THE LAND QUESTION IN SCOTLAND.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 23, 28 September 1883, Page 27

THE LAND QUESTION IN SCOTLAND.

(Correspondence of the JNatioti, August 4 ) A Land League meeting in Scotland very much resembles a religious service. The almost invariable practice since the inauguration of the movement has been to appoint a chairman -generally a layman. The chairman solemnly names Borne minister or "elder" to offer up prayer ; this done, a hymn or psalm, specially selected, containing denunciations of oppression, is sung by the assembly, and a chapter of the Bible, (in Gaelic) is read. The portion of Scripture usually selected is the fifth chapter of Isaiah, which contains the following strong passage :-.« Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth." This is taken to be a direct condemnation of landlordism and land-grabbing. After the delivery of speeches detailing their grievances, and the adoption of resolutions, the meetings are concluded with prayer. «t, A m « etin # °j this chara cter, presided over by Mr. John Mackay, C.8., of Hereford— a man who by dint of Celtic energy has attained a distinguished place in his profession, and who has been indefatigable in advocating the grievances of the class from which he sprang —was held in Bettyhill previous to the arrival of the commission. Mr. Mackay read a number of extracts from the recently published attempt of Mr. Thomas Sellars to vindicate the memory of his father Strom Ihe charges of cruelty in carrying out the Sutherland evictions jen fifty and sixty years ago. Mr. Sellers writes that only one Lhad been burned. In answer to this several old men stepped ted to refute the statement. Hugh Macdonald, Strathnaver saw a number of houses burning. Boderick Macleod, Skerrav. save similar testimony. Wiiliam Macleod, of Bettyhill, referred at considerable length to the " scenes of atrocious cruelty and brutality " which he had witnessed in Strathnaver, and said :— » There was one old man, said to be about 100 years of age, whose house was set on fire in two or three places. The old man was unable to move, and the men who set the house on fire went away and left him there." A voice in the meeting called out : " What was the old man's name ?" To which Macleod replied, " His name was Donald M'William." Eobert M'Kay of Strathy, saw several houses in flames. Another old man, George Mackey, of Aird, " saw ten houses burned at Strathnaver. He was at the time going up the Strath with two horses, and was nearly blinded by the smoke." The testimony borne by these old men created a profound sensation in the meeting, and i£ permitted to reach the public would doubtless produce a similiar effect No newspaper in Glasgow or Edinburgh, or any of our centres of indnstry, has so much as intimated that the meeting at which these statements were made had taken place. The special correspondents accompanying the commission are very indignant with many of the witnesses, who insist in giving their evidence m Gaelic. These important gentlemen affirm that the preference of the people for their mother tongue is an evidence of 41 Celtic contrariness." They tell us " the people can speak English well enough," but somehow they won't. The " discreet silence " preserved by our "impartial" Press is occasionally broken by turbulent pro-landlord mutterings. The tremendous indictment of landlordism made day after day by the people is thus spoken of by the Glasgow bens .•— " With reference to all the evidence adduced up to this time, it may at once be said that it is practically impossible to find out how much or if any, reliance can be placed upon all, or any of the charges made. The " death tax "statement made by one of the clergymen who gave evidence drew out the foregoing : When a crofter dies the Duke of Sutherland compels his son or successor to pay all arrears of rent and a permanent increase of 10s. « If the death premium were removed," said the rev. gentleman, " and the crofters got a reduction of 10s on their rents when a proprietor died, how soon would the landlords cry out that they would be ruined ! Then, again, proprietors with the assistance of the law officers had thrown down hundrends of crofters' houses, and left the people homeless on the hillside. Supposing the crofters, with the aid of the law officials, threw down the houses of the proprietors, what a cry would the whole land raise over such cruelty and wickedness." According to Lord Napier, "of course the duke is master of his own property."