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America, that the repeal of the Corn Laws, if gra- 

 dual, would, for a time, be injurious to farmers and 

 landlords, without being very useful to any class of 

 labourers ; but if sudden, would be beneficial to all 

 these classes, and to landlords in particular." He 

 says, " if the field of production were enlarged by 

 slow degrees, capital and labour might increase at 

 the same rate ; in which case there would be no 

 change of proportion amongst the three elements of 

 production. In that case, the wealth and population 

 of England would increase, far more rapidly, per- 

 haps, than since the war ; there would be more 

 capitalists and more labourers, more factories, ware- 

 houses, ships, roads, and houses, more signs of 

 wealth; but no improvement in the condition of 

 either capitalists or labourers. Whereas, a sudden 

 enlargement of the means of employing capital with 

 profit, so great an enlargement suddenly that capital 

 and labour should for some time bear a lower pro- 

 portion to the field of production must raise profits 

 and wages both together. For the sake, then, of the 

 industrious classes generally, bread cannot be made 

 too cheap, or made cheap too soon. Whereas, with 

 respect to the lower orders, their wages will not be 

 raised, if they should increase in numbers as fast as 

 bread becomes cheaper. The object is to make the 

 staff of life very cheap to them., without a fall, if 

 possible, with a rise of wages ; and this can be 

 accomplished, if at all, only by a great and sudden 

 fall in the price of bread. For the sake of all classes 

 and on every account, therefore, it appears that rather 



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