XVI HOW TO NATIONALIZE THE LAND 293 



too long, and the people, in whose hands political power 

 now rests, should at last insist upon some hasty and ill- 

 considered remedy which, while bringing ruin on many, 

 should only afford a temporary and imperfect cure of the 

 disease. 



The present writer had his attention forcibly drawn 

 to this great question about forty years ago, by the 

 perusal of Herbert Spencer's demonstration (in his Social 

 Statics) of the immorality and impolicy of private 

 property in land, and since that time he has endeavoured 

 to make himself acquainted with what has been written 

 on the subject, and by means of constant thought and 

 discussion to arrive at the true solution of the problem. 

 This he believes he has at length done. The difficulties 

 that surrounded the subject were many and great. It 

 was necessary, firstly, to find a means of transferring the 

 ownership of the land from individuals to the State with- 

 out taking anything away from existing owners, or 

 infringing any right, real or sentimental, which they 

 actually possess ; secondly, to devise a new tenure of the 

 land which should combine all the incalculable advantages 

 of safe possession and transmissible ownership, together 

 with the full benefit of every improvement and increase 

 of its value, while guarding against the recurrence of 

 unlimited landed estates, absentee landlords, life-interests, 

 subletting, building leases, restriction on improvements, 

 and all the other evils which accompany our present 

 system ; thirdly, to avoid the dangers which have been 

 hitherto believed to be inherent in State-Landlordism — 

 jobbery, favouritism, waste, and the creation of a vast 

 addition to State patronage ; and, lastly, to render the land 



compensate the present owners." These quotations from one of the 

 latest and best informed writers on the land question sufficiently prove 

 that previous writers have not seen how the land may became State 

 property without paying for it and yet without injury to any one ; 

 and this is the very essence of the question which determines its 

 practicability. My plan not only does this, but it also, as already 

 shown, completely removes the difficulty of State- Landlordism by 

 retaining the tenant-right as saleable and heritable property — a system 

 which has been in actual operation on Lord Portsmouth's estates 

 in Ireland for more than half a century, and with the most beneficial 

 results. 



