FOUL PLAY.
[To TEE EDITOR Or TEE "SPECTATOR." J SIR,—Honest men of all parties, whether or not they agree with you about Land-taxes, will hold that your censure in last week's Spectator of Mr. Lloyd George's speech at Limehouse as "shameful and cowardly," and "sown with recklessness and venom," is not too emphatic. The weighty, though guarded, words you quote from Mr. Snowden are but a moderate expression of the disgust which all fair-minded workmen must feel at the tricks of their self-vaunting champion. But what some of us who mix little in politics ought, I think, to come forward especially to support is the second paragraph of your article dealing with Mr. Lloyd George's words (hitherto less noticed than the rest) about dangers in mines. He insinuated (he could hardly dare to assert) that somehow the owners of royalties were solely responsible for these, and suggested (if there is any coherence in what he said), not that better provisions for safety should be enforced, but that neglect of them should be compounded by taking more money from one section of those interested in the profits ! If defective pit-props are being used, must not the Government, through its inspection- -and possibly the Legislature—share the blame with the local superintendence ? And what has Mr. Lloyd George done, since he saw those props, towards having them changed or reinforced ? I write as one holding what some might think extreme views as to the iniquity of tolerating for purposes of profit any avoidable injury or risk to life or health. And the more deeply our obligations are felt in this grave matter, the baser appears the attempt to press it into the .service of a cadging politician bent on exciting hatred against his opponents. This will damage him more than them ; yet some of them, for the honour of our public life, will be generous enough, I think, to wish that speech unsaid. Mr. Lloyd George's finance seems to him popular; the more popular it is, the more inexcusable on the plea of necessity are his ignoble tricks to recommend it.—I am, Sir, &c.,
ERNEST MYERS.
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