The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-11-05
L~LOYD.CEORCE AND
OLD-AGE PENSIONS
. Revolutionary Statesman aud ao
Interesting EKpefiRe0& Is Seeu
By . Tar Heel Editor.

Interesting EKpefinent as Seeu
By . Tar Heel Editor.
IA leader Of the present socss.
revolution tn England, the Chancellor
Of the ExcheQuer. Is described in .h.
November issue OF tho Worlds Work
by the editor OF tho PROGRESSIVE
Farmer. Mr.. Clarence III. Poe. who has
recently returned from q visit to Eu
rope. A part Of tire article is quo,ec
below.-Editor.l
'rThe fttost exponent OF the New
English movement Is the RICH.
Honorable David Iaoyd-George, Chan.
cellor OF the ExcheQuer In HI.
Majesty's Government. an official, ona
might not unn2turally think. cen
cerned only with pounds, shil!iass.
and pence: budgets, balances. and
bankbooks! Who ever heard Of an
American Secretary OF the Treasury
form? 1t Is not, however, excheauers
but equality. not pounds or pence. bul
| people, that Mi. Lloyd-George Is ii
terested tn-the stocky. fighting
Welshman who toes not give aris:o
| cratic England time to leave Of gasp
4KS IIO4lt OUo uIPIISc OtlcIe ie eK
plodes another bombshell Undee il,
nose. lie and his allies are not only
remaking the conditions OF British
politics; they are remaking the con
ditionS of human life in Britain. Az
evil gets n claim OF tenure with ttfu
Or his allies even though It show
'undisDuted possession since the days
OF Alfred. From time 1mmemoria!
for example. the menace Of want has
threatened English men and wotnen
in their age; palsied and Smittsn Htli,
years, if want came they sacrificed
self-respect by begging relief "a
paupers or went down To their graves
cursing the land that gave them birth
But the fact that this had AWAY
been the case constituted, in the cyca
of Mr.. Lloyd-George and his as+o
ciates, no reaso why II should a!ways
be the case. and now. to nearly q
million necessitous old folk past the,
office pays two glistening half crowns
($1.20) IS regularly as the week.
come.
From time immemorial. too. as
the Liberal leaders saw, the poor hav"
lacked adequate attention in sickness.
and not only have millions gone 70
premature graves in consequence, but
the efficiency Of the whole working
population q been lowered. So Mr.
Lloyd-George conceived the idea q
insuring the whole nation against
sickness. The outcome Is the M.
fecting Is, 900, 600 workers: q bill pro
nounced by Sir Rufus Isaacs tho
greatest effort of constructive states
manship ever made to remedy the
evils and alleviate the m1series causes
by sickness and unemployment
"Now, whatever other defects there
may be in the scheme, one can hardly
| cnnnIQln that IT iC q GnHiQIlSflr coo.
ding OF the masses. or an easy DID
for popularity. Nobody who under
stands the English character az I
heard a Liberal leader say two day.
before the law went into effect
would attempt to win popularity b.
no matter what It Is a plan for
organizing the best OF oil to avert the
worst from EACH but it involves %"
much self-help and carries too little
of the '1owery beds Of ease idea. t@
please believers in socialism. The bii
terest denunciation Of Mr.. Lloyd
George and his scheme. indeed. | ha%f
heard not from Conservatives hni
from Socialists, and the Welsh Chan
cellor himself recognizes that his plan
does not please them nor body
else who expects the State to coddl"
the entire population. I might have
raised the workers share Of the IN
surance fund by increasing the income
tax on the wealthy he says. 'Euf
had l done so. it would not nave dont
as much good to the working ~ciasse.
as giving them the knowledge thai
they are contributing something. To
let them expect all to be one for
taem by gifts. aims, and charity -
not craftsmanship. That Is the sort Of
thing that would create a parasite
democracy such as ended Rome
The Old Age Pensions Act. which,
IS ono II the LANDMARKS Of J~.irerl!
iSslsia+ion. Is entirely no~n-contrlln-
tory. OF course, no pension is paid
an Die man il his poverty is do t.
me and a mar is also dis
quallf1ed II he has been recently i'm
prlsoned for any serious ofYense. Hui
!, Is thought fair that, If a man has
creating wealth for the state. and -
= taxpayer in contributing to puhiic
funds. be should rcnai.a l. - IL