It was a stirring scone in the House when the tellers walked up to announce the adverse vote, and the dramatic effect of the proceedings which followed was intensified by the imperturbable calm of the Prime Minister. The House can ways tell how a division has gone by. the position taken by the tellers, and by the fact that the slip of paper on which the figures are written is always handed by the Clerk to one of the whips on the winning side; in this case it was Sit Thoma Esmonde, Consequently the roar of cheers from the Opposition preceded tao official announcement. and for some time prevented it from being made, Mr. John Redmond was the hero of the hour. It was he who had moved the amendment, and it was he who, when Mr. Balfour, in answer to a question from Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman,. announced that he.had io statement to make, harangued the Prime Minister in stentorian tones, declaring that if-ho attempted to ignore this vote he would be guilty of an outrage upon the constitution of the country, Mr. Balfour'was bound to reply, but he, with the utmost calmness, announced that he would take till Monday to consult his colleagues and arrivejat a decision. At the same time he declared that if it was impossible for himself and his colleagues to carry on the business of the country with dignity they would resign, Irish Land Purchase.
The question which immediately lod to this vote against the Government was that of land purchase in Ireland under the Act of 1903. Mr. Long, the new Secretary for Ireland, bad to acknowledge that purchases under that Act wore delayed for want of money. The Government, it will be remembered, have under that Act to lend money to buy the landlords out, the purchasers repaying the loan by paying annual, instalments which, as a role, xto actually less than the' rent which they previously paid to the landlord. It is a splendid thing both for the landlord, who gots more than the market value of his Jand, and for the tonant, who pays less rent and yet becomes 1 fow years the owner of the. land. Vhe only sufferer is the British taxpayer. At the present moment sales to the extent of £28,000,000 are pending and. the Exchequer has only £10,000,000 -avail-'To raise £18,000,000 by. means of ich would have to be issued at when they will only fetch ver £90 in the: market, would be disastrous finance, so Mr, Long proposes that the Act should he amende I, so that the landlords should be paid in Irish Land Stock at. its face value i-stend of cash. The proposal, though not very palatable to. the Irish landlords, is not unreasonable; but there are many Unionists who always hate! the last Irish Land Act, though they felt bound 10 support it; and it is highly probable" that this feeling had much to do with the slackness of attendance on the Ministerial side of the House.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.