The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-01-14
LADY HENRY SOMERSET.

To the Editor of the Eastern Argus:
VIII you kindly permit me to set you
right as to your estimate of this lady,
which think must be very low, judging
from the following editorial in your issue
of the 4th inst:
The English newspapers say that Lady Hen
ry Somerset, whose ardent, not to say furious.
advocacy of temperance principles is we'll
known, is herself the owner of fourteen public
houses. Lady Henry is accused by one writer
OF peing void OF conscientiousness and moral
iity to her cause" because she is alleged to
have utilized the proceeds of the sale of that
accursed drink" to defray the expenses OF her
tour as an itinerant denouncer OF alcohol
1t would be interesting to know the
character of the newspapers who have SO
grievonsly misled you as to the charac-
ter, the doings and sayings of Lady Hen
ry Somerset. Many English new papers
come to my table every week, but not
one of them speaks of her as those do
from which you quote. There are many
ably constructed newspapers in Eng
land, as in this country, which are en-
tirely in the interest of the public houses
English for grog-shops), and from such
no friendly word could be expected for
one whose time and strength and r
tune are not devoted to display and
pleasure and self qualification, but to
the amelioratiOn of the condition of the
poor.
Lady Somerset is very ardent in
her work for the down-trodden, but
never furious" as I am sure you will be
glad to know. There is never from her
a word, look, tone, a gesture not per-
fectly BETTING modest, highly educat-
ed, cultured lady, all her life familiar
with tie best people of her country.
| am little surprised that the Eng
fish newspapers you speak of charge
against her as the owner of so few as
fourteen public houses" I thought it
might be five hundred or even one thou
sand on her vast estates, but not one of
them does she, nor did she, ever own or
or have any connection with. Even
these numbers, you will be glad to know,
would in no way Justify an attack upon
her character as being svoid of consci-
entiousness and morality to her cause"
There estates like those of the Duke of
Westminster are under lease, I suppose
for ninety-nine years, for that is COM
mon, if not universal in England. AS
the leases run out on her estates the
public houses are swept away; am glad
though surprised that the number is
now SO few. Her estates were inherited
from her father ten years ago. The pub
lie houses you speak of are the property
of those who occupy them. The land
they stan on was leased before her day,
and as the leases fall in, she extinguish-
es the grog-shops, as she has already
done to many of them.
I was in London at the time when
many leases on the land of the Duke of
Westminster (then the early fell out, and
rejoiced to see the quick work he made
of multitude of public houses, but
did not hear that any newspapers at
tackled him for tolerating them when he
had no control in the matter, or for abol-
ishing them lat the first moment the
law would permit.
We do not complain of the Argus for
quoting from English newsp ,pers."
We do not for the moment suppose that
this was done to help SAID newspapers in
their attempt to smirch the character of
Lady Somerset as with hot tar, but rath-
er to afford her friends an opportunity to
ward off blow so malignant and SO fatal
in its intent. NEAL Dow.