New-York tribune., 1884-01-27
MIR. HENRY GEORGE.
HIS RECEPTION AND FIRST APPEARANCE IN
ENGLAND.

,r,ov THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT THE TRrBuSE]
thoN LONDON January 10.
II is not quite clear whether the production OF
Messrs. Gilbert and Sullivan's opera at the Savoy
q1,eatre or the sham reception of Mr. Henry George
~ Euston Souare be the more truly comic event.
put as Mr. Henry George is for the moment,
fresher novelty than Mcssrs Gilbert ana suiliNah,
be'shall have precedence-the more so as he need
hardly be dealt with at great length or very often
peonlc of the better find difficulty in taking
Mfr George very seriously in any circumstances
prt tbe performance of Saturday was puIe
barleouinade. The season for Christmas pam
tomi,ces is not over. and one clown more or
less cannot much matter If Mr. George had bat
cou,e a month sooner Mr.. Augustus Harris, who has
,ouick eve for notOreties. would doubtless have
Given him a regular engagement at Drury Lane.
Missing that he has executed a clever piece OF gym
astcs in the streets His arrival has been heraded
lv the usual announcements in the papers. lie was
to be received by the workingmen of London,
and escorted by monster procession to his hotel.
This exhibition was to come off on Saturday. But
Mr. George in fact arrived in London some days be-
fore lie went from his lodgings To the railway
station in order to fulfil his part of the programme,
and three or four thousand wOrkingmen and non
,yorkincmen went TO fulfil theirs. The farce was
played The working and nOn-workngmen lthe
latter thousand or two CT the scum OF Londonl
welcomed Mr. George. Mr. George climbed upon the
roof of "a cab and made them speech and invited
4be,n 70 come and hear him on the Wednesday fol-
lowing at St James's Hail. The speech lasted three
minutes, and then Mr.. George got down of the roof
of the cab and took place inside, and was driven
10 his lodgings.
The meeting at the St. Jamess Hail Oh Wednesday
was presided over by Mr.. Labouchere, M T. fOr
northampton, colleague to Mr.. Bradlaugh and com
,nander of the Light Horse to Mr.. Joseph Chamber
lain. Mr.. LabOuchere is man whose aplHies
-. Hptnn md fn N
House of Commons because he speaks tersely and to
the point and because he has genius for taxing
unexpectcd views of things. He is read weekly by
The many thousands to whose jaded appetltes the
society journal which he owns and edits supplies q
piouant stimulus. Truth is to serious Journalism
what caviare ana olives are to dinner Mr
Iabouchere discourses both in Parliament and in
lis paper on subjects of the utmost gravity. lie
sometimes treats them gTavey; almost always IN
genously seldom never with that tone OF con-
yiction which would persuade people that he is very
much in earnest really whether his view OF
particular subject prevails or not. His sincerity
is intellectual rather than moral. lie sees his side
of q case with clearness and states it with clear
ness; often with humor; and goes mis- way.
But even Mr.. Labouchere is not a convert TO Mr.
Henry George He has an open mind, restless
curiosity and is ALWAYS in search of something new
He stated Mr. Georges doctrine summarily enough
Mr. George proposed that every one who was now
landlord should be appropriated without cOmpensa-
tion This thought Mr. LabOuchere. was q some
what drastic remedy, and while he went far with
his new friend in thinking that the paramount right
of the State to the soil was not sufficiently adj
mitted he was bound to say he was not as yet con-
vert to the very startling conclusion which the lee
turer drew from his premises. Well il is toleraby
safe TO say that if Mr. George shocks man of Mr..
f,,,,, finV al prep
he is not likely to make many converts among the
class of men who, like Mr. Labouchere, have
power of thinking for themselves.
The chief interest of Mr. Henry Georges appear
ance u.s. for us Americans III the fact that he is or
calls himself an American. He began his speech last
night with the hackneyed platitude about Ameri-
cans and British having a community OF blood,
tradition, language and institutions. The very
next sentence is calumny on his own country.
The United States are. says he, Republic only in
name Hewould Just as willingly live under Queen
or a Gar. Whyl Because America has not adopted
Mr. Henry Georges views about land. 1t Is private
property in land which makes the Republic re-
public in name only. And this American stands up
before an English audience to tell them tlat per-
sonal independence the ability to stand up straight
before every man the ability to make free and in
dependent living do not exist in America These,
cries Mr. George are the things that the men of the
United States have yet to join England in the
struggle for II Mr.. George really believes. as l
daresay he does, in this nonsense, he IS within his
right in preaching it at home. But an American
who goes abroad t. maign his country is rene
gade.
To follow or criticise Mr. George through his long
and rambling talk is no part Of my duty-the less
SO as his present haranguo contains nothing new,
nothing not to be found in his book except some
fresh misstatements of fact. But in attacking his
l., t,l lo unit a u1pp audi
and convenient form the fallacy which undcrlies
the whole fabric of his theory The old Declaration
Of Independence does not satisfy him. He wants a
liew one and he asks, What do equal rights To life,
liberty aud the pursuit of happiness amount 10
without the equal right to land 1t is character
stic of Mr.. George that he is constantly bringing
forward propositions that have long since been de-
mOlished. This particular bubble was pricked by |
Burke hundred years ago. All men, said Burke, |
have equal rights but not to equal things. And one
might 20 on TO ask what life, liberty and the pur-
suit of happiness are worth without equal rights !
not TO land only but to the stocks i'll Mr.. Wander
blts safe or the jewery in Tifanys window. |
Somebody little crazer than Mr.. George was offer |
ing the other day to prove to Mr.. Vanderbilt that
he had no right to his stocks or TO his fortune as
whole But | have not heard that MI. Vanderbilt, |
nor yet Mr.. Vanderbilts neghbors, found the proof
convincing.
The reception given the lecturer enthusiastic;
he himself saying that the men before him were his
friends and partisans whom lie did not need TO con-
vince convert lie is here to lecture for the Land
Reform Union, and Mr.. Michael Davitt and Mr..
Hyndman compete with each other to do him honor.
Mr.. Davitt has found this new gospel useful to fan
discomfort and disorder in Ireaud-what more |
could you wish In England Mr.. Georges hold on |
popular feeling far lie has one is due perhaps
mainly not 20 his advocacy of mere robbery but to
the speciOus defence of robbery as a righteous thing