THE INSENSATE "PARTY" SYSTEM IN PARLIAMENT 233 



then, as now, Lho commercial and industrial forces Icacjued 

 against agricidture were powerful, combined, v>-q\\ orj,'aniscd, 

 unscrupulous, and vigorously represented in Parliament, M-hilc 

 the interests of agriculture, were, and are, scattered, uncoud)iued, 

 without organisation, and — practically unvoiced in the councils 

 of State." 



There is no wonder, tlien, that under such conditions 

 Cobden and his party found no difficulty in sul)jugating the 

 land industry and sacrificing its interests to serve their own. 



Each Party afraid to tackle the "Tithes" Question 



It has been said that " to tackle tithes and land taxes would 

 be to stir up a hornet's nest," and considering the interests 

 involved the position is easily understandable. Whether a 

 hornet's nest or a scorpion's, a " cockatrice's " nest or a lair of 

 any other fabulous monster be disturbed in the process of 

 righting a wrong, the wrong should be righted nevertheless. 

 In the years that are gone history tells us that in the days of 

 its comparative prosperity, agriculture was sorely burdened 

 because of its tithes and taxes ; while to-day, because of this and 

 because of other injustices to the great land industry, which are 

 fieely referred to in other chapters, agriculture, instead of being 

 the greatest national wealth-producer, the universal employer, 

 and the veritable industrial sheet-anchor of the people, it is 

 entirely subdued by, and subordinate to, other industries that 

 have failed to respond to such national requirements. There is 

 ])ro(ligious wealth, but the people declare — and rightly so too — 

 that it is too unevenly distributed, and is, therefore, individual 

 instead of being as it should be and — must he— collective. 

 They justly point to the widespread pauperism of the people in 

 proof of this contention, while they contend with equal force 

 that the ever-present and ever-growiug Unemployed question 

 proves the hopelessness of the idea that trades and manufactures 

 can afford efficient means of employing the people. 



In sacrificing agriculture to serve the narrow interests of 

 party, a grave political blunder was committed and an un- 

 pardonable wrong inflicted on the people ; and despite the 

 sneers of certain politicians and the derision of certain in- 

 terested individuals, the time is not far distant when these 

 views will be fully vindicated. 



Drixk Traffic Question used for Political Purposes 



Then again, what greater injury could be done to a nation 

 than by the laws which govern the administration of the drink 

 traffic ? 



