332 LAND REFORM 



from the point of view of the Manchester school, the 

 objects of which school were to get cheap food, with 

 consequent cheap labour, and increased trade for 

 Lancashire, 



Those who read Cobden's speeches will find, when 

 he leaves the comparatively narrow issue involved in 

 the question of the Corn Laws and deals with the sub- 

 ject of general free trade, that his arguments are stinted 

 and superficial. He evidently feels the weakness of 

 his reasoning in favour of free imports for one nation 

 alone, and in order to be somewhat logical and con- 

 sistent he feels bound to state confidently that we were 

 within a very few years of the advent of universal 

 free trade. 



We can of course only guess as to the part the old 

 writers referred to, if alive, would take in the present 

 fiscal controversy ; but one thing is sure : they would 

 fail to recognize in the present state of things any 

 semblance to free trade as they understood it, and it is 

 likely that, while holding firmly to their principles, 

 they would conclude that tariff reform was an urgent 

 matter in England, seeing that all other countries had 

 denied free trade and, further, that it was the only 

 means by which they were likely to get their ends. 

 In the same way there are men who, rightly holding 

 that peace is the highest of all national interests, 

 advocate a policy of general disarmament ; but these 

 men, without giving up their opinions, would shrink 

 from placing their country in a defenceless state so 

 lone as the nations around are armed to the teeth. 

 But it is not necessary for the present purpose to 

 pursue the general subject of free trade. Supposing 

 the policy of each country to remain as it is, or that uni- 

 versal free trade were established, in either case the 



