New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-07-18
THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT.
THE LAND LAWS TO BE INVESTIGATED.


RADICAL-A VIGOROUS REPLY TO MR.. CHAPLIN
THE IRISH UNIVERSITY BILL
FROM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
LONDON, July 5.-There have been two great agr-
cultural shows this week. One of them, dubbed
Royal" was at Kiiburn-that is, IN the northwest
OF London where there still some acres of ground
not built overland this the weather has spoiled.
Inc rain made slough of the ground, cattle and
sheep have been dying by the score In their pens,
the public stayed away, and the society which or
gained the exhibition reckons loss of at least
SJO,OO0-not counting the losses of owners who
sent stock. Yet the Prince of Wales opened the fair,
Lord Beaconsfeld visited il, and the Queen herself,
who shrank from the trouble at first, has at last
been co8xed into attending. She came up from
| Windsor early this morning. Some thousands Of
people went to see her, but 1t none tho less raned
and rained and rained, as it has rained every day
this week, and all last month, and ali the year
through. except when it has showed The courtiers
fiction about Queens weather, which once passed
into proverb, has now passed out of The
most loyal Briton no longer pretends that his sover-
! elgn can bring sunshine with her whenever she
Chooses TO show herself to her subjects. Lord Bea-
consfeld has undertaken TO enlarge Her Maiesty's
lnnuence IN politics not without success In the do
main of Nature he ~s no power. Nature appears to
be Republican, and is avengina the nroads of too
Monarchical MiniserupOn the British Constitution.
1t was to no purpose that the Prime Minister him.
self patrOnized KilbuIn. There are touching pic
lures Of the old man picking his way daintily from
plank TO plank in the of mud, casting knowing
looks at cattle, and offering shrewd remarks on the
merits of connecting pigs. Nothing plcases him
more than to affect agricultural character. He
likes to he known the Squire Of Hughenden.
champion of the landed interest or rather of the
1ap Lard mt ,rb, oh ie o,,;t tIa
thing. But he could not ring prosperity to show
against which the stars IN their courses had de-
cared.
The other agricultural performance came off last
night at Westminster. Mr.. Chap in brought for
ward in the House of Commons his motion for a
Royal Commission to inquire into the causes of the
existing agricultural depression. A debate of
much importance took place. For the first time
the present grievances Of the landed gent Y have
been elaborately set forth in Parliament and the
views of landlords have found official expression.
Mr. Chaplin spoke for the landlords. He is himself
landlord and, though far from being orator. is
very able man. and one of the few country gertle-
men in the House who can-with due preparation
delivers speech No doubt the of his harangue
was settled after consultation with his comrades, and
with the Government, of which he is a steady sup
porter. II was cautious speech-a speech which
the whole an argument for the probable expediency
of a return, in some form other, to Protection.
That is the main interest of the speech aud of the
whole debate for us in America. We have heard
good deal lately about American competition aud
how to meet it. Mr. Chaplin does not say that he
would put duty OH American wheat and bacon-far
from it. The time has not come for that,
nor could he well take such ground after
Lord Beaconsheld-speakng some weeks ago
on Lord Batemaus motion in the House of Lords for
reciprocity-had solGInDy pronounced against 1t.
The people who are most convinced that, sooner
later some modification in the accepted S, stem of
Free Trade must be tried most chary Of COM
hitting themselves to any definite proposal. Mr..
Chaplin begins his sap long way from the fort.
He does not say Free Trade is failure, but hints
that many of Mr.. Cobden's predictions have not
been fulfilled. He admits that bad seasons and
low prices have much to do with the distress
which bias fallen upon farmers and landlords alike.
and recognizing the futility of legislation against
cold and rain, proposes an inquiry into the cause
Of the low prices, and especially whether
they are due to legislation, or the want
of legislation. This is the thin end of the
wedge If Mr. Chaplin believed he could insert
it without opposition, he soon found out his mis-
take Mr.. Bright sat confronting him, and you
know what happens to man who ventures to say
in Mr. Brights hearing that the Free Trade legis-
lation of 1916 mistake, or that Mr. Golden
was not q true apostle. Poor Mr.. Chaplin is not the
first man who has had to experience Mr.. Brights
talent for Parliamentary invectve. Listen to this as
a specimen of polished innuendo. On former COM
mittees. said Mr. Bright, "all the nostrums of all
the auack doctors and all the simplctons had been
tried and failed. They were found to be so absurd
that they were all rejected, and yet with
all that experience the honorable member for Mid
Lincolnshire comes to try the same thing again"
Mr.. Chaplin's speech Is, In Mr. Bright's phrase,
speech (which looks continually at Protection as
something he greatly admres and desires, and sup
poses to be possible, and which he hopes may come"
That Is the idea which underlies this Parliamentary
agitation, this movement for Commission which
NAV il is hoped offer some project of legislation
which shall check or limit in some way che immense
mport of agricultural produce into this country
II is to those imports, to the imports from the
United States above all, that the landown-
ers trace their present distress-au tho I'M
let farms and the reduced rents of farms
that are not inlet. You will not get your Protec-
tiop. retorts Mr. Bright, and if you did 1T would
do you no good. But since you have moved for
Commission you shall have it, and you shall have
more than YOU bargained for. You have begun this
AGITATION and il shall not end till full inquiry has
been msde-not the partial inquiry you propose, bu
full inquiry into everything that affects land aud the
landed interests. Aud before you have got through
with it the country will find that it is the owner
ship of land in this country which lies at the
root of the evil Mr.. Bright repeated once
more the familiar but terrible hgures Oh
this subject-that two-thirds Of tho soil of Eng
land and Wales are owned by 10000 persons' that
two thirds of Scotland are owned by $50 persons;
that two-thirds of Ireland are owned by Lap per-
sons. Il tell the honorable gentleman opposite
that he has opened the door and it cannot now be
closed. The Commission will have TO inquire whence
comes this gigantic monopoly-how comes 1t that