New-York tribune., 1909-05-16
MONEY In PARLIAMENT
Str Weetmdn Pearson's Purchase
Brains and Subscriptions.
London. May s


Sir weetman Pearson has shown the courage
Of a stalwart Radical by buying a great landed
estate when English landholders ere frightened
by socialistic budget He is the Liberal mem
Der for Colchester, who earned baronetcy by
political service in financing the party in time
Of stress, and his wife and daughter. Lady
Pearson and Lady Denman. have been among
the most energetic of the Liberal hostesses Sir
Weetman Pearson has owned small estate
near Worth, in Sussex, and now he has enlarged
his possessions by the purchase of Cowdray
Park. near A1idhurst. for something less than
half a million sterling He has Joined the small
circle Of great Sussex landholders. with the
Duke Of Richmond. the Duke of Norfolk and
Lord Laconfeld as his neishbors IN the shire:
and he has announced the purchase at mo-
ment when the Chancellor Of the Excheduer
has proposed taxation IF land values and sys-
ternatic raiding of the une3rned Increment. II
is a practical method of demonstrating his faith
IN the policies Of his party. He makes this pur-
chase Of q famous estate when titled land
holders are complaining that they are menaced
with spoliaton and ruin. He snaps his fingers
at croakers and pessfn1sts. and declares that
land is good enough Investment for him. even
with all the talk about predatory legfsl4tion and
socialistic administration
Cowdray is one Of the historic estates pf SHs-
sex. with a picturesque ruin. splendid man
sion, avenues Of oaks. chestnuts and lines.
herds Of deer IN thu forests and grassy levels OF
q spacious park, and with traditions as vener-
able and as romantic as any connected with the
Sussex downs The ruined castle dates from
the time Of Henry VIII, whose portrait and that
Of his son, Edward VI each q Holbein. can 10
seen near by at Petworth. II was built by
childess Earl of Southampton and left 10
half brother, Sir Anthony Browne who was al
Michael ?. Grace now lives in the eastern
ranges Of Sussex. This vas the iconocIast who
destroyed abbey and clolsters and received AZ
feast the solemn imprecation Of Benedictine
monk, threa tening his descendants with fire and
water. The wes fulfilled $50 years after
ward. when the last Viscount Montague was
drowned in the Rhine and Cowdray was burned :
The Pearsons whose money was made in rail
way contracts in South America and Mexico.
could hardly have found a finer estate than this
beautiful wooded park, with It's stately lines Of
trees and its verdsnt deer glsdes. Edward Vt
and Elizabeth guests in the castle and
that consistent and impressionable old Tory. Or Z
Johnson, was nearly speechless with admiration
when ne looked about him in the park not be
ing able to say more than We see here how
our ancestors livedr' The Radical railway con
tractor now is sole owner OF Lord Egrnond's es-
tate-ruin. mansion. trees and deer. and he is
not concerned over the probability of being
heavily taxed for land values or unearned tncre-
ment
Liberals have even closer associations With
Cowdray Park than these traditions of Nor
mans and Tudors West LavinRton r. only a
mile distant. and that was the birthplace and
country home OF Golden. and his grave is in
the parish churchyard -Mannins's last AnzIi-
can charge before his conversion TO the Roman,
Church The great Free Traders home was in
that quiet village. near the famous park and .
there is a memorial pillar on the causewav close
by. Sir Weetmsn Pearson. in becoming the [
owner Of Cowdray. may consider himself the I
custodian Of the ark or the Free Trade coveu-
ant. Certainly there is a nobler tradition ia .
Midhurst than the fulfluent Of the monks I
curse Of fire and water. The home IF a great +
Englshrnan was there, not far from the farm
house where he born: and there he sleeps .
peacefully among the churchyard terraces /
when there is a great din throughout the king
dom over tariff reform. and Liberals are pre-
pared 10 make any sacrifice and to overvhelm /
the country with direct taxation on a war basis F.
for the sake Of holding fast to the ideas which .
he proclaimed with the fervor Of an evangel Of .
peace and good will AS Liberal Free Trader
sir wcetTnan Pearson has reason 10 be proud
of his new estate. with all its associations.
Railway contractors have their uses I'm one
party N the other. ! was asking a well in
formed Unionst why the Opposition was So
weak in debating power, and a pointed story
was told in explanation of the default man
Of capacity, intellect and ambition was anxious
To stand for Parliament In the next election
and his claims were canvassed by the working
politicians He readily agreed TO supply Il 900
for election expenses. He was next Informed
that the subscriptions "a local charities and in
stituttons would involve an expenditure OF fTOO
annually while he represented the district He
this extortionate and attempted to
have the annual dues reduced 70 $500 IRE
aaueus leaders and workers were consulted and
they turned him down because there was an
other candidate railway contractor with big
Irderta kings abrcad-who was willing 70 make /
= more generous contribution both TO election
expenses and % local institutions The man
with the larger income has been -oepted as the
candidate, although he is NOT an effective
speaker and will probably hs out Of England
Turing his Parliamentary term. The candidate
With superior resources Of intellect. character
md Influence who seAnned likely to make his
mark at Westminster. was dismissed with per
unctory expressions of regret
Educated Engshmen will argue and struggle
q the last against the idea Of having A Mem
,er of Parliament paid FOR his public services
rhev consider it legitimate requirement that
~ should pay his own election expenses and BE-
leavily taxed BY every social. charity and sport
ng organization in his constituency during his
srm Of office Every decade these incidental
expenses are increased and a large income be
omes more essential 70 political success This
: true Of the Unionists. and the effect is found