Political Economy and the Land 



and the heavy toll it levies on every commodity 

 passing through its hands. It is more accurate 

 to say that it has been left to Free Traders to 

 evolve a policy which in the first place is not 

 free trade or fair trade (an unavoidable plati- 

 tude), a policy which has neglected the producer, 

 a policy which may have benefited the con- 

 sumer to some extent in certain directions, but 

 pre-eminently a policy which has favoured the 

 middleman ! And the middleman makes his 

 living out of the producer and consumer alike. 

 To digress for one moment, it seems to be 

 impossible to write about Tariff Reform without 

 referring to Cobden 1 But really the views of 

 that worthy man have little to do with the 

 present issues before the country, conditions 

 having so completely changed. It is necessary 

 therefore to consider things as they now are. 

 I am only making mention of Cobden as an 

 excuse for quoting Mr. G, F. Watts. Shortly 

 after Mr. Chamberlain had launched his great 

 scheme of Tariff Reform, I asked Mr. Watts 

 what he thought about it. He replied that he 

 was too old a man to go into the question of 

 a Tariff as opposed to Free Trade, but that he 

 had a great admiration for Mr. Chamberlain, 

 as a man with pre-eminently that most valu- 

 able characteristic so generally lacking in 

 Englishmen — elasticity of mind. 



And further, in regard to the introduction of 

 20 i 



