The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-05-19 00:00:00

lOoratt onntl Cps.

DORCIDIBTER..MAY 19th, mis.

Scuts.

At the Liberation Society's Con(erence, held last
week, a I)orset delegate stated that the secootary
the Gmmervatire Association for me .4 the divisions
of the county, after making personal inquiries in
the villages among the agricultural labourers, had
declared that the majority .4 them were hopelessly
Liberal.

Notwithstanding the apparent .ucce. of Mr.
Homer's novel meeting at Athelhampton on Friday,
we doubt if it will he found practicable to bold
similar gatheringu in larger village.. The meeti"
waa so" hopeltwdy Liberal" that there ,KIUI n..joe
pact of • serious colli.ion, and the influence of the
chairman wan so strong that even the philippic. of
Mr. Kerridge were ..nly recei,..4 with g... 11-
humoured amusement. It ie an adniirahle notion
theoretically, but we must wait to see it adopt,..l I'a a
larger scale before we can be assured f it. practic-
ability.

The condition of the I tortiet labourer appear to
have had due conoitleration by the It. (2,,iiiiiii•oon
appointed to enquire into the ciindition of h,n.,i-k-
-ng
cisme... In the ciouroe of the enquiry Mr.
well known in thio eliotrict ma the reprewetetatie of the
lAbourers' Union, as well VI a politician, gae evi•
tlenoe. The salient puts ,if his tostieriony wao that
the sanitary condition .4 the agricultural lalimirere
cottages in Ibireet wax defective. He described winie am
having no ataint, but • ladder by which to walk tip to
the upper rooms, and no ..tune or board n the Noon.'
only the earth, or iterhaps w.,rn-ww.sy concrete.
With reganl to the rate of n•tonn..ration labourers
obtain in the agricultural di.tricto .end the rent. pay.
able, in Ifonfrtshire then• +aid ii.. uniform
rate. In 'nit district where the lirag.-..41,• .41..,t
the rent of small cottage.. is .16.1 to h alssit 7.. a
month, that is to may, Is. lid. • week. The iiectipatiou
As attar is souretiniea considtire.l as part of a nian'o
wages. This. ie the case when cottage. are let with
the farms and stib•let by the farmer.. There is more
diasatisfaction among the lalastrers with regard to
this part of the cottage queetion than about anything
elite.; the inaeotrity ,4 the tenure irk inorewnerly
even than the misery of the acconsmodation. La-
bourers had a great clesire for a piece i 4 hind to end
tivate themselves. It was. ohown lie Mr. l'ike that
when they had land to cialtivate they .petit the tn...
111.,11 it which might otherwise loc ail. anta•
geemeoly employed. Consequently, the 1eug..1.11
a plat of ground, by its. enawiragement of thrifty
habits aad of labour which wool,' otherwise not be
conked, was of general benefit to the con ttttt inity as
well a• to the cottager and his family. The lalsoin-ro
could afford higher rent for better dwelling. if tle.v
had I.ollll.giiucind t.. coin Vat.. attaeln.,l t.. Own'
04Laires, In, the poosession of laud Would ./1.1 largely
their yearly Monne.

trbitration i•• to win along tho hii•••
we to he go to. lee MU*, only dui.lo .4 diplomat iot• -
word dioinitea, ending iii ongagettiento art•l coneeo•iono
all n d. The inott atop in thio direction i, ti.. . un-
derstanding arrived at het...•en Grret Britain and
Ik•rniany, with regard t.• the oecnitutti ~,, oi
the Pliaith Pacific. Then. arc to lie no dilfer••ntial
&die*, n•at i* • Powt•r to ingedo Ow din...,f t h.,
caber. The doloition tho New
Friendly lolanda, and New Navigator., are t•• rwinain
ripen it,. common hold,. of action, and ti,' teerletiey
alio whole arrangement io to create • friendly rut airy,
This arrangement ia perhaps tlie find atcli towardo
universal free trade.

The loonloon %Immortal for All 1•%0•111.111 •our
gmtion. The idea of an institution of the sort orurt•
Dated with tiordoon himself, anol was o.llllllliniented by
him to Lord Tennyson. The schen.. i. to 11,111111011W-
tem and destitute by. for the .truiy ; to get hold of
youths who either Oolong to or might easily descend
into the "dangenno clares.s,- and discipline them Mt..
useful servants Id the State. There would b.. no coin
milsion about the ,natter. It is not designol to 4.1111,1
A new kind of reformatrory. It would tossl n. c.on-
',ninon, we fancy, tro induce Irondont boy. at any rate to
go and live in • Camp. (hice then., it van lianlly be
aoubied that the majority would be very glad to re•
'nein and artopt the military life. The pity i.that
this scheme has been brought forward so late in the
day. There are half.a.olosen "1:onlon
already in competition, The (lreat Ntsitsion Blouse
meeting might have inaugurated A movement which
would have tort the wisheo.of all admirers of the hero.
But enthusiasm visilily subsided as the Prince of
Wales announced the decision which had been
*Mired at as to the form fI.. me.
ntgrial. .1 hospital at l'ort Saiol was no oloodot a
very worthy object, but the popular desire woo for a
meniorial rather nearer home. The !toy.' Camp
an immeasurably better suggestion, loot to carry it
out will cost a large sum. The 11.441111VVA evoked in
honour of tlonlon are being frittered away in objects
trl inferior interest, and it 111 doubtful whether enough
can be raised .on behalf id the Camp propsct to make
it A substantial success. It is 110 use commencing
such an institution if it is merely ti add to the
immense list if charities supported I,y voluntary con•
tributions from year to year. That would ls. not to
raise • memorial to t:ortlon so much as ti tax
posterity in his honour. A charity which is also a
memorial should be, at least in tart, endowed with
an income.

Lord Brsbouree ham Joined the majority. Not to
mislead any reader we hasten to explain that the
ritsjwity which the noble lord ham joined ix not the
immortals beyond the river of death, but that inert
mass of elderly Peers who stagnate into Conservatism
with advancing years. The Brabourne type of
Liberalism is only too common in the Upper House.
Mr. Gladstone has little lose in the eecession of such
a follower; we question whether Lord Salisbury has
any fain.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster ha.i
taken a bold step in raising several prominent working
MID to the magisterial Bench. The phrase working
man in, perhaps, however, a little deceptive. ft
would be a cruel kindness, or rather a mere mockery,
to appoint as magistrates men who could only per
form magisterial duties at the ei et if a day's
were. The persona made Justices of the Peace
by Mr. Trevelyan obtain their living as
Secretariea of Trades Unions, and are only working
rosin in the same sense as Mr. Broadhurst. The oona•
pliment as • compliment is not undeserved, and will
Probably be much applauded. But we fancy Lord
Holborn° will be slow to follow the example which the
Chancellor of the Duchy has set him. It cannot le
pretended that "working men justices are likely to
be more competent than other justices to perform thy
functions of the magistracy. Their better understand-
ing of trade disputes will be counterbalanced by an
inevitable bias. We want magistrates of letter mud
not worse education. We want men on the Bench
who either have some knowledge of the law, .4- at
least such mental training as to enable them readily
lo comprehend, and intelligently apply, legal Kin-