88 RUKAL RECONSTRUCTION 



purse." Every little thrown into the wrong scale destroys the right 

 balance. The proper principle to be followed was very clearly laid 

 down by Mr. Gladstone in 1862, in the parliamentary discussion 

 of the Industrial and Provident Societies Act of that year. Mr. 

 Gladstone very rightly insisted that for purposes of business the 

 State must not give public money to one sole interest. If the pur- 

 pose to be befriended was considered good, in the public interest — 

 as the provident action to be encouraged under the said Act cer- 

 tainly must be considered to be — the community might contribute 

 encouragement, facilities such as exemption from stamp duty and 

 official fees, the maintenance of supervising officers, such as the 

 Registrar of Friendly Societies, to see that all is above board, and 

 that the law is obeyed. In all this really, although individuals and 

 classes actually draw benefit from it, the object supported is not 

 individual or class profit, but the common good. And nothing is 

 really so taken out of the taxpayers' pocket. But money should 

 not be given. For, not only would that be unfair to pay " Paul " 

 by robbing " Peter," that is, those out of whose pockets the money 

 must come — without giving them any return — but such practice 

 must also alluringly tempt to abuse, since " light come is light go," 

 abuses such as, generally for political purposes, we have seen freely 

 practised, under this very head, on the Continent. Those five 

 million marks, already spoken of, contributed by the Prussian State 

 towards the creation of " elevators," which failed ; the loss sustained 

 in the transactions of the State endowed Prussian Central Bank ; 

 the lower tariff accepted on Prussian State railways for the carriage 

 of agricultural produce ; and those large purchases of agricultural 

 produce made annually at prices advisedly kept above market rate — 

 without the admission of competition — in which all mid-European 

 Governments have freely indulged, at the public expense, were all 

 effected for distinctly political purposes, to buy what the late Lord 

 Randolph Churchill pithily called " votes, votes, votes," and, 

 therefore come under the head of " abuse." 



They have very clear views on these points in the great republic 

 across the Atlantic. " Whatever the State may do towards improv- 

 ing the practice of agriculture," so wrote President Roosevelt in his 

 " Message " to the " Country Life Commission," " it is not within 

 the sphere of any Government to reorganise the farmer's business." 

 And, explaining the very friendly attitude to agriculture taken up 

 by his Department, Mr. Charles Brand, of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, says : " We proceed upon the principle that 

 the Government ought not to do for the citizen the things which the 



