New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-23
Practical Results-13 Years Work.

:
Is he anything but the discred;cd bravo OF an
impossible cause? Is land naturalization al
American principle? Has It gained or lost ground
since NJ. George ran for Mayor OF New o?h III
1886? Uc has scrubbed at no shameful means OF
!njurtng Mr. Herbert Spencer with his American
followers ind with Americans generally. Has Mr.
Herbert Spencer lost ground? Is his influence
Ic.s than II was? II 1t be- is the loss result.
directly or indirectly. OF Mr.. Georges ISLANDERS
upon him? II in any company Of intelligent
Americans you mention Mr.. Georges name now
is it received? If you mention Mr. Spencer's is
It received otherwise than with the respect due to
extraordinary intellectual powers and TO an un-
sullied purity Of life?
But Mr.. George still has drpcs In England. and
they compose. IT may be assumed, in whole or In
part. the English Land Restoration League, of
which Mr. Frederick Verinder is. think secre-
tary and certainly the mouthpiece in this present
controversy. The League have published pam
phle or eaflet In which they pretend 10 set forth
the Yiews Of Mr.. Herbert Spencer touching own
ership Of land They do set forth. in part. the
views he held Their dishonesty consists in
the suppression OF the fact that ne holds them no
longer The IS simple as il Is possible
for case to be II the League had quoted from
Social Satlcs. published in 1850. and said. These
passages represent Mr. Herbert Spencers opn-
ions on land at that date. but he has since
changed them and now holds opinions entirely
opposed TO these"-they might have escaped the
charge OF dishonesty. II would. in any case
have been doubtful to make Of the writings
OF eminent philosopher who had long since
given public notice that they no longer expressed
his real view still. the word dishonest need not
have been applied to their conduct. But then II
they had done that. their lealet would have been
OF no to them. Readers Of 1t would have said:
why do You quote to book which Mr. Spen-
Ger has disowned? Why not quote what he now
says? If his opinions of value IT Is his con-
sidered opinion. his present view. the result Of
a lifetime Of thought. and not Of immature early
reflection which for" Il is in order -
avoid this retort and to delude their readers that
the League took the other course; which Mr..
Frederick Verinder defends
What Mr. Spencer himself thought Of the pro-
ceedings Of the Land Restoration League. he
sad in the letter out Of which the present con-
troversy arose. Their leafet 'doubly falsfes the
opinions 1 have expressed the land question"
Quoting a passage out Of Social States" he
says:
This passage is deliberately suppressed. The
garbled quotation entirely falsifes the statement
Of my opinion There is a further deliberate fall
sfcatiOn. The opinion quoted. rather mis-
quoted. is tacity represented as my present
opinion. It is implied that al present advocate
resumption Of direct ownership Of the land by
the community. whereas 1t Is perfectly well
known by those who have issued this eafet that
have in a considerable measure changed my
opinion. / originally thought that after due com
pensation had been made TO existing landowners.
the community would benefit by taking the land
into It's own hands: whereas | have since then
concluded that the transaction would he losing
one for the community. II due compensation
made there would not be balance ~ gain /
but a balance Of loss Hence have argued that
II would be better that the existing system should
continue"
Mr.. Verinder. Of course. remains unabashec by
this crushing exposure. He does not pretend
that he his League informed their readers that
Mr. Spencer's present views were not those which /
they cited He takes refuge in declaration u
his own preference and tina: II his cOnfeicrates /
for the earlier views. If that had anything - /
do with the direct charge II falsncation and dis
honesty which Mr. Spencer brings against him
and them He argues the general question Of /
land ownership The question Of morals he .
shirks. The only attempt he makes at defence. q
is with reference to the charge Of garbng. Ills .
excuse for suppressing passage essential to the
comprehension Of Mr. Spencers original view, but /
inconsistent with the Leagues scheme Of plum (
der is that Mr. Spencer himself did not repeat 1t /
somewhere else. Mr.. Spencer always held that /
the present landowners are men who have either |
rnediately or immediately-cither by their own +
acts or by the acts Of their arccstors-givcn for /
their estates equivalents Of honestly earned /
wealth That he laid down as the basis for their |
doctrine Of compensation as to whyh he never |
faltered. To the land robbers the very word COM
pensation is hateful. They want to rob- not TO |
buy. II you force them to pay for their plumber.
1t is no longer plumber. and they only care for !
land naturalization on condition that they are |
at liberty 10 seize other mems property without .
compensation. That is why the League sup
pressed the passage.
There are columns and columns Of corrcspond-
ence on these matters arising out OF Mr.. Spcnccrs
exposure OF the tactics OF the League and Its
agents They need not detain The exposure
did its work in part. Mr. Vernder saw that he
could no longer expect to delude his readers by
classifying and garbng and suppressing Mr. Spsn-
GERS real opinions. HIS impunity was gone. III
You wish" said Mr. Spencer In substance. "to
publish anything OF nine publish the truth.
cannot prevent you from ressuing the passages
from Social States which no longer represent
my Views, but hold that you are bound to pub
lish side by side with them the passages from
Justice which do. and n you will do that will
waive copyright" That il challenge which
could not well be refused In terms. 1t seemed
less dangerous to pretend to accept 1t. Mr.. Verin-
der and his Executive" therefore said FIST that
they would print "the whole controversy" Mr..
Spencer saw through that, and required them to
publish with the reprint from Social States" the
extracts from Justice" "ln such wise that they
equally conspicuous and cannot be scpara ted"
Even about this Ny Verinder shuflles. limiting