Page:A thousand years hence. Being personal experiences (IA thousandyearshen00gree).djvu/172

 Irish soil, soon brought about, by graduated process of self-action, all the intended change and intended condition. Reasonable and necessary exceptions to the general rule were provided for.

Although the special trust system, which finally and so effectually resolved this great Irish problem, was not applied at the very outset, it soon approved its suitability in a field of such noble dimensions, and converted the hobbling pace of the earlier efforts into express speed. The sweeping measure of limited landholding, of course, settled promptly and impartially the fate of the old proprietary, who, however, were by this time, in the very great majority of instances, by no means averse, under all the circumstances of their case, to join in the general surrender. They were met by the trust in a generous spirit, on the equitable principle, that "compensation for disturbance" should have universal and not mere class application.

At the outset of this great trust operation, the Government were called upon to make a most important declaration. It had been suggested, on behalf of the intending investors in the trust-stock issues, that, from their vast mass, the future debtors to the trust might eventually combine to ignore their obligations, and thus affect the solvency of the trust, and the ultimate security of the stockholder. But when the Government had tendered a solemn assurance, to the effect that the whole force of the law would certainly, to the very end, hold the land to its full obligations, the stock, thus duly accredited, was taken on such favourable terms by the general public, as to reduce materially the cost of the lands to their