The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-08-26
LABOUCHERR'S TRUTH.
GENERALLY HE IS RIGHT
 BUT HE
Ought Not to Have Abused Dob

Ought Not to Have Abused Dob-
 Mir. Iabouchere is a watchdog who barks and snaps at everybody A te" years ago he described in Truth grant of a2c0 from the civil list to a lit- erary pensioner as probably the hrst instance on record of the treasury haV- ing been taken in by the begging letter writer. The pensioner retaliated by suing Truth for Iibsl. but was laughed out of court after it had been proved that he had been importuning dukes. bank directors and distinguished people for assistance and writing political let ters for both parties. MT. Labouchere rendered a public service by revealing the facility with which an amiable and credulous statesman had been imposed upon by a cadging letter writer and duped into bestowing a substantial lit- erary pension upon an undeserving claimant.
 Mir Balfour prof1ted by the warning, and not only revised the civil list grant but also sought to import dignity and significance to it by judicious selections. When Austin Dobson retired from the board of trade after protracted and honorable career in the civil service, he received without his own solicitation or suggestion pension of e25O for dis'in- guished literary service. Mir. La- bouchere ought to have regarded this selection as attribute to his own ef- f1ciency as a watchdog of the civil list grant; but. strange enough, he is bark ing at MT. Dobson as fiercely and sav- agely as he growled and tore the trous- CTS of the begging letter writer. The objections raised by this ill-natured critic are. first, that MT. Dobson al- ready had pension as a retired civil servant; and, second. that he is a "snall beer" poet. whose literary work has not earned the distinction of a treasury annuity. Lord Crewe has an- swered these criticisms with dignity and good sense. He considers the first point irrelevant, as the retiring pension from the civil service was regulated by Jaw and practice. and had nothing whatever to do with the special grant for literary service. He has also de- scribed MT. Dobson both accurately and sympathetically as among the first six or eight living masters of English as poet and critic, and, consequently, as entitled to recognition in the apportion- fnent of the modest civil list grant. He regards this treasury payment as an attempt on behalf of the public to correct the balance when the merit of an authors work is distinctly greater than the money reward earned by him. Lord Crewe's views will be shared by ' oil rr,In hn Iy11oJu crnOI from bad in literature.
 Popular novelists may make large fortunes by their industry and doggerel may command special rates in Truth, but the returns for artistic work, like Mir. Dobson's verse and studies of French and English literature of the 18th century cannot have been large, and Mir. Labouchere's protests against reckless waste of public money are alike ungenerous and unjust. MT. Dob- son has been an arduous worker in the civil service, and for a lifetime has de- voted his daylight hours to public busi- ness. His literary work has been done at night in his suburban library. One of the most modest, rnpretentious and sensitive of men, he has lived quietly and with moderate means, and has never made an enemy.
 Truth is on safer ground when it satirizes the social value of the peerage and proposes graduated income tax on the basis of titles It begins with the spurious title of "Esquire," which is supposed to differentiate the gentle man from the tradesman, and which is assumed by hundreds of thousands not having a vestige of right to the use of 1t. Truth humorously suggested that the title should be fianced on a cash basis, all persons assessed to income tax under G500 year paying the low est rate and being reduced to the level of commonplace "Mr." and all persons returning an income from $500 to G1500 being charged an additional two pence on the pound and allowed the privilege of having Esquire" on their letters. The graduated scale is carried from "esquires" to knights and baronets and SC on up to dukes; and the ironical comment is added that "the beauty of this system would be that title would be clear indication of a mans wealth and consequently of his social and moral value, ", and at the same time the taxation of the lower orders would be relieved and persons of humble social position would practically be compen- sated in hard cash for their inferiority in rank.
 This is not only delightful pleasantly worthy of Thackeray, but also whole some, sa1ted satire. Truth, with all it's asperites and vagaries, helps Vanity Fair to laugh at it's own foibles, sffec- tations and idolatrous love of station, rank and smartness. If it be sometimes heart1ess and brutal in condemnation of men, it is generally clear sighted in probing the venities of luxurious soci- etN--London Correspondence of the New York Tribune.
 MuE TnnM0MIN IEhnuN