The Star. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16,1880.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3951, 16 December 1880, Page 2

The Star. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1880.

Fighting the battleß of the Mother Conntry, tho Irish Lave left their bones to whiten on many a far away bloody plain and mountain cliff, the possession of which they have contested with a devoted valour which might indeed bo equalled bufc could never be surpassed. In America, Canada, and tbe Oolonies of Australia the Irish Colonist is distinguished by patient industry, frugality, and many noble qualities ; taking an active intelligent interest in the affairs of his adopted land, but never for a moment wavering in his devoted affection for the land that gave him birth. In some of the Colonies — Victoria and New South Wales particularly — Irishmen fill the offices of the Civil Service, and attain to the highest positions at the Bar, on the Bench, in the Legislature and the Government. The present President of the United States — Mr Rutherford Hayes —is of Irish extraction, so also is the President eleot, General Garfield, whilst Earl Dufferin, Sir George Geey, Sir Her cules Robinson, Sir Bartle Frere, and many other names of Irishmen might be qnoted who have attained at the present day to positions of honour and distinction in connection with the •government of the British Colonial possessions. When therefore tho ory of distress reaches the Irish in the Colonies from the land of their nativity, it is not surprising to find them pouring out assistance liberally from the resources which success has brought to them, and in* ducing sympathising Colonists to do the same. More than one-third, nearly one-half of the total amount raised for the relief of the Irish

people during the period of their recent deep distress was raised in the Colonies of Australasia, and eurely no better tribute of their warm-hearted love of thoir Motherland could have been afforded by the sons and daughters of any people ; yet, singular to Bay, whilst eubHoriptions were being raised all over the globe for the assistance of the distressed Irish, the people of that country afford to send no less than £8000 away iv the shape of Peter's pence, to support an alien Pontiff and a foreign church. Tbis is to be regarded as one of the peculiar eccentricities of Irish humour. Intensely humourouß ay the ordinary Irishman is, he fails to distinguish wbat is seen by every one, but the people of his nation — the incongruonsnesß whioh constitutes the grim joke in this case — and ho is disposed to bring a cudgel to bear aB a convincing argument upon the brains of any fellow colonist, who, in a gentle and kindly spirit, ventures a reference to the fact. Recently, it has been wittily said that Irishmen can govern every country in the world with success* but their own. The references we ha**e already made, brief though they necessarily are, may be held sufficient to dispose of the first part of the propoeition How comes it that, brilliant as administrators abroad and generally successful as colonists, the Irish are Beemingly incapable of achieving success for their country at home ? The ready answer which the patriotic Irishman would instantly furnish to this query would, of course, be the curoed government of the bloody and avariciouß Saxon. VFTbis, however, is not entirely satisfactory to any but an Irish mind. Ireland certainly has its grievances, but so also has Scotland, and so also it may be Baid have tbe Colonies. The great complaint of the Irish people is, tbat iv certain districts the soil is in the bands of an aristocratic olaas, whiob, leaving the poor peasantry to the untender mercies of unscrupulous agents, drain the country of its wealth to expend in voluptuous pleasures elsewhere. Allowing for the exaggeration with which thiß is put,- it mißt be acknowledged tbat there still remains fair ground for irritation in this particular. Yet, the case of Ireland — with a better climate and a much richer soil — is not worse in this respeot than that of Scotland. The whole of the soil of Scotland is in the hands of a very few individuals, and they travel south to spend their wealth — ■ derived from their tenantry — in London and on the Continent of Europe. Yet the Scottish husbandman — under disadvantages unknown to poor Paddy — struggles on contentedly, and with fair success. Are we to suppose tbat the landlords of Ireland are more tyrannous, exacting, and greedy than thoße of Scotland f Landlords are laudlords all the . woild over, and they will insist upon what is duo to them under agreement being paid to the last penny ; tbey do so no doubt in Ireland, but surely it is absurd to suppose that Ireland's is an exceptional cisc in this respect p Even in these Colonies the evils of absenteeism — for tbat absenteeism is an evil no one denies — have already excited attention. In Australia and New Zealand, Colonistß have acquired large estates — sometimes by violations of the law, such as dummyism, and other means not over scrupulous — and, letting the lands so obtained for mining or farming purposes, have gone home to enjoy the pleasures of the most cultivated civilisation without contributing anything towards the burdens of the country from which their resources are drawn. Absentee taxation and otber special means haye — even now — been suggested in order to reach tbem. If one or two instances in a young country are felt to be a greivance calling for legislation, what must be the circumstance of an old country where nearly all the landowners are nonresidents. On the otber hand, let any of tbe agitators — even Mr Parnell himself — be placed in the position of a landlord, and we fancy he would be found sticking up for the rigbtß of bis order tenaciously, and claiming to be allowed to do what he likes witb tbat which is his own. It is very easy to get up a hue and cry against creditors amongst those who are financially indebted, and who are unable, or do not desire, to pay ; but the legal rights of men — no matter how inconvenient they may be felt — are not to be swept away by noise. The rights of the landlords subsist under the law,- and they must be sustained until they are removed by law, a position which the mock patriots disturbing the country refuse to acknowledge. After all, as in Scotland, the landlords of Ireland number only some two or three hundred, and the estates of a considerable number of them lie in the northern portion of the island where peace and contentment reign ; the amount that is demanded in rent must bear a reasonable proportion to the productiveness of the land — a rule that holds good everywhere — or no men could ever be enabled to pay it ; and if higher than a fair proportion, then no man has any right to contract to pay it. The amount paid in rent — whether spent in the country or not — should prove but a very small item out of the national productiveness. What we mean to convery is that, a fertile island like Ireland, sending every year thousands of her population to other lands, should be able to pay her rents to her landlords, foreign though they may be, and yet be wealthy and prosperous. The sources of the disease that weighs her down must therefore lie deeper than those we have touched upon. At all events, Ireland is a constitutionally governed country ; she has her representatives in the General Assembly of the people ; and eloquent, they certainly are. If they are honeßt and faithful, then the wrongs of Ireland can surely be righted in a constitutional way. There can be no occasion in a constitutionally governed country to take up arms in the cause of justice. A government more desirous to do justice to Ireland it ia vain to hope for in England than that now in power. The name of Mr John Bright of itself should be a sufficient guarantee to tbe people of Ireland, if reason prevailed amongst the men who are new leading them — they know not whither. Long years ago Mr Bright pointed out the evils of the present land-holding system in England and Scotland, as well as in Ireland, and referred to the necessity for legislation upon the subject. He is not likely to forget his principles now. Tbe Government havo indicated tbe course they are prepared to take, and pledged themselves deeply in regard to it ; yet, this is not satisfactory to the agitators. They muet surely have some other purpose at heart than the righting j of Irish wrongs and the sweeping away

of Irish grievances. Nothing, at all event*, can be plainer than that in stirring np tbe people to acta of murder and outrage, they could not puraue a course more certain (o alienate all sympatby for Ireland amongst reasonable minds throughout the world.