The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-10-04

The people of Great Britain are in no
end of a panic on the subject of Ameri-
can competition, and are willing to be-
lieve any eoek-and-bull story told them
in regard to our amazing resources.
Thus the London Times has been badly
hoaxed by letter sent to it from Chi
cago describing the miraculous growth
of that city and the boundless fertile ter
ritory tributary to it. This letter ex-
plains that Chicago has 500, 600 inhabi
tants; that its population doubles every
five years, and that it is the commercial
capital of State which is larger than all
England, with ninety per cent. of its soil
arabic, and 1000, 600 square miles un-
touched by the plow. A contemporary
that is disposed to laugh at the stubborn
insularity of the Britishers, says that this
Chicago writer might have doubled his
figures without fear of contradiction at
the office of the terror stricken Times.
He might have said with equal probabil-
ity that Chicago doubled fortnightly.
He would have been believed thardlyl, ),
and her Majestys ministers would have
gone down to the Houses OF Parliament
prepared to appoint commissions OF III
quiry and answer serious questions
in the notice paper, Neverthe-
less this panic will be likely to
result in benefit to Great Br1taln,
for the outcome OF 1t VIII be
thorough overhauling of the land ques-
ton, and probably very important re-
forms in the system of rent and land
tenure. Mr.. John Bright struck the
keynote of public opinion on this sub
L 1af
! there were other causes besides fertile
lands in the United States and cheap
TRANSFORMATION on the Atlantic to make
the position of the British farmers intol-
berable. "There are farmers in America,
as Won know" he said, ''who have no
rent. no tithes. no poor-rate. You have
all these. Your laws as they now are
| would make the laborer's condition per
petual In America, as poet has ex-
pressed it. They till the land who own
the land they TILL This is the great
difference between the land and its culti-
walton in America and the land and its
cultivation in this country He sug-
gested, without directly saying it, that II
| a commission which was proposed on the
subject did its work it would point out
/ the necessity of relieving the land OF
rent, and that done, "a time will come
! when YOU will have homes of comfort
and independence throughout the land
of England, which will attest forever the
] wisdom and blessedness OF the new poi
icy you have adopted.
The commission which has been ap-
pointed will be forced to deal with the
| question of whether reduction OF rents
is not imperative, and also whether
change is not needed in the tenure oi
land. The Times publishes the balance
sheet of farm of 600 acres of alluvlaI
| river loan, of high fertility and in the
best condition. For three years the
average annual outlay upon this farm
has been SIT 700, exclusive of the farm
er's family expenses, and the annual IN
come only S16, 900, thus showing an an
nual deficit of $1700. OF the outlay
$3.50 was for taxes and $500 for rent
This is too heavy burden. 1t is PAID
BY the workers for the support of those
who do not work 1t is levied upon the
wages of the day laborer for the main
tenance of the landed aristocracy and
gentry, and the aggregate rent roll o.
Great Britain to-day for farming lands
alone is $3.50, ,000, 900. The rentals oi
coal and iron lands and upon city lands
is fully as great The Marquis of Butte
receives a million and half every yeal
| from rents. The Duke of Westminster
who owns the finest part of the "wesi
end" of London, gets still more. Not
one person in a thousand lives in
his own fee-simple house. They pay
rent, sometimes at four or five re
moves, but in the end the tribute goes
to some surviving heir of manorial fee
''given" by the King of England to a sub.
ject or favorite for some personal favor
| long since absolete. The land in Eng.
land has seldom been earned or bought
by its proprietor, yet he claims and re-
ceives all the advantages and increase
| in value which the toll of others has in
cilently given to his estate. Thus, the
merchants and traders of London, by
long generations spent in toll, have
given value to the estate of the Gros
venors, from which the Duke of West
minister derives his princely fortune; yet
whenever lease falls in. the Duke
raises the rent on those tradesmen anc
merchants to the utmost farthing thai
the property will bear, as if they, not he
were the obliged party. This system Is
too unequal and too burdensome to re
main as it is much longer. This wa:
fully recognized by John Stuart Mill
ten years ago, and he predicted that the
next revolution in English social arrange
ments would be attended with a com
plete overthrow of the present land sys
m-Bdltim0re Sun