190 OUR ENGLISH LAND MUDDLE. 



powers — the United States, Germany, and Japan. 

 It is possible to explain the rise of the United 

 States by the great natural resources of the 

 land and the British energy of the people ; of 

 Germany by the thoroughness of the system of 

 technical education ; of Japan by the dis- 

 ciplined patriotism of the people. But the one 

 common factor in each case was a system of 

 tariff protection ; and if the Free Trade advocate 

 can effectively maintain that Protection was 

 not responsible for their sudden advance to 

 manufacturing greatness, he must be forced to 

 admit at least that Protection was not able to 

 'prevent that advance. 



What I wish to have accepted is that the 

 Free Trade idea is neither so certain an economic 

 law, nor so closely knit with the British political 

 system, that the mere consideration of the subject 

 of agricultural protection is to be refused with 

 the final argument "It is against Free Trade." 

 We are abandoning the Free Trade theory in 

 other directions for the sake of manufacturers. 

 It is fair to ask that in the case of agriculture 

 the value of Protection should be considered on 

 its merits. If that is conceded, the considera- 



