LEASES. 47 



CHAPTEE V. 



LEASES. 

 SEPTEMBER 1869. 



I THINK Lord Portsmouth is wrong in attributing 

 the fact of leases not often being given in Ireland to 

 political motives. 



Any one who considers that nearly all the M.P.'s 

 in Koinan Catholic parts of Ireland are of one party, 

 and nearly all in Protestant parts of the other party, 

 will see that tenants' votes really are not of sufficient 

 value to make any one sacrifice his pecuniary interests 

 for their sake. It does not pay. The end is not at- 

 tained. On both sides the game is too hollow to make 

 it worth while. Here and there a grandee with politi- 

 cal ends to gain may, perhaps, act on such motives. 

 But a very great majority of landlords care far too 

 much for their pecuniary interests. In spite of tall 

 talk, not one-tenth of the sacrifices are made for politics 

 in Ireland that are made in England or Scotland. 



I have watched the matter for thirty years, and 

 am convinced this idea of political motives being an 

 obstacle to leases is mainly a tradition for the state 



