WORCESTERSHIRE EASTERN DIVISION LIBERAL. ASSOCIATION.
rTo THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."
SIR,—In reference to your article, "A Word of Warning to the Liberals," in which you speak of a supposed desire of Radicals. to have their leaders free to speak their minds before theElection comes, even at the expense of a split-up Cabinet and a disunited party, I would submit to you that the opinion of the county constituencies is much more Liberal—Radical, if you will—than that of the bulk of Liberal Members of the House of Commons ; and in proof of this, I enclose a copy of a Platform which the East Worcestershire Liberal Association passed last week with great heartiness and unanimity, before, and preparatory to, selecting a candidate. They do not wish to bind their candidate down to the hard-and-fast lines of a delegate, but they wish him to promise to support generally the principles of thepolicy they have adopted.
East Worcestershire is an average county constituency, not remarkable for its Radicalism, and separated from the dreaded Birmingham influence by a belt of suburban villadom of strong Tory tendencies. You will see from the composition of thePlatform that it is thoroughly Liberal in its principles, and, if the opinion of the country generally is to be in any degreegauged by it, the Radical party is very strong, and can well afford to wait until a dissolution takes place, as it has no desire to bring about a disunited and weakened Cabinet, or e premature manifesto of its views.—I am, Sir, &c., B. W. HOWE. Green Bank, Hall Green, near Birmingham, May 25th.
[Cory.]—Passed unanimously by the General Council, which added the two " planks," 8 and 9, at foot. The following reforms, which the Executive believed to he required and supported by the majority of the Liberal voters in East Worcestershire, were agreed tebe presented to the General Council for its consideration, with the recommendation that they be adopted as the " Platform " of the East Worcestershire Liberal Association :—(1.) The reform of county government on a representative basis. (2.) Free schools. (8.). Extended powers for municipal governments, to enable them to provide for the people means of instruction and recreation, and to bay at a fair value land suitable for artizans' dwellings. (4.) Legislation :To restore the labourer to direct communication with the soil, as a cultivator on his own account, by providing allotments and small holdings at a fair agricultural rent ; to free the land by the abolition of the law of intestate primogeniture, of settlement and entail ; to help the farmers by abolishing antiquated restrictions on the methods of cultivating the land, and by giving them, if necessary, the three " F's " (fixity of tenure, fair rents, and free sale) ; To restore common lands illegally acquired in recent times ; and to abolish extraordinary tithes. (5.) Reform of taxation by graduating the Income Tax, and equalising the death duties ; and by fairly dividing local burdens between landlord and tenant; and rating land that is held back for speculative purposes at a fair price ; and by making groundrents and personal property contribute their quota to the local rates_ (6.) To repeal the game laws. (7.) Reform of the licensing laws im the direction of popular control. (8.) Disestablishment and diaendowment of the English Church. (9.) A peaceful foreign policy maintained by respect for the equal rights of other nations, the avoidance of entangling engagements, and by the reference of international disputes to arbitration.
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