The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-12-26
After the Landlords

fully generation sooner than any other country.
Therefore it has gone much farther along the
way and experiences many evils of the system
not yet dreamed of by other countries. One OF
the worst of these is it's landlordism.
When accommodating capital could no longer
be invested in mills, mines or factories, CAPT.
talists naturally turned to the land and began to
invest their surplus in that. The result is that
today England has become a land of small tenant
farmers.
Instead of being the tight little island stuffed
with people which many suppose it to be, it act
ualy has a greater percentage of uncultivated
land than any other European country, the acre
age of unimproved areas amounting now to more
than eight and half million. With so much of
its arabic territory removed from cultivation,
England now faces imminent danger of having
it's agriculture completely destroyed.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Lloyd-George
describes English landlordism as the greatest
monopoly in this land. He declares that land
lords can do more to depopulate and lay waste the
country than even foreign invader. His sta
tistics show that 80 per cent of agricultural la
borers receive less for their fourteen hour days
of labor than inmates of the work-house. From
rentals the landlords receive annually ITS mil
lion while the tenant farmers who do the work
and maintain improvements receive but 125
million.
The farmer is left prey constantly to the
avarice and cupidity of the land owner. He is
often evicted from farm on which he was born
and raised, merely because he votes political
ticket displeasing to his lord or goes to Meth
odist church instead of to an established church.
Because he is the slave of the landlords CAPRICE
Lloyd-George describes him peon in bad
state of slavery.
To upset this vast scheme of systematic rob-
berry the Liberal party under the leadership of
this fearless Welchman has prepared the most
drastic plan of legislation ever devised by mod
ern nation.
1t is at work making scientific valua-
ton of all land property and expects to have the
same completed by 1915. This will serve as the
basis of the new law.
That law, as proposed now will make provis-
ions for district commissions who will have a
more detailed and rigid supervision over farms
and town lands than the Interstate Commerce
Commission of this country has over railways
This land commission will fix or alter rents will
forbid evictions except for good cause, will COM
pensate farmer who is compelled to move for
no fault of his own, and will fix rates of COM
pensation to farmers for repairs they have made
On property during tenantry.
The new land provisions will also aim at the
naturalization of the railways if that is found
necessary. Belgium owns many lines and has
enabled to live fifty miles from work and
to go back and forth for seventy-five cents a
week. In this way many out of the way districts
may be brought under cultivation.
Vast stretches now used exclusively for game
preserves will be thrown open to cultivation and
great mountain regions will be afforested and
the returns placed in the national treasury
A minimum wage for farm laborers will be
established similar to that now obtaining for 9TH
workmen. Steps will be taken to bring the
advantages of education to the rural districts as
is now being done proudly by our own state of
Wisconsin. Better market facilities will be ar
ranged for and system of agricultural loans
will be devised.
By using these and other tentative measures
the Liberal ministry hopes to increase the ma
tions prosperity by many millions annually and
to restore health and strength to the agricultur-
lists who now sinking to the status of Mexi- |
can poems
And inasmuch as all rural voters town labor
ers, (they will also benefit by the new rental
provisions) and the bulk of the Liberal party is
behind the move there is little doubt of it's ulti-
mate successful issue.
Those who have cried "Hysteria," Social
ism," Anarchy" ETC., at the modest provisions
of our own Democratic party will contemplate
this English legislation with wonder. Those
who think that because England chances to have
king and few noblemen she is therefore
moss-backed nation, will take another thought.
She really has become the most thoroughly DEM
ocratic of all lands.
The Flowery Kingdom