36 A LIFE'S WORK IX IRELAND. 



CHAPTEE IV. 



THE IRISH LAND QUESTION. 

 Febeuary 1868. 



I ha\t: stated iii previous chapters the common-seuse 

 ^'iews of a resident on rents in Ireland, and the 

 great improvement in that country since the begin- 

 ning of the century. I \A^\ to do so once more on 

 what is called " the land question." It should never 

 be lost sight of that the farmers are only half the 

 agricultural population. The labourers are the other 

 half.^ The interest of the labourers is not at all 

 identical with that of the farmers. Their treatment 

 by the farmers is of the very closest and hardest 

 kind. Such cases come before any one living in 

 Ireland contmually. I cannot tell how often in the 

 year the words of Solomon in the Proverljs rise in 

 my mind about " the poor man that oppresseth the 

 poor," etc. If the farmers were treated by the land- 

 lords with one -half the hardness they show the 

 labourers, there ^vould be plenty heard about it. One 



^ The number of labourers has greatly lessened since this 

 was wTitten. 



