Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-25
George says that is Objectionable, not the
manner of his say
Socialism Differs ing it, Much of his
political preaching
40 49, would be regarded

manner of his say
Socialism Differs ing it. Much of his
political preaching
would be regarded
in America as socialism, but that is
largely because the word socialism
never means the same thing in any two
places or at any two times. The British
people accept as matter OF course what
Americans would regard as the most
dangerous of socialistic doctrines, and
then reject as socialistic things which III
America are looked upon as simple COM
mon sense.
L1oyd-George is more radical than Bry-
an or La Toilette, for the simple reason
that Great Britain already has enacted
Unto enforcible law everything and more
of social legislation advocated by
Bryan or La Toilette in their most radi-
cal moments. Bryan advocated regula-
ton of railway rates and La Toilette is
fighting for physical valuation of rail-
way property. Before either of them had
made any Roadway with these doctrines
Great britain already had taken action.
except that in Great Britain the govern
ment not only regulates railway rates.
but it makes the rates and the railroads
have nothing to do with transportation
tariffs except to charge what the gov
eminent says to charge, no more and no
less Municipal ownership, cooperative
societies and many such things are COM
mon in Britain.
If Lloyd George limited his radcalism
to that of Bryan and La Toilette, he
would be more
Would Be Radicals reactionary than
j., wasb;no+on the opposition
leaders, Bafour
Mr. Pa1four a
senator from Rhode Island and Mr..
Chamberlain as a representative were to
make the same speeches in the Capitol at
Washington that they have made at
Westminster they would be regarded as
devout followers of Eugene V. Debs. But
that is all because Great Britain is not
the United States and British problems
are not American problems. There are
political questions in Great Britain upon
which Senator Aldrich and Speaker can
non would take an attitude which the
British conservatives would consider dan
gerOuSly SocialiStlc.
One great source of confusion is that
the United States and Great Britain en-
ploy the same outfit of political phrases,
but none of them means the same thing in
the other country. 1t is radical socialism
in England to advocate the imposition OF
land taxes. yet even the stanchest tory
when informed that in the United States
the telegraph and express business is
carried on by private corporations Will
declare that America is unciviliZed. In
the United States taxation of land is en-
tirely proper, but government ownership
of telegra phs is unthinkable socialism.
How radical Mr.. Lloyd-George is,
whether he be democrat or demagogue.
may be determined by reading his own
house of lords, the crucial questions in
the British crisis he said: The ques-
ton is whether so men-ordinary men
chosen accidentally from among the I'M
employed, should override the deliberate
judgment of millions of people who are
engaged in the industry which makes the
wealth of the country
Who ordained that a few should have
the land of Britain as perquisite?" he
Abolition of Hunger made ten thou
Cred He breaches. sand people own
ers of the soil.
and the rest of us trespassers in the land
of our birth? Who is it who is RESPONSE
BILE for the scheme of things whereby
one man its engaged through life in grind
ing la Dor to win bare and precarious
subsistence for himself, and when, at
the end of his days, he claims a [ the
hands of the community he served
poor pension of eight pence a day, he
can only get it. through a revolution, and
another man who does not toll receives
every hour of the day, every hour of
the night, whilst he sIumbers, more than
his poor neighbor receives in whole
year of toll? Where did the table of
the law come from? Whose finger in
scribed it? These are the questions. Ths
answers are charged with peril for the
order of things the peers represent. but
they are fraught with rare and refreshing
fruit for the parched lips of the multi
tude who have been treading the dusty
road along which the people have
marched through the dark ages which
are now emerging into the light
That is Lloyd-George's estimation of
the situation. His slogan is the aboli-
ton of hunger. He demands the enamel
patton of the people from bondage to
the privileged classes. If he is dema-
gogue he is utterly without shame. If
he is democrat he is the most thorough
going democrat who ever has occupied
political position of such great power
TOMORROW-THE BRITISH CRISIS.
XXI-The Church and the State.