THE IRISH NATIONAL LEAGUE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XII, Issue 13, 18 July 1884, Page 29

THE IRISH NATIONAL LEAGUE.

Mb. ALEXANDER Sullivan, the Pesident of the Irish National League of America, whose headquarters are in Chicago, in. a letter objects to the statement of Mr. Henry George that " the Irish National League has forsaken the principles on which the Land League was founded and has taken up the idea of peasant proprietorship. " " Contrary, perhaps, to the belief of many," says Mr. Sullivan, " the Land League was of American origin. Its platform was drawn in the city of New York by Irish Nationalists residing in America, of whom the best known is Mr. John Devoy, in consultation with Mr. ■ Michael Davitt on his first visit to the United States in 1878. The first plank of the platform was a declaration for self-government. The second advocated vigorous agitation of the land question on the basis of a peasant proprietary, while accepting concessions tending to abolish arbitrary eviction. " On December 8, 1878, Mr. Davittjdelivered a powerful speech in Boston in which he defined tbe objects of the proposed organization. The first paragraph of his outline was a demand for national independence. The third was as follows : — "'A demand for the immediate improvement of the land system by such a thorough change as would preventthe peasantry of Ireland from being its victims in the future. This change to form the preamble of a system of small proprietorships similar to what at present obtains in France, Belgium and Prussia, such land to be purchased or held directly from the* State. To ground this demand upon the reasonable fact that, as the land of Ireland formerly belonged to the people (being but nominally held in trust for them by chiefs or heads of clans elected for that among other purposes), it is the duty of the- Government to give compensation to the landlords for taking back that which was bestowed upon their progenitors after being stolen from the people, in order that the State can again become the custodian of the land for the people-owners.' " After the platform drawn up in New York had been thoroughly discussed by the Irish Parliamentary party, it was agreed to by them, and the Land League was organized in Dublin on October 21, 1879. Mr. Parnell was elected President and Mr. Davitt one of the secretaries. Tbe declaration concerning land tenure was as follows '— " l That the objects of the League can be best attained by piomoting organization among the tenant farmers, by defending those who may be threatened with eviction for refusing to pay unjust rents, by facilitating the working of the Bright clauses of the Land Act during the winter, and by obtaining such reform in the laws relating to land as will enable every tenant to become the owner of his holding by paying a fair rent for a limited number of years.' "la all his speeches in Ireland prior to the foundation of the League and in his speeches subsequent to its foundation and 'preceding his arrest, Mr. Davitt advocated peasant proprietary as the only mode of settling the land question satisfactorily to the people of Ireland. " During Mr. Davitt 's dreary months in a cell his views underwent considerable modification, on land tenure. When, however, the Irish National League was organized in Dublin as tbe successor of the Land League, the principle of peasant proprietary was reaffirmed. " Davitt himself would never countenance a misapprehension of the facts. He knows that it is he who bas altered bis views, while the platform of the Irish National League remains identical with the platform of the Land League." •

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