The sun., 1908-05-10
WORRY At HONE AND ABROAD
SGiIiLiST iND iFGHiN WAR
ILOID TROC ELE BRITAIN.
nlI Nge rcnslon scheme Raises storm Of
lnmltl tnthc Njnistry-Al In the DARK
q, to real Situation At CabuI Gossip
II Iundon American social OOlnEs
-,I.I CnNf Dr,palrl 10 TnE Sun. :

~ IOnUun -NWCFicNh NOtlhl uOlnbt'
sast4' cable Dc,pa'cG q, THB Sun
1SpON, May Q. Now that the country
20, had time to consider the Governments
.,r0st attempt to install socialism IN Great
urun II becomes abundantly evident that
..,podv II satisfied II is somewhat curious
.llt the loudest critics Of the old age PEN
..u scheme are the Socialists themselves
Instead Of welcoming il as an opening
wedge they bitterly denounce the Ministry
..r the inadequacy OF It's measure
On the other hand Premier Asquith has
.armod everybody possessing even primi-
~, knowledge Of economies and national
Guanco. Most Of all has he offended those
whose fetch is free trade, who realize that
uo principle involved in the new bill will
,llke iarh taxation inevitable. In word
.- unhappy Liberal Government has
.audged to make good technically one Of
.- many prediction promises and has set
be- whole country by the ears.
The members Of the Government oon-
griruate themselves on one great piece OF
-ooI luck. They had an unprecedented
surplus to play with, 1t enabled them to
.aiuce the tariff on sugar and provide
.h~ce months payment OF the old age pen
-0uns without increasing the taxation,
They hope this will deceive the average
.Iuaen into believing that their policy is
,.onomically sound
One almst suspects that II ia their inten-
ION to retire from Office before the real
problem presents itself for solution in
next years budget The recent elections
nav, demonstrated that this Government
Las lost the confidence Of the country to an
extent never equaled in the same length
4 time and il is not the custom in this
country for an administration to cling to
rower long under such circumstances.
BITTER COMMENTS
Most Of the criticisms Of the old age
cnslon scheme, with which all but the Lib
nral organs are filled, are sufficiently OBJ
y0ous and do not need recording The
ute Of the Spectators leader to-day sums
Ip one class II is A Plan to Discourage
the Working Cas es From Making Ade-
Duate Provision for Old Age" II ia pointed
uut that a workingman whose earnings
yield ten shillings $3.50 a week is entitled
10 a pension, while he whose income from
his labor is eleven shillngs gets nothing.
Thus the income Of the former under the
oId age pension law is fifteen shillngs a
week
There il another curious feature IN the
bill which raises a serious moral question.
Married couples receive only seven and a
III II fOF
Two old persons-fye shillings each. The
marriage tie is none too strong in this coun-
try among the classes affected by this bill,
Il is pointed out that this discrimination
against marriage will put premium on
Legitimate unions,
THE AFGHAN CLoUD,
News from the Afghanistan frontier this
week has caused great alarm in this country,
how great may be gathered from the drop
e a full point in consols in a single day,
drop which has not been equalled in any
recent yoIitical crisis. The Pritish Gov
crnment s still entirely in the dark "a to
the true situation.
II will be remembered that the terms OF
the recent Anglo-Russian agreement pro-
yided for the surrender Of important British
interests in Persia and Tibet in exchange
for certain advantages in Afghanistan. II
is feared that these advantages will prove
10 be illusory. The Amir was offended
because he was not consulted about the
inglo-Russian agreement, which is nopera-
live in regard to Afghanistan until he con-
.ents He has thus far withheld his ap-
proval and it is announced with equal
emphasis that he will and will not sign and
that his attitude toward Great Britain is
friendly and unfriendly.
Kabu has been silent since the frontier
troubles began. The Ameer's brother who
is Dr,iag to usurp the throne, is avowedly
anti British The Mohmands, who are the
chief cause Of the trouble, are a great tribe,
half in Pritish and half in Afghan juris-
diorion. The British authorities can hardly
I,G the Amir TO control his half when
the English themselves arc totally unable
- control those on their side Of the border
Inc existing arran cement was made by Sir
'lenry Mortimer Durand in 1895 against
he protest Of the Amir, who prophesied
that it would lead TO trouble.
II seems probable on the whole that the
r,pIanation Of the Amir's ambiguous
action lies in his powerlessness in his own
dingdom This is scarcely less foreboding,
however, TO British interests than his actual
hostility would be, Another Afghan war
ia the face Of the present serious unrest
throughout India would be a grave calamity
for the British 10 face.
SOCIALIST TYRANET
The British Socialist is hard taskmaster
year or 80 ago when the King visited
cardiff its Lord Mayor was William Cross
man, a working man and Socialist. The
hInR conferred the usual honor Of knight
hood and when his term as Mayor was
over Sir William resumed work as the labor
rcpresentstive in the Trades Council and
he Operative Masons Society, the former
Of which contributes thirty Of his munifcent
.alary Of fifty shillings (ti25O) week,
Apparently determined TO get the most
: can for the money out Of its only titled
,f1cial the Trades Council has withheld its
Contribution since the beginning Of the year
pecause Sir William refuses TO preach the
doctrines OF socialism on the street corners
and in the parks on Sunday mornings and
evenings, declaring that he will not depart
rom his lifelong custom Of attending his
own place Of worship on that day. The
Trades Council broke up lie meeting in an
iproar yesterday. Sir William continues
10 maintain the dignity OF knighthood
n the masons' pound a week.
TOO MUCH VANDERBILT.
Rsynoldss NeoSpdpeT heads an editorial
Too Much Vanderbilt 1t proceeds TO
ask sHow long would Master Vanderbilt