New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-12-17
ONE LONDON.
THE STRUGGLE FOR fHE IMPLICATION OF
THE METROPOLIS-MR. FOWLER
+ AvD THE CITY

AND THE CITY.

dence that the present MINISTRY ihea" W pr
coed with a scheme for what they call the INN
cation OF London. 1t is a large question: anu IL
has been very imperfectly discussed. but the
Ministerial mind is made up The dlses'aohSh-
ment OF this ancient Corporation will be one
moro concession to Radicalism; whether wise
ono or not need not now be considered what
20 interesting tust at this moment Is the attl-
tude of the Government. and their way OF nan
ding a Question which involves franchises prop
erty Institutions individual rights and much
else $500, rho
Roval Commission has been appointed. INC
CORPORATION was invited to give evidence D''.-
gates attended for that purpose ana desiIeu "
testify, among other matters. 10 the u"ue
bility of the whole scheme Inc CoiHHh'''o,'
would not listen. They were there' 'he! ''
TO consider pot the desirabinty out 'i'e ~
hytfS oritbe scheme The desrability must be
taken fA+ granted Their attitude is that OF me
French cook who invited the cells to say whether
e., ,ro,,,d nrefer TO be fried or stewed. Wheh
.ha .a,s made answer that they did not WISH 10
~ cooLad at all he replied with severity: Nous
or,az do Ia question" To this the Corporation
aa,nnred They declined to consider aInaiga-
&as.tiou "a foregone conclusion. or TO assume 'ha'
thew and the City together were to be swallowed
mn I'm a new municipality. So they asked TOT an
interview with the president of the Local Gov
eminent Board They have had 1t, and they
have heard their doom announced In no doubt
full terms
Ybe attitude Of the Ministry is. nevertheless.
correct enough technically and politically 30
large Question must ultimately be determined
by the Cabinet. 1t does not quite follow that II
must be determined by the Cabinet in advance
Of the sittings of Royal Commission, ana De-
fore the CITY and the Corporation have peeh
heard. There is nothing in the nature OF the
case to prevent the Royal Commission DONG us
work, al such Commissions commonly 40 lhue-
nendeo{fy of the Government of the day. Mr..
Fowler SAYS it is not for a Commission ana IL Is
for the Cabinet TO consider. but he does not ex-
rla,n xbv. Then he seems to intimate that after
all. IL the Corporation will go like good boys
before the Commission. there will be hardly any
limitation upon theiy evidence. They may pre-
tend to give evidence upon practicabiiity' ana
really give evidence upon desirability. Ihls Is
not perhaps quite logical or quite digniheo Out
It is very English. Mr. Fowler Is good Eng
lishman of his own type, and he does not care
two straws for form.
Probably he would have given way altogether
were not the Radical pressure on the Ministry
lust now so strong and from so many different
sections of this very miscellaneous left wing OF
the party, The Radical of almost all shades ana
sorts has PINNED his faith to the London County
Council. He has long hated the City OF LONDON
CORPORATION He looks on it as Burke SAID the
Radical Duke Of Bedford or his friends looked
upon society,-as a prize OK to be cut up. lie
hates It because it is old. lie hates it because
he cannot control it. Perhaps he hates 1t be-
cause 1t was once Liberal and is now what is
called Conservative: which comes much nearer
the Liberalism of the last generation than Rad
scajism does At any rate, he is, in American
phrasc going for it. So ilnbued are modern
English Radicals with French ideas that he may
even have some notion that the London OF the
future Is to play the part which the Pans OF the
past has played In public affairs. Paris IS
France and he wants London TO be England
Just at present. such an arrangement might
prove announcement to him. for the whole metrop-
oils, as we'll what is properly called the
rtv of London. is Overwhelmingly Conservative
in national politics 1t is doubtful whether 1t be
not really Conservative in municipal politics
afso and whether the Progressists will be clever
enough to capture another majority in the Lon
don County Council.
However that may be, the Radical dream Is
to get possession Of what he regards, truly
enorgh, as citadel of Conservatism. and 10
swamp the City in the huge mass Of vestres
and villages which. in their aggregation. con-
stifute what the world calls London. There Is
no real homogeneousness between all these
local districts their inhabitants. or their gov
crning bodies. or. as whole, their interests
You might almost think that the unihcation
scheme was conceived in a spirit of compensa-
ton or setof The scheme to consolidate Lon
don is the scheme OF the very men who are doing
their best to disintegrate the Kingdom. and TO
establish what is called Home Rule. not for
Ireland only but for Scotland and Wales and
- o+oi.-
and, Essex and the Heptarchy over again
That is. Of course. purely fanciful view.
The Radical politician, like other politicians. is
governed by considerations of practical cOnven-
fence; not to say of political profit; which, for
civinty's sake, let US call expediency. He sees
fat pickings in the City; not, of course, for him
self, but for his party or for the less fat parts
Of the community.
The revenues Of the Corporation are very
large They are so large that the men who look
after its finances do not like to say how large
They publish various separate accounts, but no
account which gives full and complete view Of
their receipts and expenditures. There is no
question Of honesty. no accusation Of Tammany-
Ism But the City is a law unto itself. and pre-
fers TO keep its own secrets and to disburse in
it's own way the three or four or five hundred
thousand pounds sterling which yearly flow into
Its Golfers This property and this income be-
long TO the Corporation; its legal title is perfect
Its right TO apply the money according to Its own
judgment for municipal purposes is beyond dis
pute. No court would interfere. II there is to
be any Interference 1t must be by act OF Par
Lament. This and all other matters are, in fact.
for Parliament In its wisdom to determine.
The ADLER and more thoughtful men Of his
party have convinced themselves that. on the
bread Considerations of public welfare there
ought to be one London. and not several. They
do not yet see clearly how the one Is to be ere
afed out OF the several or the several combined
into one. But they are trying hard and the
Royal Commission is 10 help them. Obviously
II would not help them If the Commission were
to descend more to the foundation Of things, and