Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-05-25
D~en,ocrac;es Of England
And America Compared


Some years agO q most distinguished
American came to see me at my house
In tho country. I was heartily glad to
welcome him.. One Of the first things ne
asked me, as he looked over the beautiful
Kenttsh countryside. Q WHO Is Lord
Of the Manor?"
1 was startled, but replied simply: II
don't know"
Very strange aid he. II am very
much interested in the rights and powers
OF the Lord OF the Manor in England.
/ have read q great deal about them. i
should like to meet a Lord OF the Manor
DO you mean to say you don't know who
he is in your neighborhood?
Never heard of him." said /. The
truth is, l am afraid that it is possible The
doesn't exist. L don't know when he
stopped existing; but it must have been
a long time ago.; because. so far as this
district is concerned. l have never heard
of him, and l never heard of anybody
WHO ever heard OF him"
We have Lords of the Manor" but
they are as little typical of modern Brit
ain as the Cherokee Indians are OF the
America of today.
This little incident Is my text. Why
will Americans think of England as ii 1t
were the England of George III or Henry
VIII, or William the ConQuerOr? !
1t is all very we'll for Americans to
have their laugh at Englishmen who ex-
pect to zee the redskins attacking Kan
h3H SlJy. 4 Dtfe may De SuCu EbiblISIliict.
ave not met them. What j know Is
that I have met multitudes OF Americans
who seem 10 expect to see England gov
erned. from top to bottom, by medieval
Lords OF the Manor" and other ancient
"ar.stocrats,'' especially dukes. who have
managed to survive the Wars of the
Roses and who constitute q governing
class" which rules England by right OF
birth" and which will by no means per-
nit any "tradespeople'' or work people"
to rise" to power. II there ever was q
&r0tesQue piece of misinfOrmatiOn, 1t Is
this. Your school text books on world
history and on the governments OF for
elgn countries must be sadly out OF date.
The fact is that the British government
today represents and includes all classes
OF the community much better than your
American government does. III "demOc-
racy" means thai every different respon-
sible element in the population should
have q direct voice and a direct influence
In the affairs OF the nation. Great Britain
Ia not only as democratic as the United
States but more Democratic
Let US xamin the facts.
So much has been written about Mr..
David Iloyd-George that I merely remark
that his origin was about the same AS
that of Garfield. Garfield, however.
though born very poor. i.aa the beneft OF
q university education. 1T one Of your
eastern colleges, before he went into poll
tics. I.loyd-George had no university edu-
cation at all.
As prime minister, Lloyd-George does
not enjoy the power which you confer
on the president of the United States.
He is not axed in his arbitrary position
for four years. II w are dissatisfied
with our prime minister and our govern
ment. they disappear automatically by
an adverse vote Of the house OF commons.
Lloyd GEORGES principal labor COLLEAGUE
(hc has two other colleagues from the
ranks OF labor is Arthur Henderson.
Henderson was a molder in a locomotive
plant. / wonder how many such repre-
sehtatives of labor v risen at any time
to cabinet rank In your country. Hen
derson is not only a member OF the cabi-
net but a member OF the war council.
General Sir William Robertson, director
OF our war strategy. began lie rather
more humbly than Henderson, and he
served for any years a. q private in
our army.
J~ellicoe. first sea lord. IL the son OF Q
mercantile marine captain.
Curzon speaks for the house of lords.
He. really Is an aristocrat as aristocratic
as could be demanded by any American
dime novel or moving picture film. At the
same time he is one OF the ablest men
produced in any section Of English life
in our times. His present title he earned.
He was born heir to the title OF Scars
dale" Curaon Is his family nj
He sat in the house of for II
years as George Nathaniel Curzon. He
was made Lord CurzOn, baron, then earl,
ON his own merits because OF his ex-
eeptional services to the kingdom and to
the empire as . member Of parliament, as
under secretary for foreign affairs, as
vtceroy of India, md as q student and
Orient. He would have been one Of our
foremost statesmen, no matter whether
born heir to q peerage or not.
Miner also speaks for the house OF lords.