The House of Lords read the Tithe Rent-Charge Bill a
second time on Thursday, after a short discussion, in which Lord Brabourne was the only active opponent, and his amend- ment to reject it was negatived without a division. Lord Brabourne is a useful man in his way in the House of Lords, but his way is not the way that attracts imitators, but rather that which warns and deters them. He generally finds some reason for differing from everybody else, and for differing from everybody else on grounds which almost everybody sees to be capricious and unsound. Lord Brabourne describes the change of incidence of the tithe from the tenant to the landlord as a mere attempt to humbug the farmer, the real fact being that the farmer has humbugged himself into believing that he, and not the landlord, pays the tithe, and thus it has become very necessary to leave him no pretence for indulging that illusion. Then Lord Brabourne wishes to have the tithe itself readjusted. That may or may not be wise ; but it would be most unwise to mix it up with a Bill intended to put the saddle on the right horse, and not in any respect to alter the kind of saddle. However, Lord Brabourne fulfilled his great function of showing how captious it is possible for a public man to be, and of warning all men against such captiousness.
Previous page
