New-York tribune., 1909-01-31
cguRCHILL UNARMED
Land Issue Held Back-Parties
4drift.
London. January IS.

=. heat the air Mt winston ChurchIi
so'e' ef aggressive Radicalisrn' and Is loved
= G his political foes detest him. He was
80 $50 20 make fierce onslaught upon 'Sriii
f1 when he entered Birmingham the scene
rsfoI1l .,.,s raid against Chamberla inism;
a sia show the fighting strain in his oiooo
sno 2. sescr,bed the city's political masters as
When = r.,,sed. selfish, pushful and caucus
nafo - Iansdowne as an artful dodger, ana
-sleS' N'- o. .,,o ,,rrc- house as something which
re -. -ossible for reasonable men to de-
-rhre he was evidently spelling for
fshU hs Vas not armed for a decisive rouno
hsn. evidently the Prime Minister had
u F.-,issioneG him TO take the onenslVe ana
h0 -. the governments policy HIS speech
/" .,traritv and driving power He could
b. So lords to challenge the supremacy OF
g. ,..;,,a chamber by throwing out the oudset
ths .i,r5ne or a general election. He could
snS :" ,.s-, = deliberate policy Of forcing the
nV' ,o,,sa 10 choose between aosolute sur
tfP .,5 s7lspending the financial services or
when his last word was spoken the
~' -s''.,,,,onal question. which must ultimately
o0A1'.5 s..,ae5 bv the general electorate was lett
IN the sir .-5o.;sfor ,-th-ated in
ii-. ,,;lI-s ovz-, boast that he would be con-
~ s.e the battle Joined as speedily as pos
to'' INST rerresentative government; De
-ass g -s,.e-sion Of Protection and the main
- Fee Trade: between a tax on bread
is1sA -,U never rnird,- If he had I'M
snU q so,.enca. he would have said some
~ ..,,. ,rovocative; but he stopped snort
'e .--.n5inr- taxation Of land on mover
s1.s and the omission was q proof that
p -,,-ernooent has not made UP It's NINA 10
-. ,bs Lords TO the extremity OF throwing
=. .hs midget His challenge TO the Loros 10
=. snencial supply, IL they really wanteo
-..s- dissolution Of Parliament, was as foie
-rs. of wind in a cracked chimney nue.
:. 80, that they would not take that unprece-
..-+e5 course without wanton provocaton' m
- AVIATION Of licenses, -scientlhc dlIereh-
- ~ sncornes. additional levies upon the
.,ss of r,iIlionaires. living or dead, would not
- she lords 10 compel 2 dissolution Of
,,--,.,,s1t Taxation of land on revolutionary
- r,orls iustify- the Lords in holding up the
-.,-s-,r,ert and forcing it TO obtain the consent
:, =. electorate The birmingham audience
-.s waiting under high tension Of excitement
s,- - forecast an irrepressible conflict be
- .ex m bread and q tax on land, but he
,.,. ,,s,,sed with g conscious air ano
-. - ore 70 All out the break It was
..,7-- eight around the pivot on which hang
he fortunes Of the government and the consul
,r,;snsl relations OF Lords and Commons
s.If.rhstraint was required for enforcing the
ministerial rule Of reticence respecting matters
vstch have not been officially decided MI
--.,,-chYT v-ith the ardor Of youth and an IN
s.,-4sfye love Of combat. is the most dashing
trieH+ on the oUtermost Liberal line. He knows
IN. efficacy of campaign cry for rallylns foi-
lqv-ers behind him. He must have longed TO
.lsrtrlfv his audience with the phrase, iand
ayes IN place Ct bread taxes, for that wouln
s,rs heen ? more ineligible and popular issue
,hsn the one which he defined as "aristo-
--src rule against representative government"
Ee has his fathers intuitive knowledge OF what
81 audience wants the speaker TO say. and he
must have been sorely tempted to fling out
rhrase which would be caught up in general
sse1ion Both the big loaf and the little
losf" have become stale in Free Trade polemics
~s-esd taxing and land taxing" would have had
the novelty Of fresh Jingle. It would have
bssn hsppy moment for Mr.. Churchill Il he
hsd been Ct liberty 10 sound out the new text
and to proclaim the iniquity Of taxing the peo-
pes bread when there was the rich mans land
specially the lords land. TO bear the burden Of
sOcial reform. But he could not shake off the
obligations of Cabinet minister, and conse-
euentiy vas silent.
tbs disclosure OF land taxation as the gov
.---nen:'s future policy would have been prenia-.
tlrs. because il IS not yet known how large the
dsfctt CT revenues viii be. what are the
new sources Of taxation which Mr.. Lloyd
George has in mind. Apparently an amended
system of land valuation will be required. and
'his Tust have the assent ~ Parliament before
can be employed as means Of increasing
1e7sauez. The Prime Minister evidently has
tauloned his colleagues against committing the
oh, MAY
hecsssarv Tor revenue purposes and may not
ss Immediately practicable. owing TO the lack Of
Faigstion mechanism. Moreover. the announce
n''H' Of land taxation would have been q, direct
ctaleHge to the Lords gho own large proper
i9a Of land in the kingdom. They may allow
secial reforms ami trade unionist measures TO
fass bUt as the largest body of land owners in
1f Kingdom they giII offer strenuous resistance
Is TIE taxation of land values budget with
nat principle embodied in II will carry with il
he menace u dissolution It may come but
certainly il has not yet been accepted by the
ubinet as fnality. Mr.. Lloyd-George and Mr..
calrchill nay favor il, Yet Mr- Asquith. with
1s driving force Of an irnperious viii, restrains
asr lmpatience and keeps them in order.
Despite protestations on each side, it is doubt
Il whether either party really desires an cleo
uaH this wear. The Radicals lay stress upon
's fact that Mr. Balfour waited too long, and
Consequence Of his own Wariness was finally
TVhelmed with disaster His experience is
SAhs against procrastinatioE when the by
'eetions ofeT evidence Of an increasing popular
'eseuon against the government Of the day; but,
'Ae other hand, the Liberals not in q
'''1 position for conducting aggressive can
~H and they expect to strengthen their
0Uho oy charging The scope OF social legisla-
eh which The Lords are too discreet to oppose.
session Tlsy be prolonged with fairly
ssc'ofy budget until there more direct
- and more seryiceable campaign cries for
~h appeal Ia The arposifioD