y2, THE IRISH AGRARIAN PROBLEM. 



same time it turned the national movement into 

 a class question. The purely idealistic en- 

 thusiasm which in spite of their revolutionary 

 methods had inspired many of the Fenians, now 

 gave place to a more material passion. On the 

 other side, the fight for agrarian reform was 

 coloured by aims going far beyond that object. 

 Land reform was demanded not in order to 

 obtain it but to get possession of an inexhaus- 

 tible material for agitation against English 

 government. Out of this situation sprang that 

 interplay in politics which must always be taken 

 account of in the consideration of all Irish land 

 questions. Agrarian reform for a large number 

 of Irish politicians is not the ultimate aim; it is 

 rather a means of keeping alive the claims of 

 I national independence. A final agrarian reform 

 I is therefore hardly desired, for if it were final 

 I the utility of the agrarian question as an engine 

 \ of political agitation would be at an end. Thus 

 it was always the policy of the Irish leaders to 

 . ask for more than they could get, to take what 

 ■ they could without making themselves respon- 

 sible for it, and to direct the strength of the 

 agitation with unabated intensity towards the 

 objects still unattained. From time to time 

 some leader, as for instance even Parnell, has 

 yielded to the attraction of a positive and con- 

 structive policy, developed an inclination for 

 reform, and sought to soften down the agitation ; 

 but immediately a storm has arisen against the 

 advocate of compromise. This policy springs 



