We have yet to hear Lord Rosebery's speech at Wigan
before we know whether he will " catch on " with the English people. That should give us his ideas of the future of Labour. He is still most popular in London, and on Wednesday rc. ceived an address from the Progressives of the London County Council, which gave him the opportunity of a long speech. It was fall of praise of the County Council, for the most part deserved, but it also contained some general ideas. He approver, for instance, of a rate of wages not settled by competition, of insisting that contractors shall pay this rate, and of dispensing so far as possible with all middlemen. That is to say, he approves of compelling ratepayers to give a grant-in-aid to workmen, of preferring outsiders to experts as builders and drainmakers, and of placing hosts of workmen, who are also voters, at the
disposal of the County Council. Lord Rosebery further approved strongly of the taxation of " ground-values,"—that
• is, in fact, of diminishing the temptation to hold freeholds, and of some principle, not defined, of " betterment." He, is strongly in favour of the unification of London as opposed to its federalisation, and of the equalisation of rates, which, indeed, he says her Majesty's Government has nailed to the mast-head. He, in fact, considers " a satisfied reformer a dangerous being," very like a derelict in the Atlantic, against which living ships are apt to founder. He was entirely in favour of Government trying the experiment of an eight-hours day in their own establishments, and noticed with pleasure that the railways had accepted the legislative demand on them to increase their servants' wages. In truth, Lord Rosebery is more inclined to make the labourer more comfortable, so far as the State can do it, than to attend to any political programme whatever. That is for him the " new spirit in politics." It is not a bad spirit, and will produce some excellent results ; but, as Captain Cuttle said, "all depends on the application thereof." The Sermon on the Mount is better still ; but let Lord Rosebery try to apply it before the people are Christian.
