The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-08-03
tined is here not subject to any tax

pay a small percentage, say perha1s
ten or twenty, on its unearned incre-
ment, when this has passed fifty nar
cent. beyond its present existing price,
Is it anything remarkable that was
occupied in watching the manner or
the statesman present than being alb
sorbed in their matter? l who had
heard the apostles of Taxing the I'M
earned increment one hundred per
cent, every bit of it. The bill is no
doubt a good beginning. that is, the
taxation of the unearned increment OF
the land, but L was witnessing a play
IN which the opposition protested
against being robbed of the land
their fOrbears. either stole or had be-
slowed upon them through privilege.
AS I passed the several gates to the
House of Commons | saw standing by
them patient, rather wOe-begOne, bur
we'll dressed m wearing the
| saches Of the Votes for Women"
League, and bearing in their hands
scrolls of paper. They We're Suffrag-
cites. subjects of derision by un-
womanly passers-by, objects of fear tn
the Prime Minister, lions to the sight
seer and apparently friends to the
policeman on~guard. Like the police
man. the women go on duty several
hours, and hen are relieved by others
They hand out h%andbills, describin.
tIICl oA11IoSSihS = ~ SSI NILE.
AsQuith to receive their petition. One
day they besieged the gates during the
session eight hours, another ten hours.
another thirteen. They have an
nounced they will keep up their mute
protest for all the time the House Of
Commons remain in session.
The deepest impression that England
made upon me came from its poverty.
True, I had not the time to measure
and the data of its wealth,
its middle class comfort, its institu-
tons of social h~elpfulness, but every.
where is thrust before the travellers
eyes scenes Of d~eplOrable misery. If
one takes a cab in any street in Lon
don, a painting boy or a man suddenly
appears and gOeS through the form Of
proffering the unsolicited service Of
closing or opening the cab door. Ere
uuently, there are so many OF these
men and boys, they hustle and hustle
with each other as to who shall
apparently go through the form and
perform the SerVice.O course, | have
seen similar efforts in some of the
large cities of the United States. but
these have been at prominent hotels
or restaurants. In England, it seems
as if there is no place where you may
go in which the poor fellow is not i'm
mediately upon your heels, craving Tor
something. Indeed if one halts for 3
here to consider his way, or
stops at a door Of a business house be-
fore entering to look at its signs, he
hears a voice at his side asking for the
'job" Of giving hin information. tx
cuSeS and SubterfugeS OF all kinds are
employed by tattered and hungry look
ing men to get a penny without act
uaily putting forth their hands to beg.
Some poor fellows follow cabs Tor
miles to earn a sixpence carrying the
travellers trunks into the boarding
houses. The benches in the parks. on
the river embankments, at the little
triangles and interSecting streets have
their ragged human derelicts sitting
about in lines and groups. In the
newspapers and in the average con-
verSation it is not uncommon TO see
and near mention Of unemployment az
the accepted chronic feature of Eng
lands industrial and social life. ms
trade Union pay out large sums ann
ually to their own unemployed. NaS9
scales seem not to be seriously threat
ened as one might hin from the
presence of the masses OF tAe very
poor, for many Of these, by their long
period of d1eness and misery nave
been rendered unemployable, Physlc-
ally, thousands have become unft' aho
from habit almost unreclaimable. wee
and the result Of idleness may hhu
them ready victims.
Poverty is on view in all parts OF
London; slum back streets border Oh
fashionable thoroughfares; figures III
dirt and rags SLOUGH along amid gay
and we'll attired p~romenaders. Men
who, as representatives Of organized
labor have constantly before them
questions of deprivation and ldiehe9S'
impaired to me their views ana con
illusions, summarizing verbally the
outdoor relief.
In brief, I may consequently say that
what the TRANCE sees OF the a"lul
exposed restitution of London 1alfls
Illustrates what is in the back ground
or entirely called from him. ANY
Interpretation of the measures when
Parliament and the Councils take up
or which are proposed by social re-
formers, to be corrected, must Dc
governed by this one leading fact IN
England-its myriads of empty stom-
achs, ill-clad bodies and idle, though