A POLICY OF FREE TRADE IN DISEASE 



how much there was at stake. Yet I remember 

 how strongly these protective measures were 

 opposed by many of the townsfolk. 



I took part in an Oxford election when, in 

 the interest of the late Sir William Harcourt, one 

 of the sitting members, there was a procession 

 through the streets of cattle placarded with 

 appeals to vote against the wicked Tories, who 

 wanted to keep good stock out of the country, 

 and thereby raise the price of food to the work- 

 ing man. I did my best then to combat such a 

 delusion, though unsuccessfully, so far as the 

 result of that election was concerned. But I 

 have lived to see a Liberal Government firmly 

 refusing to deviate a hair's breadth from a course, 

 the denouncing of which helped them into office 

 in 1881. At intervals, of late years, Parliament 

 has been urged to remove the restrictions upon 

 the importation into this country of live animals 

 from abroad. My mission, however, being to 

 furnish experiences rather than to discuss matters 

 of agricultural policy, I will not recapitulate here 

 the various arguments which have induced the 

 Government, with the backing of all the leading 

 agricultural organizations, apart from mere trading 

 ones, of the country, to stand to its guns in this 

 matter. But I may say that I believe that if the 

 agitators for the repeal of the restrictions had 

 as vivid a remembrance as I have of the greatest 

 single calamity that ever befel British agriculture 

 they would pause before they urged the throwing 

 open of our ports as proposed. 



With the exception of the cattle plague 

 visitation, agriculture was fairly prosperous till 



87 



