Mr. O'Kelly moved on Wednesday the second reading of the
Evicted Tenants (Ireland) Bill, which was seconded by Mr. Clancy. The first provision of the Bill was to extend by six months the time within which evicted tenants might avail themselves of Clause 13 of the Land Act of last Session, a proposal to which no one was disposed to object. Then, however, came the extraordinary provision that, at the expira- tion of this time, " the principle of compulsion should be applied to those landlords whose tenants were still kept out of their holdings." In the case of landlords who had failed to effect a voluntary sale, the Bill gave power to the Land Com- missioners to compel a sale at a fixed price, and to issue an order for the immediate entry of the evicted tenant. In other words, the worst class of tenants would under this Bill have been compulsorily restored to their holdings, while any new tenant who had taken the holding after the former tenant's eviction, and who had sunk capital in his holding, with the full authority and sanction of the Legislature, would be simply bundled out without compensation.
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