Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-14
ROYAL VISIT COMMENT
British Labor Party Made
Nothing in Debate.
KING EDWARD AND CAR
Plan for National Hospitality Or
ganization Progresses.
LAND RENTS OF ARISTOCRATS
KING EDWARD AND CAR
LAND RENTS OF ARISTOCRATS
Electric Thrill Days for Londoners.
Many Tourists in the British
Capital-Borse Show.
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

| Parliamentary observers are aSTeeu
| that the labor party has not enhanced
| its reputation as a body of responsible
| politicians by the debate on the kings
visit to Russia. The idea had got abroad
| that certain of the more aggressive social
| lists intended to make Il demonstration.
| but although there were two somewhat
| piquant scenes the discussion on the
whole was maintained on a dignitied level.
| largely owing to the tactfulnesS and
gravity of the speeches of Sir Edward
Grey and Mr.. Balfour. That the storm
elements were present. however. was
shown by the angry Cutburst from Mr..
Grayson's friends when that militant
socialist rising to speak was closured
out of hand at the instance of. the labor
leader. Mr.. Henderson.
| Although the labor members were sup
| ported by the usual band of "1nalcontent
| radicals, with the significant addition of
Mr.. Ponsonby. the late prime ministers
| private secretary. they made very in
effective display in the division lobby, and
the net result of their action is, while
further alternating them from the gov
eminent. to intensity the loss of caste
which they have been steadily undergoing
| at Westminster.
Made Gear Naval Officer.
1t would be idle to attempt to under
rate the political significance of the royal
visit. Sixty-four years have passed since
the Tsar Nicholas i paid his memorable
| visit to Windsor. and since then no
British and Russian sovereigns have met
| as political friends. Visits there have
been, but politically they have meant
| nothins-a truce at most. When Alex
ander III came to England in 1874 the oc-
| casion was exclusively domestic, being
| connected
daughter to the Duke of Edinburg. Alex
ander III never set foot on British shores
| as tsar. and the visit of his son twelve
| years ago was in its public aspects an
| courtesy occasion only.
| On this side no British sovereign has
| hitherto visited the Russian court. What
| this implies in strained relations needs
no demonstration. Now the long feud
of the two countries is happily at an
| end. and there is. at last, the possibility
| of friendly cooperation between them,
| which. if wisely directed and loyalty
prosecuted, must prove of incalcuable ad-
| vantage to the whole world
| The political understandings of SOW
| eregnS and governments are of little val
! lie nowadays unless they are reinforced
by the sympathies of their respective
nations, and these sympathies must on
both sides be free to assert themselves
decisively in the political domain. Any
| narrow decisions on this point in ST.
| Petersburg can only mean short life for
|
people the most incorrigible of SEN
| timentalists, and the last thing they are
! ever likely to do is to sacrifice their
political idealism to the rason d'etat.
New London Organization.
Distinct progress is being made with
the idea of a national hospitality organ
ization which is intended to save Eng
land from making her foreign guests the
rather hole-andcorner return for the fine
ly arranged and official festivities which
they give TO parties from other countries.
Mr.. Lloyd Georges promise of a sum to
such an organization was a great step
indeed. but it would have been in vain
unless something were being done toward
the creation of that machinery" the
absence of which the prime minister re-
ferred 10 the other day in the house. Sir
Edwin Cornwall. who has had this mat
ter at heart ever since, as chairman OF
the London county council, he had SO
much to do with international visits, has
been devisng a scheme Of organization.
The chief points are to arrive at some
provision of facilities to enable visitors
TO this country, both individuals and par
ties, who come by invitation Of parties of
all kinds here. to obtain information about
the permits for public institutions. and
to take some official cogniZance of the
group visits that are becoming so regular
now. 1t would be satisfactory, to be
sure, that burgomasters or mayors or
chambers Of commerce or clergy or jour
naliStS who came here as the guests of
their brethren in England did not feel as
if they were just being housed and fed
and most people not penny the wiser.
Sir Edwin proposes what he calls a
| British international hospitality center, a
body with offices and an adequate staff to
act as a consultative committee. advising
the government and public bodies gener-
ally on the proper occasion for and scope
| of international visits, and to act as in
British and colonial and foreign munich
palities II would include representatives
of the government, parliament. mun'clpall-
ties. commerce. agriculture, education, sci
ence art, religion, learned societies and
so on, and might be divided into Subcom-
mittees on these lines. 1t must be said
at once that there is no desire to ask the
government to spend money on hospi-
tally
1t would be deplorable If the readiness
to act host which many bodies here
have shown were undermined. The gov
eminent funds would only be for the
maintenance of the center itself. The
| whole idea is that when visits have been
arranged there should be good working
means OF making them extensive in scope
and giving them more public frlendll-
ness Sir Edwin hopes to graft on to the
organization his scheme for congress OF
capitals. but the first thing is to get the
: central office to work.
Estates of the Aristocracy.
While the great agricultural estates of
the aristOcracy have in recent years been
split up and aIienated to strangers-par-
, ticularly since the passage of the settled
land acts-the owners of considerable ur-
: ban properties in London and the big
provincial cities. known cOlloquially as the
great ground landlords, have shown
2 singular tendency to keep their ground
rents in their respective families. The
nrt nd att In
alienated from the dukedom of Portland
but they are held by Lord Howard de
Walden The Kensington estates of Lord
/ kensington were also dispersed under the
hammer five six years ago. and are
now held by Viscount Iveagh and an In
:. surance company. But most OF the othel
l great ground landlords of London. such
/ as the Duke of Westminster. the Duke OF
I Bedford, Earl Cadogan and Niscount
Portman, are direct descendants Of the
: owners of their properties a hundred
years ago.
The Duke of Bedford. however. is about
to dispose of valuable portions of his
Covent Garden property. which has been
in the family for centuries, and which
comprises the Bedford New Town estate
t in st. Pancras and small portion OF the
Bedford Aldwych property The area
though small brings in 100000 a year In
ground rents. while the total OF the rack
, rents is estimated at four or 1--WE times
this sum- The Bedford New Town prop
erty comprises the Oakley and Amphil
Square districts, with reversion in about
forty years. but the most valuable portion
of the Aldwych property. This extends
o,,I