Now, the land question was by general consent settled, at least in principle; in proportion as landlords were bought out the leading economic argument against Home Rule disappeared.

The opposition reduced itself strictly to political grounds; and it began to be plain that the true heart of resistance lay in Ulster.
Also, lines of cleavage in the Unionist camp began to appear.

Already, landlords in the South and West had found a common ground of action with representatives of the tenants.

It was felt, alike in Ireland and England, that this precedent might be developed further.
In England political opinion was much affected by the apparent success of an attempt to deal with the Irish problem piecemeal.

The Congested Districts Board had done much to relieve those regions where famine was always a possibility; Local Government had given satisfactory results; and now Land Purchase was hailed as the beginning of a new era.