IRISH AGRARIAN AGITATION

West Coast Times, Issue 14140, 17 June 1907, Page 2

IRISH AGRARIAN AGITATION

Lond.>: June 15

Two Resident Magistrates at the town of Birr, in King's Comity, lave heard the cases of a number of persons charged with cattle driving.

Fifteen were convicted of having participated in the driving of sheep and cattle off the grazing farm ot Michael Byrne,

The Court ordered t' a u - the} be bound over to keep the pease, bat they refused, and in default of this they were each sentenced to a month's imprisonment.

There are no less than three hundred ex.ra police at present stationed at Birr.

In tbe House of Commons, Mr Craig, one cf the Ulster Unionist?, put a question to the Chief [Secretary for Ireland as to whether he was aware of certain remaks that had been rrale by an Irish Magistrate. Tbe Resident Magistrate at Woodhwn, Mr Kelly, had, stated Mr Craig, rrcect'y declared, in the course ot a speech at Woodlawr, that a local landlord, Lord Ashtown (who at tbe present time, Mr Craig slaved, was under const ait ttrict police protection) should be treated as be d-sserved for bis bsd treatment of his tenantry. Had Lord Ash town lived at Kilhne or.Longbrea he would have been on a stretcher long ago for bis acts, tbe same as John Blake (whom, Mr Craig rx lnined, was shot dead in 1883.) Mr Kelly had also declared that the men of Woodlawo lacked the courage and manliness to trrab A«btown as they should.

The Chief Secretary, Mr Birrell. repi ed that the speech was under csnsidar* ation of the Government.

Mrßalfour presided a great Unionist demonstration held at Green's Hall yesterday. Ia a speech, he said that tbe failure of the proposals for devolution in regard to Irish Government had brought on a new situation, which was fa l ! of daDgers, He feared that the Government, having failed in their legislative proposal?, wonld now endeavour to cone 1 ats tbe Nationalists by administrative relaxation. The theory of the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Mr Birrell seemed to be , that tbe duty of dealing with tbe victims of tbe cattle driving outrages, reft 3d with the victims instead of with th.9 guardians of peaca. "Now, he said, that the sham of devolution hsd been exploded, the naked issae was:— ls tbe Country's going to maintain the Union, or to be faithless thereto? They were back ajatn to the situation of 1886, aud if tbe issue wero plainly submitted to the courtry, he vas convinced that the Uaionuta would obtain a tb'ri vic'.ory over the Home Enters.

Lord Linßdowne said lhat the real canker in Ireland was the tyranny of tbe illegal organisations. This was eating into the country's 'vital*. They were trading on the worst passions,

Mr Long (leader of tbe Ulster Unionist *) decVed the enforcing of the law was tbe "only means of bringing about prosperity in Ireland.

Resolutions were carried with enthusiasm condemning the Government's present Irish policy, aud demanding vigorous administration of the hw ;