DECEMBER 415 



cam[)aign in 1895, it was persistently put about in the constituency 

 that I supported the imposition of a tax upon wheat and meat. 

 This, as I have said, I had never even thought of doing. 



My letter, I am further informed, ' is mainly interesting as an 

 index to the true inwardness of the Conservative mind on subjects 

 of economic policy.' I do not quite see what the purely private 

 views of a purely private person who is not engaged in standing 

 for Parliament have to do either with the outwardness or the 

 inwardness of the Conservative Mind. Probably, if it were asked, 

 the Conservative Mind would decline to be identified with my 

 personal opinions, which are, to be frank, of a somewhat indepen- 

 dent order. 



But this is not all of it, for my suggestions as to the advan- 

 tages of a bounty are next discussed. It is pointed out that a 

 bounty ' designed to prevent the cost of home-produced wheat 

 falling below 30J. a quarter, is a tax on the consumer to the 

 extent of the difference between 305-. and the price at which 

 wheat can be produced by other peoples.' 



Quite so, and what then ? Nobody can say that 30^". a 

 quarter is a high price to pay for wheat ; indeed, in this country 

 it cannot be grown to profit at that figure. If a thing cannot be 

 grown at a profit, sooner or later it ceases to be grown at all, and 

 the real issue is whether or no it is desirable that wheat should 

 be cultivated in England in the future. 



I do not pretend to any certainty of view upon the subject — 

 mine is only a pious opinion. It may be wise that we should 

 learn to depend entirely upon foreign .supplies of corn, though 

 many declare tliat this would be the reverse of wisdom. But at 

 least there are two sides to the question, and a time might come 

 when, under the pressure of foreign complications, home-grown 

 grain would be wanted. The issue therefore arises whether — 

 if this supposition be correct — it is not better to violate the 

 strict letter of a doubtful dogma than to expose the country to 

 what may be a national risk ? Lastly, to come to the root, 

 out of which all this controversy grew — how about the labourers 



