The Irish standard., 1912-11-23
THE LAND FOR THE PEOPLE,

THE LAND FOR THE PEOPLE.
This headline was the shibboleth of
Michael Davitt who destroyed land
lordism in Ireland and gave it's death
blow to feudalism. The Irish patriot
who spent years in prison for fighting
the battles of the people against what
he appropriately termed "felonious
landlordism" had the qualification of
witnessing it's dow nfall before he died.
At the present day the landlords are
selling their estates to the tenantry,
and in course Of time the occupants
of the land will own the soil they TILL
About half the land OF Ireland has al
ready been transferred from landlord
elected from their farms in former
times are being reinstated in them in
a legal and peaceful manner. Some
Of the sons of evicted tenants who
came to this country are returning
home to take possession of the old
homesteads and live thereafter in their
native land, free from molestation and
disturbance. Who could have thought
of such thing a generation ago!
The same cry is now being raised
in England as was raised in Ireland
by Michael Davitt. I.loyd-George has
sounded the death knell of British
landlordism. The English people are
not only talking of the land but they
are singing about it. One Of the songs
to the tune of Marching Through
Georgia" is often sung at land meet
ings as follows:
"rhe land! The land! Twas God who
gave the land!
The land! The land! The ground on
which we stand!
Why should we be beggars, with the
ballot in our hand?
God gave the land to the. people,"
In q special dispatch from London,
dated Nov. 10, to the Minneapolis
News. William Shepherd says:
The problem here in England itself
is not Home Rule for Ireland, or more
battleships or 7woman's suffrage. It's
the land. I asked Joseph Fels. the
American millionaire, why the land
plays so important a part in English
politics and he answered thus:
Because. so many English people
are starving. About 100000 people in
London alone, or one in every 10, are
always On the verge of starvation, and
London is supposed to be the richest
city in the world. And there's as
great poverty in the very centers of
the farming country.
There is going to be such a row
kicked up in the session of parliament
just opened that the government will
have to give attention to the question
of untaxing labor and the trades and
placing the taxation where it belongs,
on the social value Of land.
THE American people don't know
anything about the land question, as
compared with Englishmen. The av-
erage Englishman. whether he is a
merchant or tramp, knows more or
less intimately about the land prob
lem. ! don't mean about the land
problem in England alone but about
the worldwide problem which exists
in the United States, as we'll as any,
where else as to the right of one man
to own vast quantities of land, when
other human beings haven't place
to put their feet"
After thinking the matter over. it
does not look right to have one man
own a countryside and another man
own not foot of land. The land
lords of England have thousands Of
acres that escaped taxation until
loyd-Georgc prepared his budget. He
recently told how they obtained pos
session Of their estates and what he
purposed to do with them.