163 



CHAPTER XV. 



PROTECTION AND TITHE RENT-CHARGE. 



Historically 1 Protection is associated with a period of 

 prolonged and unprecedented distress, with agricultural 

 gambling and reckless speculation in land, with bank- 

 ruptcy and insolvency of farmers, with the degradation 

 and pauperism of agricultural labourers, with high prices 

 and extravagant poor-rates, with incendiarism and starva- 

 tion, with hunger made and perpetuated by law in the 

 interests of a single industry. This was the price which 

 the nation paid for artificial rents and artificial prices. 



There once lived a philosopher, who, seeing that he 

 had scratched out both his eyes in a quickset hedge, de- 

 termined 



To jump into a bramble bush 



And scratch them ui again. 



His example is urged by Protectionists, not only upon the 

 nursery, but upon the nation generally. 



A black mark is set against Protection in the memory 

 of consumers in this country ; the system itself is also dis- 

 credited by comparative failure on the Continent. It is 

 established in France and Germany ; "^ but import duties 

 do not enable farmers to grow wheat at a profit. In Ger- 

 many, as has been said, farmers have only gained by 



1 See Chapter IX. 



- See Appendix XII., Return of prices of wheat in France, Belgium, 

 and Prussia. 



u 2 



