The Glenwood post., 1909-10-16
Saturday, october 1e, 1909.
REVOLUTION IMPENDING IN
GREAT BRITAIN

1t may be doubted whether the i'm
portance of the political struggle whica
is proceeding in Great Britain as CON
sequence of the radical and original
propositions embodied in the budget is
as yet fully appreciated in this coun-
try.
The Inquirer has been careful to in
form its readers upon the subject and
to explain the grave character of the
impending issue, but the subject has
not generally attracted a degree of at
tention commensurate with it's interest.
Mr. Darwin p. Kingsley, president of
one of the big New York life insurance
companies, who has lately returned
from a vacation spent in England and
Scotland, did not exaggerate the situa-
tion when, in the course of an inter
view, he said that what we are wit
Messing is the beginning of a struggle
for the restoration of the land, which
for centuries has been held by com
paratively few persons, to the people
and that whatever is done with the
budget, the real fight will go on until
a settlement has been reached whose
consequences will be felt the world
over. Mr.. Kingsley does not doubt that
this settlement will be attained bv
peaceful means and he expresses con
fidence which most Americans will
share that in the end the cause of the
people will be triumphant.
In France the great estates which
were held by the nobility prior to the
revolution We're broken up by the sim
pie, direct and speedy process of con
fscation. This is opposed to British
traditions and is alien to the Anglo
Saxon temperament. The vast hold
ings of the British aristocracy. 500 of
whose members own 100000 acres
between them, are not to be confscated;
they are to be subjected to taxation
which they have heretofore escaped
The budget provides, first, that unim
proved property shall bear tax of
"ppul oHt-iouriH ol per cent oil lts
value; that there shall be n tax on min.
eral royalties; and that 90 per cent of
future increments of land values shall
90 to the state. In order to furnish
basis for the collection of this 30 per
cent provision is made for the yalua-
tion of all the landed property in the
United Kingdom. About 12O valuation
districts are to be formed at each of
which there will be valuer and two or
more assistants, and the work of these
men is to be reviewed by supervising
body of travelling superintendent in
spectors.
1t is estimated that it will take three
or four years and cost about $40 900 600
fully to institute the intended system
and it has been agreed, as a concession
to the property owners, that this ex-
pense shall be betrayed out of the
public treasury; but the new taxation
is calculated to produce between three
and four millions year almost at once
and it obviously admits of an indefi
mite expansion. Mr.. David Lloyd-
George, the chancellor of the exchequer
sees in this increment an excellent sub
Jeet for taxation and he has frankly
admitted an intention to draw largelv
on 1t in the future. There is, of course.
nothing to prevent parliament, should
1T see fit, from taking so per cent of
the so-called ''unearned increment, or
even from appropriating it bodily. al
though considerations of public policy
would probably prevent any such dras-
tic procedure.
Such is the prospect which the house
of lords is facing, and that its members
should regard it with dismay is no
more than natural. Possibly the coun-
try may give the land owners a respite
by adopting the alternative course pro.
posed by Mr.. Balfour, who advocates
the adoption of the protective system,
but there is no mistaking the signif-
cance of the writing on the WALL Phil
adelphia Inquirer.
- y = y -
JUSTICE DEMANDS A TRrAr.