THE PLAN OF CAMPAIGN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1839, 12 May 1888, Page 4

THE PLAN OF CAMPAIGN

The Plan of Campaign was originally propounded In the oolnmnß of United Ireland In October, 1886 Shortly after Us appearance Mr Parnell made Known through the Press that it had been drawn op and published without his knowledge, and that he wan m ignorance of it nntU ho read It m the newspapers. The PJan may be generally described as a new attempt to organise a strike against rent. The watchword ia the union of the tenants on eaoh estate agatust the landlord ; and the machinery by which they operate upon the landlord's fears and his sense of selfin tor eat oonatttutea the graafc novelty of the plan. Its set 3 forth that the tenants on every estate are to aaretnb'e and choone & chairman — a priest if possible, or, if not, "an Intelligent and sturdy member of their body ;" and a managing commit' re •' is to bo formed, vrhioh is to take charge of the half-year's rent of eaoh tenant ■honld the landlord refuse it." The tenants are then to pledge themselves to abide by the deoision of tbe majority, to hold no como?unioation with tho landlord or his agent except m the presence c f the body of the tenantry ; and to ace pt no Battlement for one which is not given to all. Having thus taken the pledge of union they ate to make up their own minds how much rent they will offer, to proceed to the rent office m a body and offer it ; and on no account to confer with the agent individually. If ths agent refuses the offer, the money is to be paid into the hands of the managing committee " for the purposes of tue fight," that is, to support the tenants who may he evicied or sold up, The landlord with bis powers cf ejectment, eale, distte?P t etc., is to be met with the whole forces of the combination. " Every legal and constitutional obstacle which could oppose cr delay eviction ahjuld be had recourse to." All kiscls of devices are to be used to defeat sales, each cate of distress is to be carefully watched, and the law is generally to be strained m the interests of the tenants, aB far as ingenuity and persistency can strain it. Lastly, the usual appeal 1,9 made for public sympathy ; for crowd 3 to be present at every eviction, and for the machicery of boycotting to b> usel releatleeely, and with more ecietce than before is.ot only are farms from which ttnant« have been evicted to bo left ''severely alona," but "no landlord should, get th puny rent anywhere or on aay portion of i>is estate co long aa be has one teuaot unjustly evictad." Such In a cancis3 form ia the Plan of Campaign 33 ie originally appeared. It was not Jong before it was put inco operation, and proved a god-send to dishonest tenants whose cnpldity 'it eeeme to have bfjen framed to gratify. So monatrou3 an immoral and illegal a syßtainno Government could petmlf-. and accordingly it pro _ claimed on Decejaber 18, 1886, m the following terms :— " Whereas certain persona have for coma tima past, m promotion o£ 5 movement cormnooly oalJed the Plaa of C:»mpaLn, combined and conspired together f^r lha purpose of Interfering with iho Queen's. swbjiotß lo the free t-xeroUe of iholt lawful rlgb^ , and especially m Ireland ; and wh^r a i the persons aforesaid have feoDßh!; to e'Jeo their b'Jßiuesa by soliP^iafc and iixrAtim which 1 the lindUr dB ar9 enticed, nad tc P^* 1 * 1 * 10 * .nto the hands of atrangen and ojne-^ who haVQ ua r|ght thereto no , w \q warn all peraona that the sale *"*. ovement, by whatsoever name it may b< knowu, or by whatsoever means It ma] be carried out, is an unlawful acr criminal conspiracy, and that everyon( who promotes and joins therein will exCOB 9 hlmaelf io prosecution*"— " Nei» Zealand Herald."