164 APPENDICES. 



benefit aud advantage^ then all I kava to say is that tlio 

 reform I propose cannot be successful; and, indeed, if it 

 does not produce something to his advantage it ought not 

 to be successful. (Cheers.) I say to you, then, in the 

 first place, that I think that more than, most men, I have 

 some claim to be lieard by you.* (' Hear, hear.') I have 

 bean oO years in politics, and during the whole of that 

 time I have had a special interest in the condition of the 

 agricultural labourer (cheers); and I have taken that 

 interest because, of all the v/orking classes in the country, 

 he is the least fortunate, because he in the general pro- 

 gress has gained loss than any other class. I took an 

 active part in securing for him the franchise; and when 

 the franchise was obtained, I was happy enough to bo 

 able to secure the support of Lord Salisbury, who was then 

 at the head of the Governm.ent. (Cheers.) Lord Salisbury 

 n-ave to the agricultural labourer free education for his 

 children. (Cheers.) Was that no small boon? Why, 

 there must be many of you who remember that 20 years 

 ago the agricultural labourer with a family might have to 

 pay anything from 6d. to Is. a week in order to secure 

 that his children should be taught reading, writing, and 

 arithmetic. And now a good education has been placed 

 within the reach of every child of every labourer without 

 a farthing of cost to himself.f (Cheers.) Well then, the 

 next thing we did — I say ' we ' because it was with the 

 approval and assistance of my friends, Mr. Chaplin (cheers) 

 and Mr, Jesse Collings ('hear, hear'), and others who 

 have always shown themselves to be friends or the 

 labourers— it was with their assistance that we were 

 enabled to obtain legislation which facilitated the acfiuitsi- 

 tion of small holdings and allotments, and although the 

 compulsory clauses of that legislation have not been fre- 

 quently put into force, the result has been that at th.e 

 present day 100,000 labourers at least have got allotments 



* I'liis is perfectly true. The Author Jias dealt with Mr. 

 Chamhcrlain's honourahh and successful record in another 

 part af this hool'. 



t Thp tvivfs af agricultural lahourers hart told vs — often 

 with fears in their eyes — of what great value the. Fret Educa- 

 Act has been in their respective homes. 



