LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE ADVANCE OF SOCIALISM.
[To TII7 EDITOR 07 TILI SPECTATOR.1 Sru,—The letter of Mr. James Walker, of the Yorkshire "99" Club, in your last issue, announcing that he as a " moderate " Liberal proposes to support the Government over the Budget by way of providing a barrier against Socialism, is rather melancholy reading to a thoroughgoing and whole-hearted advanced Liberal such as I am, who believes "the Liberal cause" can best be supported by truth and justice, and can only be injured by throwing sops to Cerberus. It is a counsel of despair. I am not in the least afraid of Socialistic legislation (" Socialism," as outlined by the dreamers and fanatics who chiefly write and talk about it, is a pure bogy), but I want to see sensible and equitable measures of that description, which have been well thought out, put before the country in a clear and intelligible manner, without rancour and irrelevant abuse of classes and individuals. How on earth Mr. Walker can imagine the exclusive taxing of the owners of certain classes of property (e.g., interests of all sorts in land and houses, hotel licenses, users of petrol, dal) can do away with slums and the evil " that overcrowding produces," "keep citizens from sinking," and give them "better surroundings and a chance of real home life," it is indeed hard to imagine.
Would it not be better for our heaven-born party leaders to propound concrete legislative measures for effecting these objects in some definite way than to try to curry favour with the ignorant (though, no doubt, most worthy) mass of the voters by holding up all owners of certain classes of property as fraudulent "Dukes" and swindling brewers, from whom they propose to obtain restitution to the people of the property which these individuals have somehow managed to steal P For that, roughly speaking, is a summary of the sort of " argument " with which Mr. Lloyd George, Mr. Churchill, and their friends are endeavouring to promote enthusiasm for the Budget. What I as a pretty old Liberal want to see is something done, or some prospect of something being done, really to help the honest, able-bodied workers (not entitled to old.. age pensions) now in such direful need of employment. I can see nothing in the vague, nebulous declamation of the Budget supporters to indicate any help in that direction. What is the good of talking about " brightening homes and lives " when the means of keeping oneself alive (out of the work- house) are not available? I am in favour of a great deal of " brightening " at public expense; but in the name of common-sense let us first devct3 ourselves to the problems of maintaining the lives to be brightened. And that can only be done by direct legislation which commends itself to the good fellows of all parties, whom it should be a real statesman's task to unite, and not to divide into hostile camps and inflame against each other, until both sides are incapable of listening to reason. I am as distrustful of Tariff Reform as Mr. Walker is ; but we shall not win the battle for Free-trade by standing by and giving passive support to such a campaign of violence, deception, and mendacity as the section who now seem to work the Liberal machine are embarking upon. What we ought to do is to support in every way Mr. Harold Cox and those few other honest, intellectual, advanced Liberals who are fighting so nobly against the dementia of the party. Magna est veritas et praevalebit.—I am, Sir, &c.,
SENEX.
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