New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-23
"JTOTOR. LAND AND LABOR"

4 curious contribution TO Socialist literature
on,oor.J in 4 recent number Of 1.-THE Fortnighty
Review" under the caption Of Liquor, Land and
ohor" The author concealed his identity under
, nonn,me Int was evidently an advanced So
ciolist Of n hopeful frame Of mind. He took the
Local Veto proposal Of the Roscbery Government
for his text That measure pleased him and his
follow Socialists. not so much because II proposed
to shut ND liquor shops as because IL propoSeu
10 do so without compensation 10 the o"h'iN
There he cxultingly declared, was an oiiciai
recognition Of the great Socialist doctrine Oh con
neootio, Hothing more was needed but to apply
the same principle to all other businesses ES
necolly. and first Of ALL It should be applied 10
fine land question" Landlords should De suih-
morily deprived Of their estates, WITHOUT coih-
nensation Then would come the Millennium
with Messrs Keir Ilardie and Hush frice
Hughes at the head Of the universe.
In one respect the article has been pretty wen
answered by the logic of events. 1t was written
though not published-before the collapse OF the
poseherv Government. The writer apparently
exnected that Government to carry its Local. Neto
hill and then TO proceed to contiscation OF the
land Rut several things have happened since
then Local Veto was probably not solely, nor
oven very largely responsible for the great pollt-
ical revolution Of July. 1t was an issue In The
comnaign however. and as SUCH in the form pro-
posed by the Rosebery Government, it was over
uho,minplv repudated and condemned by the
British electorate The independent Labor
marty" also. of which Mr.. Keir Harde was the
founder and head, and which this writer expected
TO see presently holding the balance OF power III
the United Kingdom, was swept out OF sight
W.
sanitation. These things show how vain was the
hone that Local Veto was about to usher In Cell
eral Conhscaton.
Perhaps 1t Is worth WHILE however III TIE
"sillv season" TO make a passing answer TO one
other point In this artcle-namely, that private
| ownership of land is a far greater curse than
drunkenness; indeed, is the greatest OF all our
modern social and industrial evils. 1t Is tnat says
this Socialist writer which drives men to drihK;
and he draws a melodramatlc picture OF myrlads
YEARLY tolling out their lives In crowded clties
and plunging into all manner OF Vice. because
prIyate ownership of land keeps them from going
| into the country The refutaton OF that specious
f,lsehood Is ready at hand. Our American cities
ore nc crowded as those Of England; NewY0rk
Actually more so than London itself. Yet there Ia
here every reasonable opportunity for men TO 90
into the country, II they will Within few hours
ride from this city are hundreds OF thousands OF
acres Of land lying idle or only half improved
because no one can be found TO work 1t. True. II
is held by private ownership But the owners are
anxious to sell 1t at low prices and on easy terms
or 10 rent II for less than one must pay for
tenement in the city slums. Much Of 1t Is offered
freely to any one who will cultivate 1t. pay the
taxes on II, and keep the fences and buildings In
repair 1t is every whit as easy TO secure tenancy
OF II as though 1t were 'natlonalized" Yet 1t Hes
idle and abandoned. while the men who should
be tilling 1t are crowded In city tenements like
rabbits In a warren.
That Is not Il pleasant nor creditable fact
But II is n fact, In relation not only to NewYork
but TO nearly all other large American cities. In
France. where peasant proprietorship Of land
prevails. the same throngng TO the cities Il no
ticeable: as II is In still other countries where
land is easily to be obtained. There Is every
reason to believe the same state OF affairs would
exist in England however free the farming land
were made TO the people. There are, OF course
causes for this cityward tendency OF the popula-
ton They are to be deplored and 1t Is quite
probable that they might be largely overcome
and normal balance between city and country