LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE DEMOCRACY AND HOME-RULE.
[TO THE EDITOR OF TEE " SPECTATOR."]
Sts.,—Mr. G. It. Portal's letter, in the Spectator of January 16th, seems to demand a response from me. To his first question I would reply that Ireland has never been a consenting party to Ae Union. The Union was obtained by bribery and corruption so base, that Lord Cornwallis, who bought the votes of the men who formed the majority of the Irish Parliament, said, in a famous letter of his,—" I am ashamed and disgusted with myself for the dirty business I am engaged in." To Mr. Portal's second question, as to why I consider landowners privileged persons, I reply that the possession of land has always conferred a position of privilege, more especially in Ireland, where landlords have been as Brahmins among pariahs, dominating the land. They constitute the Magistracy, they form the Grand Juries, and have entire command of the forces of the Crown, wherewith to terrorise their tenantry into paying rents which have been so high, that hardly a bare subsistence has been left for the peasantry. As to Mr. Portal's allegation that the eighty-six Parnellites were elected by a majority of only 4,823 votes, I think Mr. Portal leaves out the votes of the non-contested boroughs and county divisions ; and besides this, the fact remains that the three Catholic provinces polled bat 33,000 loyal votes, as against over 200,000 for the Parnellites. Ulster returned half her Members of the same kidney ; and, in fact, the only portion of the country which voted loyal was the north-east corner, round Belfast, which, as I understand, is largely Scotch.
Thirdly, why should landlords be forced to take five years' purchase ? I did not use the word " force ;" but I think the working of economic laws has forced land down so much in value, that landowners in Ireland will before long be glad to hold both hands for my price on a State guarantee. I will not admit that land is property in the same sense that chattels are, though I know that landowners and their lawyers have done all in their power to make it so.
With regard to Mr. Portal's caution to workmen that unless they behave themselves capital will flee the country, I do not feel alarmed, because I do not see how much harm can result to the nation if capitalists leave us the land, the railways, harbours, docks, houses, factories, and shipping.
As to his allegation that workmen are unfair to capitalists, I think that, taking them in the lump, they are as fair as capital is to them. Capitalists never did leave them more than a bare subsistence in the long-run, whether profits were 5 or 25 per cent. per annum.—I am, Sir, &c., A WORKMAN.
[" A Workman " forgets that the Irish people, in electing Members to the British Parliament, have affirmed its right to legislate. If it has no right, why do a majority of the Irish people declare its right to pass a Home-rule Act? Would they declare that Act an unlawful foundation for a Home-rule Government?—ED. Spectator.]
Previous page
