The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1873-12-04

hundred thousand men ready for war
Certainly we have advantages in our army
which the armies of the Continent cannot
boast of. We nave one hundred and fifty
Colonels, receiving salaries extending
from $4,000 upward per annum, who
never visit the regiments they command,
and whose only duties consist In the re-
ceipt of their salaries. With such ad.
vantages naturally our force may be
proud CT Its efficiency.
Take, again, our pension list It would
be impossible to go through the whole of
its items, and l will therefore only select
one or two extraordinary Illustrations
We pay "a, 900 a year to the Duke of
Wellington. whose only right to a pen
sion Is that he inherited about three
quarters Of a million pounds from his
late father. There are many persons in
England, and probably here, too, who
would be willing TO accept similar in
herltance for much less pension.
We pay "a 600 a year to the Duke of
Marlborough. The first Duke of Marl-
borough was the brother OF a Kings mis-
tress, and received 100000 in hard cash
from the Nation, and, is SAID, stole double
as much. These are the only merits en-
titling the Marlborough family to this
pension.
We pay to the Rev, Mr.. Thurlow about
three Thousand pounds per annum, his
only title to that allowance being that he
is the nephew of his uncle.
To the Earl of Amherst we pay three
thousand pounds year, the only instifi-
cation for this subvention being that the
first Earl Amherst made a large fortune
by the skillful management Of Govern
ment contracts Nor has even the last
administration of the pension list been of
more satisfactory character. 1t is scarce
ly twelve months since we awarded q
pension to two gentlemen who had been
robblng the country of 322. 800 year,
solely for promising not to do it any
more.
Another reason for our movement is
the condition Of our National indebted
ness. One hundred and thirty years ago
the National debt of Great Britain did
not exceed fifty million pounds sterling;
to-day 1t Is eight hundred millions IN En-
gland and one hundred and ten millions
IN Ireland, for which England is respon-
slble. Some National debts may be ius-
tlhed, when they have been incurred for
the development of the commerce, or the
Improvement OF the condition of a Ma
ton but ours has no such palliation to be
pleaded for it. The greater portion of it
Is war debt, a war debt of a shameful
and not glorious character. Under George
the Second We spent 2l55, 5,000. 600 in two
wars, the first to humiliate she King of
Prussia, the second to prevent some one
else from humiiating the King OF Prus-
Eia- Under George the Third we spent
3Il9,OOO, 600 on war, of which, in this
place need say nothing, and e5O0, 600 900
IN the endeavor, which was unfortunately
but too successful, to crush out the rising
liberties of France, The cost, the mere
personal cost of George the Third and of
George the Fourth, to the Nation.
amounted to e92,00O,O0O. 1t is said by
some OF your journals that 1 should not
attack the royal family, because they are
dear to the Nation. They are dear-to
our pockets, if not to our hearts.
These points, however, subside into in
significance beside the one have now to
submit to you, the one which includes SO
much, and which is and will be the bat
tle-ground upon which the struggle for
English independence will be Fought
mean the English land question. To you,
with your wide lands, this may be
small and trivial matter, but to US, IN our
little sea-bound island, it is of the gravest
importance,
First, we urge that between 1920 and
1852, that is, IN one hundred and twenty
tive years, seven millions Of acres of land
have been stolen from the poor and added
to the estates Of the rich. l object that
the landed monopoly of England is utter
ly destroying the vitality of England. 1
do not discuss how many land holders
there may be IN my country, but l main
tain that one hundred and sixty families
hal e Lo1f =.
than half of Ireland, and four-ffths of
Scotland; nay, that twelve families own
more than four-ffths of Scotland. One
result of this has been ably shown by
Captain Maxse 1t Is that we have more
than fifteen million acres of cultiVable
land IN Great Britain and Ireland now in
an uncultiVated state. 1t has been also
admitted IN the House of Commons that,
from the popularity Of our system Of land
tenure, much of the land which is return
ed as cultivated Is susceptible oftar great
er cultivation, but that cultivation is him
dered because of the manner In which the
estates are held for life only. 1t is not
the question, the mere cultivation of the
land, although this Is sufficiently grave.
The condition of our agricultural laborers
Is involved IN 1t, Take their Wages-and
speak now from evidence laid before
Parliament, which may be reached by any
one who takes the pains to apply for it
Except IN the counties of England of
Northumberland, Durham and Cumber-
land, the laborers' wsges are from as low
as seven shillings sixpence per week to,
in the highest case, fourteen shillings and
sixpenee a week. Their dwellings are ad-
mitted to be a disgrace TO a civilized
country. About six years ago a report
was laid upon the table of the House Of
Commons, the reporters being John Fra
Zier, the present Lord Bishop Stanhope,
Conservatives, Mr. Herly, Conservative,
and others of the same class. Bishop
Frazier gives the following picture of a
laborer's dwelling, in Docking, in Nor
folk: zone small chamber, in which
father, mother. son, daughter, grandson,
grand daughter, sometimes two or three
generations, are huddled together, in which
every operation of toilet, of nature,
dressing, undressing. birth and death, is
performed by each. within the sight and
hearing of all; in which children of both
sexes, as old as twelve and fourteen
years, or even older, occupy the same bed,
in which human nature is degraded be-
low the level of the swine" This pic
ture, says the Bishop, is drawn from life.
DR.. Simon, the medical expert, appointed
by the Government, reported that in sew
eral counties which be Waited, the sgri-
cultural laberer was compelled to sRbsist
on diet which was incapable of sustain
ing life, and which bred myriad famine
diseases, which swept the people off like
sheep,
Ths territorial aristocracy have WELD
ed for nearly one hundred and fifty years
the entire political force of England. II
they had governed wisely, q class gov
ernment, one in which the majority
of the people had no voice, would
still be one to which we would
have a right to reject. Naturally they
are honest men. The is shown by their
appoFtionment of taxation. In 1927 land
paid one-fourth of the entire taxation oi
Great Britain; to-day it pays less than
one seventy sixth part Sixty years ago
the landed proprietors of England and
Wales received IN chief rents e22. 2.500.-
600; to-day they receive for the same
lands 4l00000,000 On the e22 500, ,000
they paid 93, ,O30, 900 of land tax; on the
e10e,O00,00 they pay less than el ,0o0,-
600. Nor is this the worst, Our territorial
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