For the study of Liberal, SDP and Issue 46 / Spring 2005 / £5.00 Liberal Democrat history Journal of LiberalHI ST O R Y Liberals and the land Roy Douglas Land taxing and the Liberals, 1879 – 1914 Hans-Joachim Heller Sir Edward Grey’s German love-child Anne Newman Dundee’s grand old man Biography of Edmund Robertson MP Ian Ivatt Frances Stevenson, Lloyd George and the Surrey – Sussex dimension Brenda Tillotson and Ian Hunter At the heart of the party Biography of Raymond Jones, party worker Liberal Democrat History Group Cover picture: ‘Who made the earth?’ from Land Values, February 1914. 2 Journal of Liberal History 46 Spring 2005 Journal of Liberal History Issue 46: Spring 2005 The Journal of Liberal History is published quarterly by the Liberal Democrat History Group. ISSN 1479-9642 Land taxing and the Liberals, 1879 – 1914 4 Editor: Duncan Brack Roy Douglas explores why the Liberals of the late nineteenth and early Deputy Editor: Sarah Taft twentieth centuries cared so much about the land question in general, and Assistant Editor: Siobhan Vitelli land value taxation in particular. Biographies Editor: Robert Ingham Reviews Editor: Dr Eugenio Biagini Deputy Reviews Editor: Tom Kiehl Sir Edward Grey’s German love-child 12 The unusual family story of the leading Liberal statesman, recently uncovered Patrons by Hans-Joachim Heller. Dr Eugenio Biagini; Professor Michael Freeden; Professor John Vincent Dundee’s grand old man 16 The life and political career of Edmund Robertson, Lord Lochee of Gowrie Editorial Board (1845–1908); by Anne Newman. Dr Malcolm Baines; Dr Roy Douglas; Dr Barry Doyle; Dr David Dutton; Professor David Gowland; Dr Richard Grayson; Dr Michael Hart; Peter Hellyer; Ian Hunter; Frances Stevenson, Lloyd George and the 24 Dr J. Graham Jones; Tony Little; Professor Ian Machin; Surrey – Sussex dimension Dr Mark Pack; Dr Ian Packer; Dr John Powell; Jaime Ian Ivatt looks at David Lloyd George’s and Frances Stevenson’s connections Reynolds; Iain Sharpe with Surrey and Sussex. Editorial/Correspondence At the heart of the party 28 Contributions to the Journal – letters, articles, and book reviews – are invited. The Journal is a refereed Biography of Raymond Jones (1883–1948), constituency organiser, election publication; all articles submitted will be reviewed. agent and parliamentary candidate; by Brenda Tillotson and Ian Hunter. Contributions should be sent to: Duncan Brack (Editor) More on Lib Dem voting in the Commons 32 38 Salford Road, London SW2 4BQ Update on voting behaviour of Liberal Democrat MPs; by Philip Cowley and email: [email protected] Mark Stuart. All articles copyright © Journal of Liberal History. Letters to the Editor 33 Advertisements Liberalism in the 1920s (Jaime Reynolds); Hair in history (Tim Hill); Full page £100; half page £60; quarter page £35. Liberalism in Liverpool (Michael Meadowcroft). Discounts available for repeat ads or offers to readers (e.g. discounted book prices). To place ads, please contact the Editor. Report: Roy Jenkins – Reformer, Visionary, 34 Statesman Subscriptions/Membership with Dick Taverne, Shirley Williams and Peter Riddell; report by Neil Stockley. An annual subscription to the Journal of Liberal History costs £15.00 (£7.50 unwaged rate). This includes membership of the History Group unless you The pro with proven political effectiveness 37 inform us otherwise. The institutional rate is £25.00. Adrian Slade interviews Tom McNally. Overseas (non-UK) subscribers should add £5.00; or, a special three-year rate is available for £55.00 Reviews 40 (individuals) or £85.00 (institutions). Dutton: A History of the Liberal Party in the Twentieth Century, reviewed by Online subscriptions cost £35.00. In addition to Matt Cole; Pearce, Reform! The Fight for the 1832 Reform Act, reviewed printed copies, online subscribers will be able to by Dr Kathryn Rix; Vane, Affair of State: A Biography of the 8th Duke and access online copies of current and past Journals. Duchess of Devonshire, reviewed by Tony Little. Overseas online subscriptions are available for £40.00 per year, or £100 for three years. Archives 46 Cheques (payable to ‘Liberal Democrat History The Beveridge archives at the LSE Library; by Sue Donnelly. Group’) should be sent to: Patrick Mitchell 6 Palfrey Place, London SW8 1PA; email: [email protected] Liberal Democrat History Group The Liberal Democrat History Group promotes the discussion and research of historical topics relating to the histories of the Liberal Democrats, Liberal Party, and SDP, and of Cover design concept: Lynne Featherstone Liberalism. The Group organises discussion meetings and produces the Journal and other Published by the Liberal Democrat History Group, c/o occasional publications. 38 Salford Road, London SW2 4BQ For more information, including details of publications, back issues of the Journal, tape Printed by Kall-Kwik, records of meetings and archive and other research sources, see our website at: 426 Chiswick High Road, London W4 5TF www.liberalhistory.org.uk. February 2005 Chair: Tony Little Honorary President: Lord Wallace of Saltaire Journal of Liberal History 46 Spring 2005 3 LAND TAXING AND THE LIBERALS Why were Liberals of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries so excited 1879 – 1914 about ‘the land question’ in general, and land value taxation in particular? And is that excitement a matter merely for academic interest, or is it relevant to problems of the twenty-first century? Roy Douglas traces the steps by which an understanding of its significance developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. He contends that the pre- Liberal government got closer than any other administration, before or since, to an effective attack on a perennial problem. ‘Hands Off!’ Liberal leaflet, December 1909 – published at the height of the crisis caused by the House of Lords’ rejection of the People’s Budget, with its provisions for land taxes. 4 Journal of Liberal History 46 Spring 2005 LAND TAXING AND THE LIBERALS 1879 – 1914 epeal of the Corn agricultural connotation. Liberal The bill caused considerable trou- Laws in was concern with ‘the land question’ ble in the government, and caused followed by rapid was eventually directed at all kinds the Duke of Argyll to depart from advances towards of land, urban as well as rural, but the Cabinet, and effectively from general free trade, it was events in rural areas that the Liberal Party. The Duke was Rculminating in Gladstone’s Budg- began to focus attention on the not only a great, and very influ- ets of and . The s, wider problem. ential, Scottish landowner; he s and most of the s wit- In the late s, things began was also a man of considerable nessed general improvements to go wrong. The appalling wet intellect, and an important force in living standards in nearly all summer of produced rot- of stability in the administration. classes, and, by common consent, ten grain in England and rotten The bill was nevertheless impelled free trade had played a major part potatoes in Ireland, threatening a through the Commons largely by in that development. Even agri- recurrence of the terrible ‘Hun- Gladstone’s own personality. More culture, for which many protec- gry Forties’. Fortunately, free surprisingly, it also got past the tionists had predicted disaster, was trade enabled the United King- House of Lords. In the view of the prospering. dom to import food from else- th Earl of Derby, son of a Con- Yet some Liberal Free Traders where, particularly the United servative Prime Minister, though soon came to feel that more was States, and people’s worst fears currently in the Liberal phase of required. In the last great were not realised; though it was his rather mixed career, the com- speech of Richard Cobden con- a very close thing, particularly in monest judgement was, ‘We were tained a remarkable passage in Ireland. Privations caused by crop bound to try something, and, on which he declared that, if he were failures, on top of long-stand- the whole, there seemed nothing younger: ing agrarian grievances, sparked else to try.’ off the violent Irish ‘Land War’, The aftermath is as famous as I would take Adam Smith in which attracted enormous atten- the measure itself. There were ini- hand … and I would have a tion throughout the British Isles. ‘I would tial difficulties in applying the Act. League for free trade in Land just Tenant farmers were particu- The principal agitators, including as we had a League for free trade larly aggrieved, and Prime Minis- have a Parnell, were arrested, and then in Corn … If you can apply free ter Gladstone eventually decided released after the ‘Treaty of Kil- trade to land and labour too that it was imperative to concede League for mainham’. Then the tenants were … then, I say, the men who do what seemed to be their principal free trade persuaded to test the workings that will have done for England demands. This led to the Irish Land of the Act, but soon falling com- probably more than we have Act of , whose main provi- in Land modity prices made the ‘judicial been able to do by making free sions were the establishment of rents’ unrealistic, and in a trade in corn. tribunals to adjust rents; an assur- just as new land agitation, the ‘Plan of ance that tenants who had fulfilled Campaign’, commenced. This was far from being a devel- the covenants of existing tenancies we had a Attempts were also made to oped land policy; but it did signal should be entitled to renewal if League for tackle the problem from a differ- a recognition that land reform was they wished; and provisions requir- ent angle. When the Liberal gov- an essential element of free trade. ing that improvements made by free trade ernment disestablished the Irish To many people, then as now, tenants should be credited to the Church in , provision was the word ‘land’ had a specifically improver at the end of a tenancy.