The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 1887. ENGLISH POLITICS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1540, 15 January 1887, Page 2

The Temuka Leader SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 1887. ENGLISH POLITICS.

Later news explains more fully the causes which lead to the resignation of Lord Randolph Churchill. As we anticipated His Lordship fell a victim to the insane policy of governing Ireland according to landlord ideas, but the fault was not bis own so much as that of his party. We have already shown in a previous article that it was impossible for Irish tenants to pay the rents demanded by the landlords, owing to the products of the soil having depreciated in value. The Government recognised this, and they despatched General Sir Redrew Bailer to Ireland so as to get accurate information as regards the circumstances connected with the agrarian condition of the country. The landlords were jubilant; they thought that once more they were free to pounce upon their unfortunate tenantry, and they commenced to do so with the ferocity of vultures. Sir R. Bullet, however, soon let them know his mission was not to assist them in exacting from their miserable tenantry impossible rents. Before allowing the police to assist in evicting tenants from their holdings be insisted upon the case being submitted to himself ten days beforehand, and if he found the landlord unjust in his demands ho refused police assistance altogether. In addition to this some of the Judges ot the Courts refused to sanction evictions for nnnpsvment of rents unless they canid be satisfied the tenants could pay, and also refused to give judgments for arrears of rents unless it was shown that it was possible for the tenants to produce them out of the soil. This, of course, was contrary to law, but the law has never been adhered to in Ireland. Hitherto the law has been strained to suppress the popular expression of public grievances, but in this instance the tables were turned, and the landlords were taught what it was to have the law strained to curb their greed and vulturous thirst for the miserable pittance of their famishing tenantry. In the “ Merchant of Venice,” when Sbylock is claiming his ** pound of flesh,’ Shakespeare makes Bassanio say to the Duke,

“ And, I beseech yoa, Wrest once the law to your authority To do a great right, do a little wrong. And to curb this cruel deni of fam will. This was exactly what the Government was doing. They were trying to curb the cruel devil of Irish landlordism of its will, and this did not at all accord with English landlordism sense of justice. Irieh landlords and agents, and their satellites were writing daily to the papers, complaining of the way ths Go-

vernment were pandering to the “ disloyal agitators,” while they, allowed “ loyal subjects “to bo victimised, The Times, which abbot six months ago said it'Was impossible, to pay the rents demanded in .Ireland, now tamed round and; accused tho Government of “ deserting and betraying ” the landlords, and abused Lord ’ Randolph Churchill ns vigorously as ever it did Mr Gladstone; The most Conservative of the Government party at once commenced to howl against the leniency with which Irish tenants were treated, and insisted that nothing bat coercion could enable Ireland to be properly governed. Lord Randolph Churchill would not tolerate this; be could no longer stand the bigoted Conservatism of bis party, and he resigned. We find, too, that we were pretty nearly right in our anticipations as to what led Mr Chamberlain to favor reconciliation with the Gladstone an party. There is in England a political organisation called the National Liberal Federation, which has branches in all towns, and which is sill powerful at election times. This organisation has been principally the creation of Mr Chamberlain ; he has been called its king. Delegates from its branches in all parts of the country assembled recently at Leeds, and they adopted as their watchcry “ The old policy and the old leader,” and they placed Home Rule for Ireland and no compromise with the Unionists as the first plank in their platform. Other meetings were held in various places, and a similar policy was endorsed, and doubtless it is this expression of the popular will that has brought Mr Joseph Chamberlain to realise that to preserve his political entiry it is necessary for him to take shelter once mure under the umbrella of the statesman he so shamelessly betrayed and abased. It is doubtful, however, whether be will regain the place he has lost in the confidence'of his party, and that he should not would be only what be so richly deserves.

TOWN BOARD. Ths Arowhenua Town Board have been about six months in existence now, and yet (bey have not received the money to which they are jnstiy entitled I It is not their fault ; they have frequently, made application for it, and they have always received promises that it. would be paid immediately. About two months ago they were told that it would be forwarded as soon as the Governor could be got to sign the warrant for its payment. The Governor has been to Aacklacd and back since ; be has been in i Wellington—be has been all over the country—-and be is now in Dunedin, and it would have been very easy to have got him to sign the warrant if those whose duty it was to do so bad- acted as they ought to have done, Really it is shameful that a public body should be kept out of its money, ant*, thus debarred from performing the functions for which it has been brought into existence through the negligence of well-paid officials. We cannot help saying that Mr Rollesion is to blame in the matter, too. If we had an energetic representative be would have brought such pressure to bear on the Ministers that the money would have been paid long ago, His constituents do not ask him to do much for them ; there is not in New Zealand a district which requires less of its representative than this, bat the little that is wanted to be done has not been done. For three years we have been trying to get a few Justices of the Peace appointed in Temnks, and they have not yet been appointed. We have been told that about five months ago be recommended the appointment of three more Justices, but they have not yet been gazetted. This, together with getting the money for Arowhenua, is all he has been troubled with, and both remain yet unattended to. It is well for the district it does not requires great deal, for if it did it would evidently have to do without it. As a last resource, we think the beat thing the Arowhenua Town Board can do is to issue a writ against the Government, and enforce the payment of the money by legai process.