Mr. Lloyd George at Swansea on Thursday evening gave an
address which reads curiously like an echo of Mr. Chamber- lain's famous " ransom " speech. Hundreds Of millions were added to the national wealth during each cycle of plenty. Surely, in view of these millions, something might be spared to preserve from hunger and torturing anxiety those who had helped to create that wealth. It had been said that what some people called Socialism might drive capital away. There was nothing capital need fear so much as the despair of the multitude. He would like to know where capital would flee to. "One might imagine from the vainglorious talk indulged in, more especially by Peers and their apologists, that out rich mineral deposits were brought here at the time of the Norman Conquest by ancestors of some of our great landlords, that they were placed at convenient spots near the coast by those Dukes and Earls and Barons after they had stolen the commons from the people." At the same time, he was not one of those who advocated confiscation. Honest capital put into honest industries need have nothing to fear. Apparently Dukeio and Peers and persons with Norman ancestors are not capable of entering this category. Surely this is all very foolish rhetoric. All reasonable men desire that the working clasies should have a greater share of the wealth of the country. The problem is how to secure them that greater Share. For ourselves, we can never believe that piling up mountains of taxation, even if nominally the burden is placed upon the rich, will in the end help the working man. Peiverty will /levee be cured by anything which makes for Scarcity, like Protection and Socialism, no matter under what aliases they are presented.
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