New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-08-24
SOCIALISM IN ENGLAND.
MR.. CHAMBERLAINs LATEST VIEWS AND
THREE PRACTICAL OBJECTS

81 do not conceal from you' saio "hi. NA''> ..,
lain. my own opinion that the pace wan 20 n'.',
faster in the future than ii has peeh III 'ho p"T.
TIE "a certainly doing his best to get up steam Inc
suoecb AZ TuIl ON Wednesday from which take the
ohove modest expression. is not more advanced In
tore n an ureyious speeches Of which gave some
oocount NJ the time they were made But IL Is more
snec;sc. tits one more calculated effort on tne
nort NJ Mr. Chamberlain to foment thas struggle
between classes to which he looks Iorwaru WIN
eogerness He has been criticised anu co""o"noo'
or as he saws communicated, for inc ooo'' :,
he has before advanced. am not discourageds
am not repentant," retorts Mr.. Chamberlain NO
body expected him to be. His stnppornne's !.
sroportion to his sincerity. what MS tricnuS hopu
was not that he should waste time In s'ero
over his recent mistakes but spend LIB III oA"'r
the grounds of the conclusions ne 30 rashs pun io
ward. He has not done It, Tho thinning On
tnnd.mont,l nronositions is as crude as ever lie
!. ;r,r,t,ent Of reflection Whatever theories are
,noccsed 70 him by his sympathies he accepts ana
exnects others to accept. as self-evident TRUTHS
Instead of probing his own fallacies nc thihks !"
moro profitable to elaborate means OF giving praet
cal effect to them Nearly the whole OF 'his So'o""
Hull speech is occupied with that ~
alan mot n Communist" cries Mr.. Chamberlain,
q although some people will have 1t that am IL
appears that he is prepared to deone 0o'nnu,n''
"a a mar who aims at establishing an hosoiu''
eouality of condition between men. Inc deuni''o"'
Ike many of Mr.. Chamberain's. Is mario" one
and Il capable OF Icing enlarged. Tie WORD IL
French and the French use it in a double sense l.
noIit,cal sense and In sense that may DO called
social Mandy supposes TINT Mr.. Chamberlain
,isbes In set ND in London. for example, the reVo-
lutonary commune of Paris he docs not no IN
ssts desire TO establish commune based on con-
6scation and redistribution of property am OPP
posed he declares with emphasis, to connscation
!, arv sbaDe and FORM Well and good II he had
Int stopped there. But he goes on 10 say WHY 10
IL opposed to 10 namely, because he believes con-
6scation would destroy the security given 10 prop
erty in the shape OF enjoyment oil the n"i'so VI
every mans individual exertlon, and lessen 'he
stimulus TO exertion II is good reason 80 Tar ss
IL GOES but Mr. Chamberlain does not care 10 get
down 10 the root of things Why could he not say
once for all that he is opposed 10 conhscaton be-
cause Il Ia unjust because il Is robbery. because IL
makes all social organization impossible. because
IL vouId mean revolution and civil war; Gan IL
be because he sees that such reasons might DO fata
70 some of his own proposals well as TO the con
asoation pure and simple which he denouncesi
For the purposes of this harangue Mr. Chamber
lain has divided the English peopeinto two classes
the Door and tho rich. and the whole ann OF ns
specch Is to take something from the rich anu give
il 10 the poor. The words rich and Door are con-
st,ntly recurring This Is the speech OF political
leader with general election at nand. lhefc 10
not n word in lie about politics. II there be an
oIrsir IN reform and tho new franchise. IL Is only
To pass them over mere machinery oy heip Oh
which some real good NAV now be done. The peo-
ME have come into possession Of political power.
and they are to IL for the redress OF social evS
The peoplc 10 Mr. Chamberlain. are the poor. Inc
rich the wellto-dO, the thriving. are only 80 many
privileged classes. They have lost tho power OF
oroteeting their vested rights and privileges ana
earnings. and the majority who have no vested
rights or accumulated earnings are To legisiAie
themselves INTO the enjoyment OF these good thlhg
q believe.- saws Mr. Chamberlain. the great evil
with which VIZ have 10 deal Is the excess the IN
eoualitv IN tho distribution Of richcs' The adjust
man, NJ this inequality in the distribution Of riches
ha would make the first object in the Liberal pro-
eramme for the reformed Parliament. This may ho'
be communism but many q Communist has been
content TO dehne his objects In words not unhke
Mr. Chaberlains 1t may not mean cohhscaton'
but Mr. Chamberlain himself has yet to explain the
distinction he wouM make between coDiiseation ana
the redistribution Of riches. How are riches 70 DC
stributed unless something Is taken from ono
man and given to anotheri Whether yon eau IL
| conescaton or call Il graduated taxation, rs DIT.
| Chamberlain does, will not mako much difference
| to the owner OF property WHO III i"'"'' - " Wv"
| less.
| MI Chamberlain makes three proposals. which lie
call. nractieal proposals for redistributng riches
Two of them have little OF nothing to do with this
matter but seem to be introduced in order to arrive
| mora gently M the third First. be would develop
local government in order to increase the number
| of free Libraries museums, hospitals and parks.
Those are objects for the beneGt OF the whole com
| munity, 70 which few Liberals, perhaps none. now
| offer any opposition whatever Secondly, no would
| abolish school fees aud make education free. by
| all means. lie cites the United States AS an ex-
ample Of tho advantage OF free schools and he could
not cite better. One incidental advantage oil
| education he does not toueh on, but there is no
doubt that IL would make the or tho poor.
less accessible to appeals directed exclusively TO tho
| bettering of their own condition at tho expense OF
| those less poor than themselves. good education
includes an education in morals
The third proposal Is the real proposal; the only
one that offers any direct mesns OF redistributing
wealth. 1t Is n proposal for graduated taxation.
| Mr.. Chamberlain defines this to be taxation
| which increases In proportion to the amount of
property taxed Again lie is little vague
| In stating his caso There is a sense in which
| graduated taxation exists already. Incomes
below certain amount are exempt from
| incnme tax. That IS concession TO the
| poor or recognition ol lhe iaot u " "o iio''
that the owners of those small incomes pay a
| larger proportion of indirect taxation than
the owners Of large incomes.
Mr.. Chamberlain has collected and arranged a
series of figures which indicate, as he would have
us believe, that the working classes pay 1919 per
cont income tax while the middle and upper classes
pay but o per cent. The figures and the arrange
nent of them and the deduction from them seem to
ne arbitrary but they would not. # ever correct.
prove Mr.. Chamberlain's case. The question is ono
of degree us much rs of principle. Mr.. Chamberlain