The San Francisco call., 1910-08-28
Tories Seek to Divert Attention
From Free Trade by At
tacking Land Tax
Payment of Members of Parlia=
ment Becomes One of Po-
liticaI Questions
By T. P. O'CONNOR
Especial Gable 10 The Call


namely, the tariff, land settlement and
payment Of the members of parliament,
rushed TO the front and once more
brought England face to face with the
most vital problems.
The simultaneou revolt against the
high cost Of living in all parts of the
world. due TO the shortness of crops
and the eXaggeration of tariffs which
have produced outbreaks of alarm in
Austria. Germany and France. has had
its echo in England.
The English free traders are jubilant
over this awkward phenomenon and
challenge the high tariff men and the
tory party TO supply the answer.
TIDE AGAINST HIGH TARIFF
This rising tide against the high
tariff party in England is further aug
mented by the revolt of western Can
ada against Premier Laurier's high taE-
III policy and il is affected also by the
events in America connected with
Roosevelt's personality.
Driven back from their high tariff
entertainments, the tories now seek a
second line Of defense on the land ques-
lion They are trying on the one hand
To emba rrass the collection of LLOYD
Georges land taxes by appeals to the
universal Discrimination TO pay the new
taxes and the almost equally great dis
molina ton TO prepare returns for the
tax gatherer- Some land agents even
propose TO start q movement of passive
resistance against making any returns
On the other hand the tories have
come out, one after another. every day
with some new scheme to create small
land owners in England and Scotland.
LAND NATURALIZATION PLAN
one tory suggests that the land
should be bought by the state and re-
sold in Ireland. Another proposes that
The soldier, sailor and police pensioners
should get plots of land for nothing.
In short, the whole army of land mon
opolists is in desperate panic and in
fun flight
As 10 the third question, namely, the
payment OF members of parliament, it
las come 20 the front with lightning
-apidity.
The labor party still demands legis-
lation TO restore the right of the trades
union to Ike compulsory levy for
The payment of members of parlia-
ment and for other political purposes.
But such a drastic appeal is not likely
20 obtain the support Of the ministry,
and probably the liberals and the labor
ltes win combine on the payment OF
members of parliament by the state as
the nrst instaLment of the restoration
Of the right of the trades unionists,
though probably this proposal will not
LABOR PARTY IN TROUBLE
II remains possible that the difhcul-
ties Of the labor party from their al
most complete exhaustion of funds and
their pressure in turn on the ministry,
may rush the question and force ii in
the next session.
ireland in the meantime looks on
somewhat phlegmatically. She sees
the land system for which she fought
. -. 1of f~,,.,
the only solution by the English and
tory party who resisted Ireland's fight
all along.
ireland similarly regards the pay
ment OF members with serene detach-
nlent. having nearly $4,000 already
subscribed this year by her people for
the support Of the parliamentary move
ment, and the prospect of perhaps
double that sum from the coming tour
Of John Redmond and his colleagues in
the United States and in Canada.
GAME LAWS RULE HOUSE
There was a time. two generations
ago, when you could tell what nine
men out of ten in the house Of COM
mons were doing. They belonged al
most exclusively to the upper classes
and they might easily be tracked TO
their resting places according TO the
month and the particular form Of sport
at that particular time.
The game laws were ln0ee0 the laws
also of the house Of commons and still
more so of the house of lords. Parlia-
uent had TO adjourn by the 18th of
August because that sacred date marks
the opening of the grouse shooting
season and every member-at least on
the conservative side-spent some
weeks at il. And a little later you
would easily know that most OF the
LEGISLATORS were partridge shooting be-
cause partridge shooting starts in
September.
The democratic leaning, however, of
the house Of commons has stripped it
of its ponderous country gentlemen
with their traditions. We now have
a labor party. with plenty of poor men;
we have the Irish party, composed
mostly Of poor men; and the trading
factions are widely represented
Nowadays the sporting fraternity in
the house of commons is small Few
fnd II necessary for the unfolding of
their regulations to go 70 Scotland to
fish for salmon. Mr.. Balfour, who is
2 Ecotchman and who has large prop
erty over the border, used to follow the
dictates OF custom and took moor in
scotland. but now he usually goes to
his own estate and there quietly fools
around his gardens or lolls in his IL
brary for a complete rest.
BALFoUR DESIRES REST
Balfour is an omnivorous reader
and. if he were free, would much pre-
fer the confines OF his library to the
r,osition as leader of a party in the
house Of commons
one day he said to me: L must stop
here (rneaning the house Of commons).
How is it we must stop here once we
get into it2"
He implied by this that he regarded
,,oIft;cai life as a great piece OF folly.
He differs from most Britons of leisure
and wealth in not being a globe trot-
ter. In his remote youth he visited the
United States, but has never been there
since. Years have some times passed
during which he has not even crossed
the channel.
He did SO twice this year, however.
which was notable break in his llab-
SIS Rut the first incident fnerkes'