66 OUR ENGLISH LAND MUDDLE. 



small-holders, but attaches much importance to 

 the principle that they should be absolute 

 owners, not tenants of the State or of a county 

 council. 



There is reasonable ground for suspecting 

 that there is a great deal of " party politics " in 

 both programmes ; and whilst it is true that 

 the political side of the land question must 

 always be kept in view (for it is of no use to 

 define a perfect economic system of land tenures 

 and land cultivation if it is alien to the spirit 

 of the people who have to work it), " party 

 politics " — that is, the framing of proposals 

 with the idea of catching voters and not of 

 serving national interests — must be rigorously 

 disregarded if a good result is to be obtained. 

 What there is of the Radical plan which is 

 inspired by the idea of scoring a point against 

 landowners, who are supposed to be usually 

 Conservative in politics; and in the Conserva- 

 tive plan which is inspired by the idea of attract- 

 ing votes by offering an " advanced ' system 

 of land reform, should therefore be set aside. 

 Let us examine in some detail (a) the Liberal 

 plan of small holdings encouragement, (b) the 



