the "workhouse" look which is so painful in the ordinary
inmates of an English or American almshouse.

"The trouble with the place," said Mr. Lavan, "is that they like it too
well. It takes an eviction almost to get them out of it."

We sat down with Mr. Lavan in his office, and had an interesting talk
with him.

He is the agent of Mr. Mathews, who lives between Woodford and Portumna.
Mr. Mathews is a resident landlord, he says, who has constantly employed
and has lived on friendly terms with his tenants, numbering twenty, who
hold now under judicial rents. On these judicial rents two years ago
they were allowed a further reduction of 15 per cent. Last year they
were allowed 20 per cent. This year he offered them a reduction of 25
per cent., which they rejected, demanding 35 per cent.

This demand Mr. Lavan considers to be unreasonable in the extreme, and
he attributes it to the influence of the National Leaguers here, whose
representatives among the local guardians constantly vote away the money
of the ratepayers in "relief to evicted tenants who have ample means and
can in no respect be called destitute." In his opinion the effect of the
Nationalist agitation here has been to upset all ideas of right and
wrong in the minds of the people where any question arises between
tenants and landlords. He told a story, confirmed by Mr. Tener, of a
bailiff, whom he named, on the Clanricarde property here, who was
compelled two years ago to resign his place in order to prevent the
"boycotting" of his mother who keeps a shop on the farm. He was
familiar, too, with the details of a story told me by one of the
Clanricarde tenants, a farmer near Loughrea who holds a farm at L90 a
year. This man was forced to subscribe to the Plan of Campaign. The
agent proceeded against him for the rent due, and he incurred costs of
L10. His sheep and crop were then seized.

He begged the local leaders to "permit" him to pay his rent, as he was
able to do it _without drawing out the funds in their hands_! They
refused, and so compelled him to allow his property to be publicly sold,
and to incur further costs of L10. "His farm lies so near the town that
he did not dare to risk the vengeance of the local ruffians."

Mr. Lavan gave me the name also of another man who is now actually under
a "boycott," because he has ventured to resist the modest demand made by
the son of a man whose tenant-right he bought, paying him L100 for it,
twenty years ago