El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-07-06

ONDON. the ancient realm of king
George V, is at peace by virtue
| OF truce between the warning
elements of British political and social
/ life; truce declared when Edward
| VII died, in order that the reign of the
new king might be begun prOpitiousIy.
J But it is only a truce. The affairs of
the British empire approach crisis in
] volVing the very life of that grea test
and most powerful political orgdniza-
! ton OF modern history
British sea power, upon which rests
/ the whole fabric of the empire. is
| threatened, for the first time since
| Trafalgar, by the rapid increase in the
! German navy.
| British industrial supremacy, upon
the permanence of which England long
! ago staked it's material prosperity, is
30 longer Acknowledged by the world.
| and the competition of Germany and
| the United States in manufacturing is
felt keenly by British business inter
ests.
British social conditions have not
kept pace with the progress of modern
times. and in no other country of the
western world, except Russia. is there
TO be seen such unequal distribution of
wealth Nearly one-third of the people
constantly are under the shadow of the
British political institutions. for the
first time. are not altogether under the
control of the landlord class. class
composed of very few of the people
who own nearly all of the land The
rise of an industrial democracy which
is able TO control. at times. a majority
OF the house of commons and, there
fore, the government, in opposition to
the wishes of the land owning. gov
erning class, presages an inevitable ir-
repressible class conflict
Foreign War to Restore Credit
The party of privilege and aristoc-
racy, frightened by the social democ-
racy, leans hard upon the past and
looks to foreign war as a means of
restoring British prestige and power
and as an excuse to sacrifice social pro-
gress upon the altar of patriotism. It
is not the first time that Tories, British
and others, have sought to drown the
voices of protesting proletariat in the
din of the drums Of war. And this
time they have the valid excuse that
there really is a German menace. in
dustrial if not political.
The party of privilege and aristocracy
fans the flames of German hatred and
appears to seek an excuse for war by
making much Of preparations for war.
According to this party, and in the
phrase of Kfpling, the whole duty Of
the people is to pay, pay, pay" that
the British navy may multiply: and to
tramp, tramp. tramp in obedience to
military commands, that the army may
be made adequate to defend the Brit
ish hearth from threatened invasion.
But with this proviso-that the own
ers of the land be not asked to do any
Of the paying, and that their sons be
not asked to do any of the tramping.
To do such things better BELTS their
tenants
People Impoverished.
The party of industry and democracy
appalled, by the poverty of the people |
seeks to revise the political institu- !
lions of the country so that the privi- /
legged aristecracy may not have the |
power absolutely to thwart the pro- !
gressive will and wishes of the nation. |
The party of industry and democracy |
proposes to maintain the British COM /
mercial supremacy, despite the rivalry |
of all competitors. by so improving the |
condition of the British workman that |
British wares actually will show that /
superiority of workmanship which has |
been the boast of the nation since the |
dawn Of the age of mechanical AFRICA
ton.
So it is that the party of privilege ,
war abroad as the salvation Of the /
empire from foreign foes and as the |
Of its own power at home, |
while the party OF industry and democ- I
racy looks forward to practical revo-
luton at home. SO that there need be
no fear, either of armed invader Or of j
privileged plutOcracy.
Political Parties Organized.
But the organized political parties Of
Great Britain are not so sharply and
cleanly divided. Representatives OF
both the aristocrats and the democ-
racy are to be found both on the gov
eminent and the opposition benches at
Westminster Yet it is true that the
Liberal party. now in power, is con-
rolled largely by the democratic ele-
nent. while the Conservative party is
more responsive TO aristocratic i'm
pulses Yet Mr.. Asquith. as the head
IF the Liberal government always must
consider the Whiggish arfstocrats still
eft among his followers and must not
20 too far in the direction of utter
democracy; while Mr.. BaI-our always
must remember that there are liberal
Tnionists behind him who are not yet
Tories.