New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-22

sIcerlty, never doubted his honor: but he con-
sidered that he has right to say what he thinks
OF bis public policy; to say that of recent years
IL has been unpatriotic, unstatesmanlke, mis-
chievous to the best interests of his party and Of
his country. Most people, idoaters excepted, will
agree with him in that. Never till in poll
tics has it been held wicked to hold and express
dinercnt opinion from any political leader, nor
even now except with reference to Mr. Glad
stone.
The offence in those who criticised Mr. Gladstone
Is the offence of adhering to opinions he once
held and not following him when he renounces
his old opinions for new ones The difference in
short, of preferring the Mr. Gladstone of earlier
days. when his vision was undimmed, his powers
in their prime, to the Mr.. Gladstone of to-day.
who renounced his life long devotion to Unionist
principles in search of Parliamentary majority
which he failed to obtain.
Mr.. Chamberlain appeared at Birmingham on
Wednesday kind of Tegenerate Radical. He
discoursed many things, among which that
which for the moment interests him most is per-
haps his pet new scheme of old age pensions.
What he has in nina seems to lie a modification
Of the German system of State Insurance. but he
admits that the scheme has not been worked out
for the latitude Of England and that the Difficult
ties in the way of its adoption fer the present
practical politics, but leaves it good enough
topic for the political platform. .t
1t has served useful purpose already 1t has
given Mr.. Chamberlain an opportunity to recant
his very mischievous and dangerous doctrine Of
ransom. The recantaten, unluckily, is neither
very direct nor very complete. This experienced
politician has yet to learn that the best way Of
escape from the consequences of mistake is to
own frankly that it was mistake, to say he is
sorry, and to promise to be better boy in future.
That is the English way, the way of those English
gentlemen whose good opinion Mr.. Chamberlain is
understood to desire. His present apology is but
crooked one. He talks of ransom as If II
meant no more than pension, and a pension to
be paid by the State as a whole. When he
nounced his doctrine Of ransom, nearly seven years
ago, it meant something very like blackmail, and
it was to be paid not by the community
whole but by one class Of the community, the
owners of property They were to give up part
Of their property as condition OF being allowed
to retain the rest What bad that to do with
PENSIONS? 1t was rank Socialism. II was the
unbltshing advocacy of the robbery of the rich
in the interest of the poor. 1t was even worse
than that, for ransom was not to he levied on all
the rch, but class Of rich men, whom
Mr. Chamberlain then hated, the owners Of
land Save in the limit he set to confscation, his
of general plumber of the landowner preached by
Mr.. Henry George. But apprehend that Mr..
Chamberlain, though he only half retracts it, will
preach ii no more.
The London worm in the person of the London
taxpayer, is trying to turn. There has peen
meeting of worms some of them eminent. to pro-
test against being trodden on. They have formed
a defence league, the object Of which they de-
clare to be to resist exorbitant taxation, and 10
protect the interests of London ratepayers IRE
spective Of party politics 1t sounds IKE the
New-Yerk rcveit. against Tanmany twenty years
ago The Tammany of London comprises Two
bodies. the London County Council and the lon-
don School Board They arc both enated to an
apelosy for this comparison Of them with lam
many. for neither of them is corrupt Nobody
steals. There is no contract other job Ter
the ber1rfit of bosses There indeed no bosses
nor boodlers yet the result is to the taxpayer
| much the same. They are both spendthrlIs'
| Both of them sauander vast sums Of pubic money
with the best intentions. Neither OF them seems
to have in its collective capacity much notion OF
| economy or of sound finance.
| Nor are they the only bodies who oppress ths
| eroanine city. There are the Vestres. always
! wasteful and too commonly corrupt. Ihey seize
the opportunity of the general outcry against
| their municipal rivals to be more waSteful and
| mnTe corrupt than ever, and to put it all down
to the account of the County Council and the
School Board.
The City of London taxpayers lead in the re-
form rovement The late Lord Mayor presided
aver a meeting held on Wednesday in the Guild
hall. which people from all parts OF London aC
tended Lord Wemyss, frequent leader OF lot
l,rn hopes, expounded TO his fellow victims thelr
oommon grievances The School Board now
in
education. Mr. Forster, who passed the Ednca-
,;op hiu in 1870. promised that the rate should
u.,,or evcead three pence Education therefore
costs London four times the sum to which lts
fo,nder pe,leed himself TO limit it, and nearly
fonr times the sum it costs in Liverpool IN Nlah-
chester in Glasgow and other great towns. Inc
Copntv Council, not content with doing the WORK
IT, was created 10 do, is trying 70 ge' cYh"o' "
the tramways gas, water and other Vas' uioei '"N
inps. besides spending huge sumo on parks, s'ie's
inproyements and such mntters- Resolutions VI
nrotest were duly passed and the worms ~
MT what do we hear next morning. lhose
uost prominent in this protest are great HohuVu
,and o,vnors The Duke of Westminster himself
was to have presided, had not hs mo'ii'i'' "e"',
nrevented. Well. these great people are great
,,,.rs ~ Ground rents in London. in other words
:. I'D, leased for terms of years for building
d .hoss around rents are not taxed at all 1or
ouniciual purposes. They escape altogether. ana
.ha tendency of the economical reformer Is I"
@ s@t why they escape why the richest men in Lon
S"n should net bear thsir share of the burdens
~ ,arston. The question is not easy to answer;
Sn, some answer from those whom it concerns Will
I've 80 the rate payers held their meeting the
c.,s.oI poard have held meeting which supplies
o" O"SI ant commentary on the rate-payers protest
Cir Richard Temple, chairman OF the Finance o0n'-
m;ttee of that Board, moved that precep' De -
sued requiring the rating authorities 70 pay 70 'ne
Board before next midsummer h1Ui' '.1 W., uo