LETTERS ON THE LAND QUESTION. 347 



in the years 1870-'72 there were repealed 3,532 acts, of which 2,759 

 were totally repealed. Further, I myself found, on examining 

 the books for 1881-'83, that in those years there had been re- 

 pealed 650 acts belonging to the present reign, besides many of 

 preceding reigns. Remembering that acts which are repealed 

 have been doing mischief, which means loss, trouble, pain to great 

 numbers remembering, thus, the enormous amount of suffering 

 which this helter-skelter legislation has inflicted for generations 

 and for centuries, I think it would be not amiss to ask whether 

 better guidance may not be had, even though it should come from 

 absolute political ethics. 



I regret that neither space nor health will permit me to discuss 

 any of the questions raised by Sir Louis Mallet. And here, in- 

 deed, I find myself compelled to desist altogether. In so far as I 

 am concerned, the controversy must end with this letter. 



I am, etc., Herbert Spencer. 



AniENiEUM Club, November 13th. 



MR. LAIDLER'S LETTER. 



To the Editor of " The Times " : 



Sir : As one of the deputation of members of the Newcastle 

 Labor Electoral Organization who recently waited upon Mr. 

 John Morley, M. P., to ascertain his opinions on certain politi- 

 cal and social topics, I was intrusted by my fellow-members of 

 the deputation with the question of the nationalization of the 

 land, and this subject I discussed with Mr. Morley. In doing so, 

 I sought to back up my position by quoting the ninth chapter of 

 " Social Statics," by Mr. Herbert Spencer, and I certainly thought 

 I had a good case when I found on my side the most distinguished 

 authority of our time. To my great surprise I now find that in 

 the letters which he has addressed to you, Mr. Herbert Spencer 

 appears to be very anxious to repudiate the doctrines which he 

 preached so eloquently in 1850. Now, although it is a common 

 thing for the politician of to - day to repudiate principles and 

 deductions which he formerly warmly espoused and to adopt 

 others which he once energetically condemned, one does not 

 expect the same vacillation on the part of a distinguished phi- 

 losopher like Mr. Herbert Spencer. I find it difficult to under- 

 stand his position, which seems to be this that while adhering 

 to his general principles he abandons certain deductions there- 

 from. Now, to my mind, the ninth chapter of " Social Statics," 

 which deals with " The right to the use of the earth," seems as 

 true, as logical, and as unanswerable an argument in favor of the 

 nationalization of the land as it doubtless appeared to Mr. Her- 

 bert Spencer on the day it was written. Let us trace the course 



