The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-01-16
Inhabitants Rebel Against One
Man Government.
THEY FIGHT FOR HOME RULE
Demand Recall Of Lord Raglan, For
Fourteen Years Undisputsd Ruler OF
Little island Oh British Coast-His
Word 10 the Law Of tho Land, and He
is Responsible to Mo One.

The Isle of Man, an ancient and high
ly civilized colony Of white men, within
speaking distance, 30 to speak, of Liv-
erpool and Belfast, is seriously disturb
ed about it's constitution, and the Brit
ish parliament Is to be asked to pre-
scribe for disorders which have become
glaringly apparent.
The island has often passed muster
as the Land Of Home Rule" One OF
its governors chose to write its history
under such "A title, and the counterfeit
has been passed or springily la perora-
lions that touched the controversies of
a larger island.
In the island Itself 1t has rung In
creasingly hollow this last generation,
and Lord Raglan has at last and prob
ably unconsciously, nailed 1t to the
counter, says the Manchester Guardian.
Awakened to Real Status.
After having done false duty for "a
generation. the island Is at last fully
awakened to Its real status. The
Land OF Home Rule" Is after all only
a third class crown colony, with the
sort of government that first follows
the missionaries In the African swamps
and after fourteen years rule Lord
Raglan has more than succeeded In In
shilling the uncomfortable thought in
the minds of the natives.
The governor of the Isle of Man, be
he n trained proconsul like Sir Henry
Loeb or Sir Spencer Walpole, or a
western squire like Lord Ra CLAN, is not
only king, but general manager Of the
island. There IL a shadowy control
from the home Office, which Is, pre-
sumably, responsible for advising the
royal assent TO acts of the Manx legis-
lature, and from the treasury. which
Is only concerned with seeing that over
and above its insular economy Man
stumps up 10000 a year TO the i'm
/ perial exchequer. but within these lin
Its Lord Raglan Is pretty well dictator
in Man.
lie is the president of Its judiciary,
his own prime minister. chancellor of
the e%xchequer, home secretary, presi-
dent OF the local government board,
president OF the board OF trade and
compendiously, Lord Everything Else
In his executive actions there is no
body In Man OF whom he need ask eli
Their advice or assent. Many Of the
crown colonies have a governors execu
tive council. but the thing Is unknown
In Man. Even the legislature Is be
hind many OF the outposts Of the EN-
plre, for one branch is wholly official.
Aged Still Work.
There are no old age pensions in thu
island, and fishermen OF seventy still
hazard the perils Of the sea for lacl
OF the %pittance which would help t.
give them rest. National health insur
ance IL unknown, and the island ha
not yet emerged from the doubts Of thu
old law OF employers liability into the
full assurance of workmen's compen
sation.
Lord Raglan Is not entirely to blam'
for all this; the official clique is yer,
powerful, and In the absence OF
} properly constituted executive one SUI
poses that Ii gets his ear far oftene
than Ii should. But, unfortunately
! Lord Raglan's temperament gives hir
/ a too ready ear. Lord Raglan used I
describe himself In who's Who" a
2 "a Tory" and during his tenure a
governor and In defiance Of all the trf
ditions of the civil service, he ha
made himself conspicuous as one OF th
/ most rustic Of the 'backwoodsmen" |
he house Of lords.
3 Ask For RaoIan's Recall.
: He has a pleasant smoke room hl
NOR, which perhaps loses some Of II
flavor In the judgment seat. He 1t we
!, who confided to the islanders, whe
they wished to keep children III Of til
bars Of public houses las they mai
= aged to do, that he drank buckets {
beer before he was sixteen" and he
was, again, who decried all the bottle
s about juvenile smoking by pointing o,
that the infants OF Burma or Morocco
habitually smoked cheroots a foot Ion
without obviously evil effects.
Ii was In much the same spirit tn,
Lord Raglan has approached the d
mands for social readjustments. I'll
Il island has long ceased to laugh, al
after fourteen years II has got vel
tired. 1t Is not, Of course. a mere
personal issue, but Lord Raglan's pc
b sonality, likable though 1t be In his $
eial hobnobbing with the man in Il
" street, has helped to accentuate Il
shortcomings of the Manx constit
~ ton. Those who have signed the pei
ton have properly made his recall Il
condition precedent Of any symp
d thetic consideration Of reform, and tn
: are looking to their next neighbors-
n Lancashire-to help them to get 1t.