THE IRISH LAND PURCHASE ACT OF 1903 903 



removing the difficulties of the Irish Land Question," General 

 approval was also expressed by the great body of Irish farmers. 



Under these exceptionally favorable conditions, Mr. Wyndham 

 brought in his revised scheme, which was set forth in a speech 

 of remarkable clearness. The difficulties of the problem were 

 sketched, and also the necessity of dealing with it. The extreme 

 complication of tenures and the many interests requiring con- 

 sideration, as well as the mass of previous legislation, formed 

 the greatest puzzle. The deterioration in agriculture from the 

 absence of inducements to investment on the part of either land- 

 lord or tenant and the evil moral effect on the farming class 

 made it essential to deal boldly with the matter, which was also 

 desirable in the interest of Great Britain as a neighboring country, 

 necessarily affected by Ireland's prosperity or distress. 



Before considering the details of the bill, we may notice two 

 features, one of which has been removed and the other altered 

 in the act finally passed. As at first planned, the annuity to 

 be paid by the purchaser was to be divided into two parts, one 

 (seven-eighths of the whole) redeemable by instalments running 

 over sixty-eight and a half years, the other and smaller portion 

 to be perpetual. The idea underlying this reservation of rent 

 was to give to the State a power of control over the holders 

 of land, in order to prevent subdivision and mortgaging, and 

 also possibly for other objects. The Tenants' Convention held 

 a few weeks after the appearance of the bill declared strongly 

 against this limitation, which was surrendered in committee. 

 Again, in the first schedule of the bill a graduated scale for 

 the bonus to be given to selling landlords was set out, varying 

 from 5 per cent on estates over ;^40,ooo to 15 per cent on 

 those not exceeding ;i^5000. This schedule is absent in the 

 act, where a uniform bonus of 12 per cent is laid down. But 

 besides these unessential matters there was very little change. 

 The general trend of opinion in Ireland was expressed by the 

 votes of the Tenants' Convention just referred to, and also of 

 the Landowners' Convention in favor of the measure. 



English people of all parties were ready to acquiesce in what 

 seemed likely to solve the Irish Land Question. Criticism was 



