[TO TIIE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:1
SIR,—As an Irish land. agent, will you allow me to say that all classes who are interested in the prosperity of Ireland owe you thanks for a recent article, in which you say that "no Govern- ment would pass an enactment dissolving the obligation of contracts already made P" Such a statement, proceeding from such a source, is eminently calculated to allay the suicidal agitation which now prevails. Ireland is a country of extremes. In politics, we have only an extreme Right and an extreme Left. The latter has achieved the distinc- tion of being called "the party of obstruction." Practically,. they are both alike parties of obstruction. What Ireland wants is a party corresponding to that one in England of whose views you are the exponenti—a party which would address itself to the reform of the many things which really need reform, which would not encourage every Irishman (landlords excepted) to expect a farm free of rent in his native Ireland, nor on the other hand, set himself against all improvement That many reforms are needed, I think there can be no. doubt. Leaving the "Land question" for a moment aside,. there are a group of questions intimately connected with it which must be considered, sooner or later. Amongst these I may mention the incidence of local taxation, over 815 per cent, of which is paid by the land; the Poor-law system which, in the opinion of many well-informed persons, makes pauperism and breeds paupers ; the grand-jury system, under which the taxpayers have practically no control over the assessment and expenditure ; the system which renders neces- sary the waste of many thousands yearly in passing through Parliament our Bills for railway and other local improvements ;. and the system of maintaining a brurnmagen Court in Dublin. Irish patriots, instead of exercising their ingenuity in this direction, prefer to depreciate the value of property, to drive away capital, and to undermine the credit of the country.
As for the main question, it may be presumptuous for me,. Sir, to offer an opinion, but I venture to say that if the Liberal party, when they come into power, will pass an Act to facilitate the sale and transfer of lauded property in an inexpensive and expeditious way, that then, and not sooner, the land question will settle itself. Many tenants are able to buy their farms,. and. many landlords are willing to sell. Before this can be done, the method of selling real estate must be more closely approxi- mated to the method of selling personal estate, and. Irish tenants must be taught that in a civilised, or oven semi-civilised, com- munity, no matter how much a man may want a commodity, he cannot be allowed to take it from his neighbour by force. A large quantity of Enfield rifles have recently been sold in Ireland for 38, ficl, each.—I am, Sir, &c., JO1IN J. &MAN.
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