THE SACRIFICE OF AGRICULTURE 187 



seeds of death, and yet continue for some years afterwards in fair 

 and appai'cnt health, so it was with Enoflish agriculture. The 

 ' aaturul protection ' of distance, which Cobden promised to the 

 I'^nglish farmer, did shield agriculture for a time. The prairies of 

 Nortli and South America were as yet sparsely employed in arable 

 cultivation, and apart from tiie comparative smallness of the foreign 

 wheat supply available, a lack of faciliiies for transportation, and 

 the high charges for freight, did give the farmer protection against 

 foreign competitors, even after the duties were removed. ]iut all 

 through the intervening years the foreign wheat lands have been 

 developing, railways have made a mesh over them, and the seas are 

 now so crowded with ships that they are carrying grain across the 

 Atlantic for a penny a bushel, and in some cases actually as 

 ballast." 



Emigration to avoid Starvation 



It was tlicii that the country commenced to feel the loss 

 of its great staple industry. Labour difficulties became acute 

 and employment hard to obtain, and it soon became apparent 

 that despite the lavish optimism of the Cobdenites, our much- 

 vaunted manufactures and world commerce were not capable 

 of giving employment to the whole of the workers of the 

 kingdom, and that vast numbers would either have to starve 

 or emigrate. They chose the latter course, and a tide of emi- 

 gration set in which has deprived the kingdom of millions of 

 its best and strongest, for we must always bear in mind it is 

 the hardy, strong, and vigorous w^ho emigrate, and not the 

 timorous, weak, and shrinking. 



The figures given in Chapter XII., terrible as they are in 

 their significance, only tell one story, and it is this : The 

 people's greatest industry, having been killed by a cruel but 

 mistaken policy, millions of England's sons and daughters have 

 found the necessity of leaving the country which gave them 

 birth, to — Avoid Starvation ! 



And we are further alarmed by the startling fact that in 

 spite of the enormous expansion of national trade wliich has 

 been experienced during the last few years, this appalling 

 drain on the manhood of the coimtry is still found to be a 

 pressing necessity, the aggregate for the five years ending 1907 

 having amounted to 1,514,279, wliile in the latter year the 

 enormous total of 395,680 was reached ; in other words — 



"The Heaviest Emigration Drain synchronises with 

 Phenomenal Trade Expansion." 



Now, if great expansion of national trade means anything at 

 all, it certainly should include, among other things, full work 

 and prosperous times for the people; and without being 



