ARGYLLSHIRE. Mr John Stewart McCaig, one of the candidates for the representation of the county, addressed a crowded meeting of the electors in the Argyll Hall,Tarbert Tarbert ( gd, An Tairbeart) is a place name in Scotland and Ireland. Places named Tarbert are characterised by a narrow strip of land, or isthmus. This can be where two lochs nearly meet, or a causeway out to an island. Etymology All placenames ..., on Monday afternoon. Mr John McLeod, ironmonger, was moved to the chair. Mr McCaig was very cordially received. After speaking of the extent and importance of the county, and saying that it was entitled to two members more, Mr McCaig said that he had been all his life a strong supporter of the historicalLiberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...and progressive party, to which the nation was indebted for such beneficial measures as Free-trade, the repeal of the Corn-laws, and of the important measures on the heals of which the trade and commerce of the nation made such gigantic strides. He considered the Commission at present sitting on the depression of trade a delusion and a snare, by which theTories A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...tried to secure the votes of the new electorate. He afterwards referred at great length to the land question. He maintained that theIrish Land Act The Land Acts (officially Land Law (Ireland) Acts) were a series of measures to deal with the question of tenancy contracts and peasant proprietorship of land in Ireland in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Five such acts were introduced by ...was the most liberal Land Act in Europe at the present day. He would advocate a complete reformation of the land laws, and would abolish the laws ofprimogeniture Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...andentail In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust established by deed or settlement which restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate in real property and prevents the property from being sold, devised by will, or otherwise alien .... Future settlement should be prohibited, and no landowner should be allowed to bond his property, so that the sale of land could be made easier and cheaper. He was in favour of fixity of tenure with improving covenants and compensation for improvements, and also of the appointment of arbiters for the fixing of fair rents for small holdings. Thecrofters A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable, and usually, but not always, with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a tenant farmer, especially in rural area ...should have power to sell the right of tenancy, with a pre-emption in favour of the landlord if he chose to exercise it. He would like farmers to have greater freedom of cultivation, the only condition being that they did not impoverish the land. He would favour the passing of a Land Purchase Bill, by which Government would advance money to tenants and crofters to enable them to become the owners of the soil they tilled. He was in favour of elective county boards, with powers to improve harbours and to look after the sanitary condition of villages and rural districts. He advocated a free breakfast table, the deficiency in the revenue to be made up by an increase of the Income tax. He would also support a bill for free education. In referring to fishing matters, he stated that he would support a measure for a weekly close time, and would give fishermen liberty to catch salmon in the open sea, the mouth of rivers excepted. In answer to questions, he said he was in favour of allconvents A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican C ...being swept out of the county, but he was opposed to the disestablishment of theChurch of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t .... A vote of confidence in Mr McCaig was passed unanimously. Mr McCaig spoke partly inGaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...and partly in English, and was frequently cheered. In the evening he addressed another large meeting in theGood Templars The International Organisation of Good Templars (IOGT; founded as the Independent Order of Good Templars), whose international body is known as Movendi International, is a fraternal organization which is part of the temperance movement, promotin ...’ Hall.''The Scotsman'' - Tuesday, 29 September 1885, page 6.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McCaig, John Stuart 19th-century Scottish people History of Argyll and Bute People from Lismore, Scotland Scottish architects 1823 births 1902 deaths