1832.] Tithes versus Rent. 75 



25. Whatever such a man may possess beyond his own powers, aided 

 by domestic servants to superintend, let him assign to cultivators of his 

 own choice. If they are not fairly able to pay him rent in cash, the 

 representative of produce, let him be abundantly thankful that hs can 

 get some return in produce. 



26. A landed proprietor, thus circumst need, would be a fit subject 

 for the envy of any king upon earth ; a landed proprietor, who would 

 not be satisfied with snch a condition, deserves no regard from society to 

 his wants or wishes ; a landed proprietor, who would not ten thousand 

 times rather place himself in such a condition, than thrive in any other, 

 by depriving his countrymen of the food, and clothing, and fuel, neces- 

 sary to make life worth possessing, deserves to be forced to have a lesson 

 of humanity, by bitter experience of the sufferings to which ha is so 

 callous. 



27. Rent, then, must not be exempted from the accidents to which 

 other speculations for profit are exposed. Rent must depend, like all 

 other profits, upon the convenience and ability of the country to afford 

 it. The amount of rent far exceeds that of the land-tax paid to the 

 government for its own use; far exceeds the land-tax paid to the 

 clergy under protection of government and for public purposes. The 

 proprietors of rent are the idlest men in the country ; and can, and, as 

 often as not, do spend the rent out of the country. Rent therefore must 

 be forced to supply all that is at present wanted to render our wretched 

 fellow-countrymen independent of charity for their ordinary support. 

 Rent must be reduced, till men are deterred from investing larger 

 capital in land than they can actively manage themselves. 



28. Thus will there be employment on the land for myriads of 

 vigorous, high spirited freemen ; whereas it is now crawled over and 

 meddled with, rather than duly tilled, by only hundreds of emaciated 

 and degraded slaves. Thus will the vast mass of property, spread 

 amongst the middle ranks, be relieved from the burden of the poor laws, 

 that fruitful, yet at present unavoidable, cause of immorality, impru- 

 dence, and misery. Thus will that deadly animosity against property of all 

 sorts, which now animates our suffering fellow-countrymen, be eradicated 

 from their hearts thus will those who are worst off have reason to be 

 contented with their lot and thus, as their patience under grinding 

 injustice proves, will they be abundantly contented. Thus will the land- 

 owner be rich in such mode and degree as will render his possessions 

 a blessing, not a curse, to the commonwealth. Thus, moreover, will the 

 landowner be withdrawn from the morbid excitement of the Turf and 

 the Hell, to the substantial gratification, yielded by the interchange of a 

 primitive and genuine hospitality amongst his equals, to the harmonizing, 

 the godlike control of a neighbouring population, dependant upon his 

 employ for a free subsistence, while in health and vigour, and upon his 

 charity for relief, when the utmost exertions of lowly industry and pru- 

 dence have not availed to ward off the stroke of distress. Thus will he 

 become thoroughly acquainted with the wants, and have a genuine feel- 

 ing for the interests of his fellow-countrymen, and be the fit man to 

 represent and promote those interests in the council of the nation. Thus 

 will he possess so rational, deeply-rooted, and entire influence over his 

 neighbours, that no vulgar demagogue shall have an opportunity of 

 opposing his pretensions. 



29. All taxes are, of course, pernicious, in proportion as they press 



