THE LAND FOR THE PEOPLE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 22, 21 September 1883, Page 23

THE LAND FOR THE PEOPLE.

A cokebspondbht writing Jto us (Nation, July 7th.) Liverpool says : — On Sunday week, at the usual weekly meeting of the Liverpool branch of the Irish National League of Great Britain, a lecture was delivered on the above subject by Mr. John Ferguson of Glasgow. Among those present were Messrs. Hughes (in the chair), Conway, Denvir, Byrne, Purcell, Porter, London ; Farley, West Derby ; Boylan, St. Helen's ; Rilev, Birkenhead ; O'Brien, South Liverpool ; Murphy, Dr. Wade ; Keating, sec The lecturer said that, though tempted to address them on the glorious memories which the history of their country presented, he felt that he should confine himself to his sterner but more useful sub jet.j et. He would wish his hearers, then, to imagine that they were Englishmen, and that he was a patriotic Englishman addressing them on the subject of the welfare of their country. He pointed out how England arose gradually but successfully, while the nations on the Continent were plunged in war, until io 1872 her export trade amounted to 250 millions. But in the early part of the century the nations of the Continent were growing wiser, and feudalism was being gradually abolished. Baron Stein pointed oat to the King of Prussia that the reason why his people were less determined in resisting invasion* than those of France lay in the fact that the people of France owned the Land they fought for, while the people of Piussia did not. It was that conversation that led Stein to study, till at last he had proved himself such a benefactor to the people of bis country. In England the contrary was the case. Cobden, Neil, iirnest Jones, and others thundered from many a platform, bat iv vain. The result was that in 1876 the tide turned and the export trade decreased by one-fourth, and it has never recovered. In tbe face of-«uch facets, the Earl of Derby tells the English farmers that 'lOust emigrate. Eighty-eight millions a year are paid for the expenses of Government, while in the United States £50,000,000 gives a surplus. In addition to the enormous sum for the expenses of Government, £150,000,000 is paid to the so-called landed proprietors as rent. It is this drain that grinds the farmers into poverty, and Lord Derby and others like him who are the men who grab all this money should hesitate before they tell the fanners to emigrate when it ia by their act that the farmers are crushed. What was their tiile to this land which they called theirs? The old barons in Englaud in the feudal times held their lands for the king in return for certain service. They were the judges, the commanders, and the administrators, and thus nothing was paid by the rest of the population for administration, but all thi-» expanse came out of the land. If the king chose he coi.ld dismiss the S'anley of the day from bis offices, and baud his lands over to some other man. But now the descendants of those barons claim the land as their own. The weight of the. philos> phical thought of the world was on his side when he said thai the land of the nation belonged to the nation and not to any individuals. As to the question of compensation, he differed from many other land reformers, for he thought that often the law of expediency interfered with the law of strict justice, and some compensation should be given. But into that matter he would not enter. He would abolish the absurdities of primogeniture and entail, and any other restrict ions which prevented the free u-e of the land for the benefit of the people. The three propositions he had endea-

Toured to prove were these :—lst.: — Ist. That natural agents, limited in supply and indispensible to the existence of the people, are the inalienable right of the people. 2nd. That the wealth of a people depends upon (1) whether the people use their natural agents more or less productively as compared toother nations ; (2) the proportion between the productive and unproductive consumer* in the community as compared with other communities, ana (3) that the appropriation of a natural agent, such as land, mines, rivers, or sunshine, as private property, is an injustice to society and dangei ous to its existence. In conclusion he wished to remind them that 30,000 meu were said to own the whole of the land of England, Ireland, and Scotland. It was this handful that stood between the people and the earth they wished to till. This was the secret of the country's weakness, and for this they must look for a remedy. They must go back to the land which God made and gave to men to be used for the benefit of the whole and not of a few — back to the land, the true source of wealth, and strength, where strong men could be nurtured to build up their country's greatness. Mr. Conway moved a vote of thanks to the lecturer, which was seconded by Mr. Purcell, and supported by Mr. Denvir. In replying Mr. Ferguson moved a vote of thanks to the chairman.