We have discussed elsewhere the precise meaning of the "new
clause" introduced by Mr. Forster into the Irish Relief Bill, about which so 'much is being said in political circles. The clause is an effort to extend the Land Act of 1870, so that evic- tion for non-payment of rent, when the default is cau sed by famine, shall be counted as " disturbance," entitling a tenant to compensa- tion. On Thursday, Mr. Chaplin objected to the clause as sheer " confiscation," as bad in principle as Mr. O'Connor Power's measure, and remarked, moreover, on the suddenness with which it had been introduced. Mr. Forster, who was most anxious to get on with his Relief Bill, which ultimately passed its second reading, thereupon withdrew his new clause, pro- mising to reintroduce it as a separate Bill. That is wise, as the clause, though both misunderstood and misrepresented, is of extreme political importance, and should be thoroughly debated and explained.
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