AN AGRICULTURAL PARTY 415 



developed in any question, as it is so much easier to merely do 

 what the Whip commands ; the useful knowledge which accrues 

 from personal interest is therefore lost, and the units of a party 

 become in very many cases merely automatons, useful to their 

 leaders, but no longer representative of their constituents. 



The results are necessarily bad. No measure is taken up until 

 the party in power either sees a chance to please the mob and 

 so to gain votes, or fears to lose them by refraining from action. 

 Merely useful measures have no chance of becoming law ; there 

 is no time to deal with anything that does not help to make 

 ' w an attractive shop window." Time which should be spent on 

 well considered legislation is wasted over every conceivable dodge 

 by which one party attempts to score off the other. Instead of 

 devising a rational system of decentralisation, the Legislature is 

 choked with business, and recourse is had to that most babarous, 

 dangerous and unconstitutional process known as the " guillotine." 

 Well-considered legislation is a thing of the past. 



It may be undesirable to try a new system, but it is difficult 

 to imagine that the group system could be worse than the one 

 we suffer under now. 



December, 1908. 



APPENDIX No. 6. 



JOHN ALGERNON CLARKE. 



Son of John Clarke, celebrated sheep breeder, 22 years Hon. 

 Secretary of the Long Sutton Agricultural Association. Born 

 at Long Sutton, Lincolnshire. Died in London November, 1887. 

 Age 60. 



First Secretary of the Central Chamber of Agriculture. Founder 

 of the Cfiamber of Agriculture Journal in 1869, at offices in Arundel 

 Street, Strand. 



Special correspondent of The Times for 30 years, and wrote 

 Crop and Stock Prospects weekly. At the time of his death he 

 was editor of Bell's Weekly Messenger. Author of " What the 

 Prophets Foretold" and ''Fen Sketches;" also contributor to 

 the " Encyclopaedia Britannica." 



Inventor of " Psycho," the celebrated automaton card player, 

 introduced by Maskelyne and Cook, at the Egyptian Hall. 



Reporter and Judge of Machinery at the Royal and Bath and 

 West of England Shows. 



Wrote many articles for the Royal Society Journals, was 

 awarded Prince Albert's Medal for Prize Essay on Agriculture, 

 and was Lecturer on Agriculture at Cirencester College. 



