54 AGRICULTURE AND TARIFF REFORM. 



Germany or America can do we can do also.' The 

 opposite system, Avhicli tlie rural interest goes 

 upon, is demoralising the farmers." 



Note. — Mr. Cohdcn could not adopt the same system 

 to-day; as he would he bnund hy the Trades Unions he 

 cordially hated, who insist upon a. certain u-age beinj 

 paid to their mcmhcrs, and that those memlers shall only 

 icork a certain number of hours. Still less, if he were a 

 farmer could he adopt any such system. 



Speech, July 3rd, 1844 (London). 



j (28). " We do not believe that free trade in 

 corn will injure the farmer ; we are convinced it 



i will benefit the tenant farmer as much a^ any 

 trader or manufacturer of the community."' 



Note. — The prophet teas icrong. Whilst the viann- 

 facturer has gone on prospering (up to the last 15 o" 

 20 years), farrners are still nearly at the top of the lis' 

 ill the total number of banhruptcies annually recorded 

 by the Board of Trade, and they have been so ever since 

 the Board of Trade issued official statistics in 1885! No 

 doubt they were before, too. 



(29). " We are satisfied that those landowners 

 who improve their estates and surrender moro 

 political power by granting long leases to the 

 farmers, will increase the productiveness of their 

 estates, and will not suffer pecuniarily." 



Note. — As everybody Icnows, who has enquired into 

 the subject, oirners have enormously "improved" their 

 estates. The "productiveness" of the land, however^ 

 is of no benefit because of foreign competition with the 

 produce of their tenants. As to " leases," landlords are 

 only too glad to get tenants who desire leases, which is 

 the exception rather than the rule. 



