120 THE IRISH AGRARIAN PROBLEM. 



s.i me figure, and met the refusal of the demand 

 by a strike against rent. 



The United Irish League seized upon this con- 

 tradiction between the two systems of agrarian 

 reform. This organization was formed by William 

 O'Brien in the year 1898, and, like the Land 

 League and the National League, spread itself 

 over the whole country. Its practical object was, 

 in the first place the revival of the land agitation, 

 and afterwards the reunion of all the Irish patriots, 

 among whom, since Parnell's fall, bitter conten- 

 tions had prevailed. The principal aim of the 

 agitation was to obtain the partitioning of the great 

 grazing farms among the cottiers occupying the 

 small and uneconomic holdings which bordered on 

 them. The agitation was directed in the first 

 instance against the graziers. But since these 

 offered the landlord higher rents than the courts 

 would probably have sanctioned, it was not to be 

 expected that he would surrender the grazing 

 lands over which he had still full control, and 

 allow them to be partitioned. The boycott was 

 first tried; it was sought to put a stop to the 

 business of cattle -dealing. But as the results 

 attained were not adequate and a new judicial 

 decision made agitation and boycotting dangerous 

 a movement was set on foot for thepartitionment 

 of the grazing ranches by compulsory expropria- 

 tion. 



This cry for the compulsory expropriation of 

 the large stock-farmers gradually swelled into one 

 for the compulsory expropriation of all landed 



