s will presently
appear, village self-government proposes the entire abolition of the
poor-law system, and with it the rates which support it, or at least
the heaviest part of them. Therefore, as this money would not be
concerned, they could receive no injury, even if they did not sit at
the village council at all.

Imagine the village, figuratively speaking, surrounded by a high
wall like a girdle, as towns were in ancient times, and so cut off
altogether from the large properties surrounding it--on the one hand
the village supporting and governing itself, and on the other the
large properties equally independent.

The probable result would be a considerable reduction in local
burdens on land. A self-supporting and self-governing moral
population is the first step towards this relief to land so very
desirable in the interest of agriculture.

In practice there must remain certain more or less imperial
questions, as lines of through road, police, etc., some of which are
already managed by the county authority. As these matters affect the
farmer and landowner even more than the cottager, clearly they must
expect to contribute to the cost, and can rightly claim a share in
the management.

Having advanced so far as a village council, and arrived at the
stage of managing their own affairs, having, in fact, emerged from
pupilage, next comes a question for the council. We now govern our
village ourselves; why should we not possess our village? Why should
we not live in our own houses? Why should we not have a little share
in the land, as much, at least, as we can pay for? At this moment
the village, let us say, consists of a hundred cottages, and perhaps
there are another hundred scattered about the parish. Of these
three-fourths belong to two or three large landowners, and those who
reside in them, however protected by enactment, can never have a
sense of complete independence. We should own these cottages, so
that the inhabitants might practically pay rent to themselves. We
must purchase them, a few at a time; the residents can repurchase
from us and so become freeholders. For a purchaser there must be a
seller, and here one of the questions of the future appears: Can an
owner of this kind of property be permitted to refuse to sell? Must
he be compelled to sell?

It is clear that if the village voter thoroughly addresses himself
to his home affairs there is room for some remarkable incidents.
There is reason now, is