The independent., 1903-06-18

soil.
THE IRISH LAND BILL.
The full significance of Mr.. Wynd
hams Irish land bill is not generally
understood on this side of the Atlantic.
The following may throw a little
sidelight upon this latest effort to
conciliate the Irish people. The Brit
ish Isles are a landlord-ridden coun-
try. Less than 500 men own over
one-half of England and Wales
Twenty-four men own one-fourth of
Scotland. A few hundred men own
the greater part of Ireland. Two
thirds of Great Britain and Ireland Is
owned by 12,489 persons. Forty mil
lion Britishers who proudly sing
"Brtons Never Shall Be Slaves" pay
tribute to these 12,489 owners of thei
country for the privilege of drawing
their breath on the soil of their native
land.
George, after trying vainly to find q
publisher for Progress and Poverty"
in England, left several copies OF the
American edition of that book with 4
London bookseller, whose patrons
numbered most of the "cranks" and
investigators of the metropolis. Soon
a popular six-penny edition was pub.
l1shed, and the demand for the book
ran $4,000 copies a year. In everv
highway and byway in England re-
newed hope sprang up in the breasts
of Anglo-Saxons to recover their lost
heritage from the descendants of the
courtiers of the Norman bastard de-
spoiler.
In 1889 Henry George visited the
country and created profound i'm
preston. In 1895 the liberal party de-
manded in its Newcastle program, the
taxation of land values. Over 300
taxing bodies, including the cities of
London Glasgow and Liverpool, petit
toned parliament for power to tax
land values for local purposes. Fifty
out of seventy-five members elected
to the Glasgow city council were re-
turned pledged to this reform. The
Scottish liberals made it their frs:
demand. The radical federation of
London, 100000 strong, also demanded
it In 1898 the liberals by nominat-
ing Henry George men, made almost 4
clean sweep of the by-elections. When
parliament opened four years ago an
amendment to the speech from the
throne demanding taxation of lanA
values reduced the normal tory ma
jority of 140 to "a.
The ministry was thunderstruck at
the phenomenal growth of such a
revolutionary idea. Something had to
be done, and at once, to ,lver. the
public mind. A quarrel was picked
with Dom Paul Kruger, The Boer war
followed. It's cost had not been
counted. The additional burden of
h;llion dollars staggered the British
taxpayer and the war will prove
boomerang to the tory landlords.
Last October delegates representing
124 municipalities and boroughs met
in convention in Glasgow and unani-
mously demanded the taxation of lan1
values. and with only two or three
dissenting votes demanded immediate
political action. A month later 500
delegates representing the principal
advanced reform bodies of the king
dom met at Newcastle-on-Tyn and
adopted the same demands. A little
diversion was created in Venezuelan
waters. The public having in mind
the recent South African war failed to
respond Then Mr.. Wyndham brought
IL his Irish land purchase act. The
object is to seduce the Irish party
fro mthe liberal alliance; then appeal
to the country and get another seven
years lease of power.
Michael Davitt, Henry Georges
foremost Irish lieutenant, declares
that the Irish landlords are to receive
80 per cent more for their land than
il would bring in the open market.
With the Irish landlords well cared
for, exchanging their -recarious land
titles for consols. with so per cent
bounty added, with the Irish people