DAVE MANS6LL ing-class (at a time when there was a continuing upsurge in world agricultura} prices) for the reinvigoration of the nationalist party (and presumably for his own capture of its leadership ). The party had lost a Iot of its constituency since the death of Parnell; in particular the flow of funds from America had turned into a trickle because of the disarray of the party Ieadership and the lack of any effective campaigning. The new agitation drew in fresh American funds and won the party the support of the· farming class and their dependents, the small traders, when the success of the United Irish League forced the Ieaders of the party, Redmond and Dillon, into an accomodation with O'Brien, whereby the U.1.L. became the national organization (in Ireland as opposed to at Westminster) superseding their own organizations. That, however, was the limit of O'Brien's political success within the party. After he had conceded the leadership of the newly re-united party to Redmond he devoted himself to land purchase, giving it priority over Home Rule. (In fact, a great deal of steam had gone out of the pressure for constitutional Home Rule amongst the nationalist party with the reform of local government. Redmond considered later on that the act giving effect to this reform was the most important initiative in Irish politics in his generation in that it aided nationalists to prepare for the responsibility of self-government by giving them the chance of attaining experience in administration. In fact the takeover of local government by nationalists led to corruption and favouritism to their own supporters on the same scale as that which applied before. The Irish tradition of government as a face-to-face patron-client relationship (facilitated by the small scale of the society) was continued and reinforced by the nationalists, and continues down to today. O'Brien entered into negotiations with the conservative and unionist Iandlords on how to achieve the best bargain for themselves and the tenants. The result of the discussions, proposals, counter-proposals and a public conference was the Land Act of 1903 by which the British conservative government enormously increased the funds available for underwriting land purchase. This ensured that the repayments which the tenant farmers had to make to the state each year were lower than the equivalent rent, and the landlords got a more than equitable rate of compensation. Sorne of the unionist landowners in the South were so impressed by the terms they got and by the style of nationalist local government that they were quite amenable to the idea of devolving sorne form of 40
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