New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-12
LONDON NOTES.
IT, Ycfrr0n's Rctirement-Arry
Reorganization.

q
- ard lampooned throughout his pub
- as an ernblttere5 rival. an uoscrupu-
- .-.se,- and an ola fashioned and rreten-
,,l-ic SQUIRE. but as soon az he Informs The
- v-o~+ Monmouth tEat his health and
- -,-,-s-s v-.I not permit him 10 renew the
20 ,,te Parliamentary re the truth is told
Ids and foes alike. with an his eccen-
80 DO --,s the hardest hitter on the Liberal
80 AR Cladstone's retirement. and Tor a
-,-4os Dc was the only debater who could
,fr r,.s-,rn-laln on equal terms. He was
- co~.ro.e~sialist a close student OF his
=. erance and ecclesiastical poleIaics; al eX-
..,.sa -act.c.an. and 2 publc man OF eN-
.,,-sl ability and rorce Of character. II was
- fFe ana narfurcto,y compliment which
=. -,,rso-.- maid after the downfall % Lord
-..e-,s administration when he said that
al .-ecorrizel I'm Sir William Harc0urt one
-. creates. ornaments OF the House, who had
,.-s te-,t ia view che preservation OF its dig
= -..r-eea--t-tive Of the old order OF poll
I'D r. -i-iars OF debate. he was stalwart
- with The rrelu5ices Of a NNhig and the
.-.,r-r Of q hc.-ister. ana he was deeply in
-.r fought streuuously and gave hard
,..,r 10 had -He stately manners o. the OLD
So. rolgticsl s0ui-es. the ponderous huUor G
o.. pn--7e~storia~ -eriol. the Involved rhetorlca.
,.,ls NJ The Middle Victorian age, and lie pre-
- himself carefully for his speeches ard en-
ta-rasgcI himself by the GiAusiveness q ms
notes. All taese things are foreign 10 ire ne"
Parliamentary style. which b. more olrecN jess
lsbo-ed LIGHTER and more entertaining. mere
IS no more muscular and sincvy hehieT on
either side Of the Commons than Sir William
Tar-ourt has been. and wv IS ever III
history IL is force that re7els assaults and WINS
batt.os.
,rre greatest work accomplished ~ SIR WI
sam Harcourt was the revision O. the oeath
duties and the establishment OF an estate duty
O. the probate type which would be graduated
charge against al property, real CT personal
RAISING 10 heirs after the owners death. When
this famous budget speech was made only Mr.
Gibson B9Wles and q few lawyers in the Com
mons understood how large a source Of revenue
had been opened for the requirements Of the
treasury; but the Radicals cheered because the
Whg Chancellor q the ExchecUer was using
ths phrases OF socialism En- declaring that no
body could claim any riEht 10 property beyond
the term ~ life. and that the State after death
was entitled to determine the conditions under
which estate should pass 20 heirs, and also 10
retain considerable portion Of Il for itself. He
dc not invent the death duties. but he enlarged
The revenues from mortality and introduced a
graduated scale on estates above 10000 by
which over per cent was swept into the Treas
NY when the valuation exceeded 100000. II
was the most radical and socialistic measure Of
recent times. and its Introduction by one o. the
oldt0e sqUires was Q striking Illustration Of the
,sniisr fact that the Liberal party has &C
cOuplished its most progressive work under the
erection Of Wings This budget was strenu-
rusly opposed 10y the wealthy and titled classes.
but the new duties were not repealed when the
Cc-se-zatives returned 20 power They could
not dispense with so effective and expansive a
source OF revenue. when they had battleships 10
build wars 10 pay fer and armies 10 reorgan-
!ze on paper. Sir William Earcourt who de-
signed the estate duties for the relief OF income
taxpayers and the masses. has been forced 70
look on while a great resource for easing the
burdens q general taxpayers was systematically
employed for the military and naval services
The triuryt-cte which IS recognising the
army has presented a second report r-ore dras-
f,c than the first The specIous and costly raper
scheme devised ~ Nr. Broderick has been
brushed aside with contempt Only one ~ ~,
Fx army corrs IS retained, and his only as an
oxpedidonary body AZ Aldershor for erner-
EsncieE; the brigade Is substituted Cor the army
corps as 2 unit of organization; Eve generals
are relieved from routine duties and commits
Stoned 10 prepare the army for war; a general
star is created; eight major generals are left
control of administrative districts; a body OF
sccoun-aut officers corresponding with the pay
master service IN the navy Is organized; the
laked battalion system is abandoned, and regl-
mental numbers are introduced IN place OF cum
lrous L.las. This IS al inadequate summary OF
IN sbie and exhaustive report which receives
hearty commentator from army reformers
TIE most important reconciliation Is the
creation of general stan, which. Is 70 devote
''se.l % military problems and 10 bring a body
a. experienced officers into touch with every
Branch Of the service. and 10 train them for
erecting operations In the field. How large This
taI VIII DE IS NOT yet explained nor Is there
any basis OF comparison with either the German
G. ne American staff. The necessity. Cor having
"el trained brain for the army is enforced by
ne confession shst fl tie South African va~
'0'1e o. the most Important ties OF such a
h.1a were not assigned 20 arybod- and thar
), &c eonauct OF operations in the field was grave
preiudicec thereby. Equally severe is the
.l1'oi'nent of o1istlnE arrangements fo- arp.v
.-'--ee anc purchase % supplies. Red tame and
N.'aceacy involved .the waste of millions e.
,t'o'aaiy taere is no institution IL the world
--a las been re0-eanized so constantly as t,,o
- Array, a0d the motive is ALWAYS the
- aeceutral zatlCr." Lord I.ansdov-re -,..g
-'1lnea' ont of The War Office into he For-
- Olice because a great scheme OF dece,,rsI,-
-~-n was considered Indispensable. ana Nsr
--''llct produced three years ago his grau6,osa
-'8-l'e lor SIX army corps. each self-vove-ni-,
l'a oI '-'-llns as working unit. The re.ov-,,--
ziunl,'irs. after Intellectual efforts "a -
Iese army CORPS decide that the decentrauza-
son has been more apparent than raj -,
ast nothing IS gained by having an ir,it,t,a,
y paper OF the German system without ha1,nr,
ne lnen OF the field and under systematic train
~. Mr. Brodrick has been reformed" into
Le lraia once ana Mr.. Arnold Forster Is now
'rei.g hcni-g the army as lighting machine