New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-26
CASTE AND THE DEAD HAND.
DIXIE OF NoRTHUMsERLANp's CASE
IN ,,vAL OF ROBERTSON DRAMA-MRs
Ac SOCIAL SATIRIST.
London. January II.


London January II.
Ida, y. the Duke OF Northumberland
Inc - The historic tomb OF the Percys In
th's - Ahhev offers a striking contrast 10
N'.-.ono,s last Parliament year ago A large
6iS"''. =, sirh.seers was attracted although
ooh'o s;-nnle ceremony. devoid OF stateliness
va" The Duke had lived like a great
an ,or5 IN Alnwick Castle, and he was buried
'eu~@- no,-,c,an in the family vault Of his an
IN Feudal privilege protected him even IN
81 and secured for him a resting place IN
ae@.' ..or,es temple hallowed by the dust OF
mo ,.a,4snen and men Of genius. The great
=. English democracy was buried there
=. che presence OF his last Parliament because
II -. lion With one voice decreed that he could
ul 80 buried anywhere else. The Abbey may
'o' 40 required the dust Of another Percy in
.1s.- 10 retain its characteristic glory as the
"U. IS, treasure-house Of English fame. 1t
100 Gladstone's ashes.
pes-I 80 - his great age and retirement from
ia. and business affairs. the Duke Of North
p.,.-apd had passed out OF sight long before
- ,,sth He represented. as the owner OF d
Us" .sate OF 1864 400 acres in Northumberland
,".-D.h,-e ard Surrey. the traditions - an Ola
~ At privilege handed down from generation
-. rs,s-ation from the Norman Conquest. his
',...ssor inherits the titles and regal state ana
=. ,over o. the Dead Hand 10 confer these
s,,,,octions and privileges is not challenged
~. ,s,e Duke Of Northumberland mines lahus
- wealth are not secured against partial con-
s..,.,or by the State unless ne TOOK the pre-
..,.,on ~ settling them during life upon MS
,.csssor. Privilege does much TO protect
80, Duke IN life and in death, but by the cur
-. .,a.,ltes and financial administration OF
,.rsnd even patrician's property rights enc
-,.h ~. grave The state takes the place OF
,,s Dead Hand and decides under what condl-
49, and with what deductions the properly
snail pass 70 the next Of kin
WAY TO EvADE DEATH DUTIES.
-. Sir William Harcourt's estate duties
-. ,,raer discussion in the Commons seFeral
We 80 ., amendment was proposed exempt
~ .-oro their operation property settled upon
-. NTH reservation OF life interest II was
..s h,t q test case based upon II has maze
~ -o,,rss Of the courts and finally been de-
- hv The House OF Lords. II the beecn case
-. Court OF Appeal had ruled that propeT'!
=, Vas settled in this way was not charge
49, ,a,b estate duties upon the death OF the
- min had reserved his life interest IN IL
r,,. decision has been affirmed II detail 4ns'e
q. .,us q nractical method % evading the opera
- .bs estate duties with the direct sanction
o.,.w 7, IS generally understood that the late
~ ~ Northumberland transferred 10 ms
o,5ss+ son and heir The bulk Of his vast prop
o.,, With the reservation Of life interest j. TINS
he 60. one OF the greatest o. the feua@l Ial'i'9s
q, The United Kingdom has sanctioned an eA-
Incident for evading IN large part the payment Oh
death duties IL that event larger measure u
r,,,,ric interest will be excited by the probate
prcceedings than by the iaterment IN NeS'-
minister Abbey.
The estate duties as revised by Sir Wl.am
Esrcourt and kept in operation by his successor
have Imposed small charges upon estates unaer
e cn0- and moderate duties under $4,000. and
have tablished e graduated scale above tnal
limit until { per cent Is reached for properties
over 100000 These duties have been a rich
source % revenue since their adoption Every
YEAR the receipts from them largely exceed the
estimates On glancing al the last official state
rnent OF the Treasury receipts for nine months
ind that the estate duties amounted 70 s4Z lVO-
900. OF S1&S00 900 II excess Of those from the
property and income tax and nearly one
twelfth OF the gross receipts from all sources.
The receipts from estate duties are considerably
more than one-haE % those from the customs.
The Dead Hand created by law has a powerful
rr.p Il has enabled the Chancellor Of the TX
cheouer 70 furnish the money for building battle
ships terrifying coaling stations. increasing the
army. aiding voluntary schools and greasing the
passage Of local government bill for Ireland by
easing the taxation Of landlords and tenants.
While S per cent Is chargeabe against the
estates OF millionaires, windfalls for the Treas
ury are constantly occurring which put the
Chancellor In good humor and enable him 10
confess year after year IN his Budget speech
that he mas underestimate the elasticity o. the
revenues Without the Dead Hand the i'm
mense expenditures for the feet ordered in re-
cent years would have been impracticable. The
Radical Budget devised by Sir William Har-
court has been the chief resource Of the new
Imperialism with its sea power. a Conservative
Chancellor Of the Exchequer would not know
how to make both ends meet II the mortality
rate among English uillionaires were not ex-
cepuonally high For this reason systematic
evasion Of the estate duties under the condi-
tons Of the Beech decision ana the reported
settlements Of the late Duke Of Northumberland
are matter Of serious public interest
BEAU FARINTosH ONCE MORE.
NJ John Ha-es motive IN his recent dramatic
enterprises has evidently been q desire TO sup
ply the stage with pure and wholesome seuti-
nent He began last year with The Master
and "A Bachelors Romance" and ne has re-
opened the Globe Theatre with revival OF
School" the most tender and fanciful Of Rob
ertson's dramas Playgoers seem to have found
IN these slender works q welcome relief from the
morbid passion Of the once popular problem
play the thoughtless levity OF prevailing musical
comedy and vulgar farce and the Overwrought
costume business OF romantic drama school,
IS the least dramatic Of Robertson's plays. II
lacks the military dash and pathetic interest OF
Ours and the broad humor and social philos-
opay o. Caste" II is a sentimental variant OF
me Cinderella fairy tale with a goody-soody
young lord, who measures shadows by moonlight
Win The school drudge. makes priggish love
over milk Jug and affects didactIc discourse
VI the hsncerty Of social life. Transparent as
Is 'ne plot and mswkish as are the purity and