148 My Little Farm 



and what interested me was the central fact that 

 the life on the land could be made immensely 

 better, without loss to anybody. The tenants 

 appeared always delighted to lose .1 in the land 

 so long as they could make the landlord lose 53. 

 in the rent. By my way, both classes could be 

 raised ; by the Royal Charter way, both must go 

 down, destroying one another, and the Legislature 

 accommodating the scheme by statute at the tax- 

 payers' expense. Such was part of the conflict 

 between the Royal Commissioners and myself. 

 The rest had to do with the ecclesiastical control 

 of the Congested Districts Board then effective 

 and now triumphant. 



They flatly challenged my visible facts on the 

 little farm. I challenged them to come and see. 

 They came, including a bishop, who was a subject 

 of a foreign State, a member of the Congested 

 Districts Board and a member of the Royal 

 Commission inquiring into its evil ways ! Then 

 a brace of baronets, and so on, with a small 

 battalion of camp followers, and a special agent 

 of the United Irish League, whom I should 

 certainly have ordered off the place had I been 

 aware of his presence. Some of the Commissioners 

 having seen, took me aside in turn, saying : "I 

 want you to know it is my opinion that you have 

 proofs here for everything in your evidence about 

 land, but, please, do not tell the other Commis- 

 sioners that I have said so " a Royal Commission 

 conducted as a conspiracy. 



So unlike a Scotchman, I had so far remained 



