deathblow, and then they will get Parliament to ratify it. I know this for an absolute fact. They say : 'You are not worth a d—n if you do not clear the lands, and if you clear the lands they will get you the land.'" Finally, he encourages the people not to fear that the law will protect the property of the "ranchers." "If in the course of the struggle any man gets into trouble, he advised him not to be frightened at that. There were some men, as he had already told them, in the Government to-day who would see the cattle-drivers treated very kindly." These observations prompt the writer of the letter to ask : "Is there any country in the world but Ireland where a Member of the Legislature would be suffered to preach the gospel of law- lessness so nakedly, and to assure his hearers that Ministers are his accomplices ? " Ministers have only themselves to thank for the interpretation which has thus been placed on their minimising references to the cattle-driving movement.
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