The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-07-05
Say American Combination.
Is One Of Most Ubiquitous
World Has Ever Known.
RADICAL CHANGES lin
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Revolutionary Measures Cause
Conservative Englisl1n1an to
Feel That Whole Social
Fabric is Tottering.
Music Teaching
in Schools.
fspselai cable to Tn. Times Dispatch.

ONDoE. July 4.-One finds Il
difficult to believe in these days
that this Is the conservative
England OF even five years ago
The three topics OF the hour
deal viii, radical changes in nationa
affairs, which half a decade ago were
entirely outside the domain OF practi.
cal politics. Parliament is on thr
point of altering the daily habits ol
the nation SIX months In each year b,
arbitrarily advancing the hands of the
clock sixty minutes. 1t has also
gniilotined. through the debate stage
a revolutionary measure providing for
an enormous annual expenditure in
free doles' from the national purse
for a certain class In the community.
1t is ready to pass-at least the House
OF Commons Will do SO before the next
general election--a measure extending g
full franchise TO women.
1t is not surprising that the aver :
age Englishman begins to feel that
the whole social fabric Is trembling TO
ita foundations.
Moreover. these fundamental changes
are being undertaken By the govern
ment in power In the same light
hearted fashion that 1t would propose
vote for a new battleship.
Advancing the Clock.
. II was only year ago that mention
was made of the latest faddist who
suggested advancing the clocks OF the
country so that the people could pre-
sumably enjoy an hour or two more
daylight recreation ut the end of each
day. The idea was treated as a huge
joke until Parliament took 1t up se-
riousiy and gave series OF hearings
and prepared a bill modifying the
scheme TO one hour. And the measure
is now ready for the final reading.
which II will probably pass No Sc
rious opposition to the bill has arisen
until now and It is probably too late.
TIE papers contained letters and et9f.
torials in protest. pointing out that
however much Parliament may lei gis-
late people who now dine at s O'clock.
Will next year dine at o'clock, which
VIII be the same time under the new
name.
The Stock Exchange will be seriously
discommoded. because 10 transact the
enormous business done here In Amer
.ican securities it will be necessary to
keep-lthe exchange open until o'clock
in order to overlap the New York ex-
change by an hour IS at present Mr..
Willetts. the enthusiast who first pro-.
posed the scneme. offers to bet that
the American government will adopt
IT within a few years. and this objec-
ton will then he removed.
Old Age Pension Bill.
That revolutionary measure-the old
age pension bIll--which In its present
shape adds 100000 annually to the
already overburdened budget. WAS
rushed through the debate stage In
three sittings by means of closure.
It pensions all poor above seventy by
a fivefold scale OF payments. This is
q modification of the original meas
ure. but does not change Its character.
It still remains true that certain pen
sioners will eventually become richer
than their neighhors by the simple
process OF being poorer. and thus fall
Ing into the more heavily subsidized
classes. which the government has In
sisted on maintaining on noncon-'
sributory basis. thus defying the ex-
perience OF many generations. which
have proved that the free doles UNDER
mine character, while thrift sus aims It.
Neither the government nor any
body else has suggested where the
money Is to come from to meet this new
drain. The bill becomes operative for
only three months of8the present fla-
cal year. and Chancellor Lloyd-George.
speaking at the Mansion House last
night, lamented because the national
revenue was already falling rapidly.
Such bill would not ordinarily go
to the House of Lords. which has no
power to deal with approximations
This measure. however. was introduced
from the budget and 1t con-
tains features on which the upper
house has an llndoubted right to pass.
There is no danger that 1t will pass
the Lords In It's present shape, but
their method OF treating 1t cannot vet
be foreseen. The Unionists In the
House Of Commons have shown csr-
tain amount OF sympathy with several
features of the;Smeasure. and this COM.
plipates the situation from political
point Of view. Some OF the changes
made IN the House of Commons were
unionist proposals. The hest anti
socialist opinion is that the House OF
Lords should5reiect the measure In: toto
ence. ts
lss a clear Issue would then be created
as we'll as a chance for the govern
ment to appeal to the countryinh ii behalf
Of their pet measure for promoting the
general cause OF socialism,, There
would not be the slightest doubt OF
the result. Premier Asquith's nonde-
script combinations would be over
4, Women Want to Vote.
\ This weeks suffragette martyrdom
has not, on the whole, moved the heart
Of the English people to any great de-
gree of pity 1t was certainly a. great [
demonstration from a spectacular point
Of view. but interest In the matte has
already disappear except perhaps int
The perturbsd mind 4 OF the government T
leade ~ who are q II their wits ends to
know how ifto ilto deal With their myriad
female. persecntors. This time they
are making the experiment of using
somewhat great ter severity toward I
those VIII o tss are S drawn into the I
Court. The public sens IA OF JUS
lice apparently has not teenSo |
1x his nnlicy ifs "a f4 fnis 3 ~ q