196 THE MURDER OF AGRICULTURE 



once we alter the present inane fiscal and agricultural 

 systems, this would become easy enough. 



Mr Harcourt, First Commissioner of Works, in his 

 speech on the second reading of the " Small Holdings 

 Bill," for England, on June 12, 1907, said: 



" If, as Mr Chaplin would have us believe, small hold- 

 ings could not exist without protection, I would not 

 raise my hand to bring them into being." 



All Englishmen who have the welfare of their country 

 at heart sincerely hope that agriculture will flourish 

 without protection. But — and here we must commit no 

 more blunders — if we find that it cannot do so, that it 

 requires a little State assistance to enable it to prosper, 

 a little leading by the hand to enable it to walk surely and 

 firmly, then, and in that case, State aid must be given. 



Mr Harcourt has raised his Party cry of " No protec- 

 tion " and " cheap loaf," and he asks us to follow, but 

 we are no longer disposed to sacrifice the people's inte- 

 rests to the selfish spirit of any political party. We have 

 seen that every country in the world which shows the 

 most prosperous balance sheets, assists its trade and 

 industries in some form or other, and we are firmly con- 

 vinced that the time has come for us to do the same. 

 " People before party " is our cry ; our answer to 

 all political parties, whether Liberal or Conservative; 

 and as we conceive this to be the true spirit of patriotism 

 before ^c caunot follow Mr Harcourt, whose policy is so harsh 

 Party ^-^^ uncompromising, as to imperil and even sacrifice a 

 great national industry for want of a little assis- 

 tance, because such a course would clash with the interests 

 of the Party he serves. 



