Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-11-30
Manchester FnteIIigenrer.
4 RADICAL Motion In England.

FRIDAY hNbNiNu, WV So' .os
A RADICAL Motion In England.
Immersed in The problems beset-
ting our own immediate interests,
Il il doubtful whether Ameri-
cans will give much consideration to
the extraordinary attitude of member
OF the Gladstone cabinet on the gravely
perplexing subject OF land and tenantry.
Unless the brief cable message defining
Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain's position is
inaccurate, this, the leading Radical in
England and chief Of that wing in the
cabinet, favors measures in readjustins
land tcnures, which so to tht
root of the existing evils. Mr.
Chamberlain's response to the late sen.
sational plea OF the Conservative leader
the Marquis Of Salisbury, for the house
ing of the homeless poor, is the sharing
of the percentages of the landlords with
the agencies that swell the values OF
lands. Landlords, the Radical hoids,
are not Justly entitled to the increment
on the value of. their property caused 10y
tbelabor of tenantry. This differs in
words but not vitality in essence from the
claims of the German and French sociel
sts. 1t is in fact the cardinal doctrine:
of socialism disguised only in terms.
The landlord, 1t is urged, is enabled tC
exact rate of interest on his invest
ment unreasonably in excess of thai
earned in any other form Of busi-
ness. While in most mercantile
operations the workmen are enriched
and otherwise benefited by the amount
OF ingenuity and labor they expend for
their employers, the tenant Is forced to
pay for bis own betterment of the land
by the intelligence of his efforts and the
outlay of his own capital. In other
words, for every penny tenant puts
into hired land, he is in turn forced to
add ten others to meet the rent eE-
torted from the increased value his
time and money have lent to IL.
The discovery is no new one. But its
admission by member of the cabinet
means decisive crusade among the
millions Of British tengutry; for ii must
be borne in mind that the lands obtained
by conquest q Thousand years ago are re-
tanned by right of pluuder in n compara-
lively few ruling families to this day.
ln proprietary sense, the British isles
are as strongly bound in feudalism TO day
as they were under King John. The Tory
apostle of homes for the homeless will
be considerably startled by The readiness
of the Radicals TO suggest means of
rescuing the paupers and beitering the
decaying fortunes Of the tenant
ry. His plan was the taxing
OF the middle and aristOcra.ic
classes, whereby his own caste would
escape with comparatively light bur
dens. The Chamberlain plan, If carried
into effect, must bring with it the aboli.
tiou of the odous system Of entail
whereby the lands of England, ireland
and Scotland are bound in few great
families, who have not only fattGued on
the labors OF countless generations of
virtual bondsmen, but have through their
expenditure seen their lands improved
by hundreds Of millions every
penny of which stands for tenant toi
and tenant improvement. It may vel
be believed that the popular leagues auC
radical societies recognize the accession
Of the cabiuet minister with fervent JOY
But little time and the British vote
will look back upon the conditions {
his brethren Of to-day as we look bac
upon the anti.reyolutiOnaTy excess,
borne from the arrogant agents Of Kin
George. The Marquis OF Salisbury
less fortunate than his chief d 8rIeli
He attempted to out-radical the Liberal
in 1867, and as he wittiiy put it " caugh
them bathing and ran off with thei
clothes !" but the marquis has led hi
party naked before the people and tn
Radicals give them no opportunity t
array themselves in the rejected raimeu
of liberalism, ..