THE MURDER OF AGRICULTURE, 



BY 



SIR WILLIAM EARNSHAW COOPER, CLE. 



Author of " Socialism and its Perils," " A Plea for Afrriculture," " Another Plea 

 for Agriculture," " Drink and the British People." 



PRESS OPINIONS. 



" It is imposBible to doubt the sincerity of the author in the appeal which he makes in this 

 volume on behalf of the agricultural industry. He sees in the gradual decadence of landed pur- 

 suits and rural employments a deadly menace to the welfare and stability of the nation. He 

 bemoans, as many others do, the national policy of the past half-century or more which has 

 stimulated commerce, trades, and manufactures at the expense of a more ancient and equally 

 inevitable pillar of national security — namely, a prosperous and energetic agriculture. Recog- 

 nising that matters have been allowed to drift periously near the precipice in this direction, 

 Sir William Co<ip€r has issued this earnest appeal to the people to demand Imd, tariff, and poor- 

 law reform before recovery becomes impossible. Itis reference to the mistaken and one-sided 

 policy of successive Governments is marked by undoubted ability and knowledge of the various 

 questions in point, while the magnitude and multiplicity of the evils that have accrued from 

 neglect of the land and its utilisation are not overstated." — The Field. 



"Sir ^Villiam Cooper states a case for tariff and other reform in 'The Murder of Agriculture 

 a National Peril.' It is a vigorous plea for the reconstruction of fiscal law and poor-laws by way 

 of dealing with the menace to our national prosperity set up by the enormous amount of poverty 

 and misery in our midst. ... By elaborate quotation of statistics he proves that land may be 

 made to support the people." — The Globe. 



" It is perfectly true, as .''ir W. E. Cooper, C.I.E., puts it in ' The Murder of Agriculture,' that 

 there is no other country in the world with a population of 43,000,000 that is contented- apart 

 from all private charity — to go on spending £16,000,000 a year on poverty." — Weekly Times and 

 Echo. 



"Sir W. E. Cooper, the author of this very clear and terse little volume, speaks emphatically, 

 but not unreasonably. His facts and figures as to our Free Trade system and its effects are 

 convincing enougli, and his conclusions are sternly logical." — The Essex Cuuntij Standard, 



'"The Murder of Agriculture.' It is a finely written treatise, free from any suspicion of bias, 

 upon the absolute need of developing the Small Holdings Act and reorganising ihe Land Acts. 

 Agriculture is the backbone of a nation's prosperity, and the author proves clearly that we have 

 jeopardised the national safety by ignoring the possibilities of the land. . . . He also explodes the 

 fallacy of Free Trade and the rottenness of the poor-law system, which manufactures instead of 

 discourages pauperism. Altogether the book, which is well bound, should be in the hands of 

 every intelligent voter." — Grimsby Daily Mail. 



"Sir William Cooper has previously taken up his pen to advocate agricultural and other 

 reforms in this country with a certain amount of success. In his present effort (' The Murder of 

 Agriculture') he gives his readers something to think about, and they must admit that he has 

 dealt with his subject with hardly any noticeable party inclination in his arguments, which, in 

 itself, is a novelty in these days; while at the same time many of the suggestions put forward 

 in his book are so very practical that it is only the national fondness for red tape and party 

 procedure that prevents their being put into practice. . . . Altogether the ' Murder of Agriculture' 

 is a readable book." — Andover Advertiser. 



"Several pleas for agriculture have been written by Sir W. E. Cooper, CLE., and the latest 

 is contained in a book entitled 'The Murder of Agriculture.' . . . The book cannot but appeal 

 forcibly to all who have the welfare of the country at heart," — Liverpool Courier. 



"The question is one which stirs the hearts and occupies the minds of all thoughtful people, 

 and it is with the object of throwing as much light upon it as possible that Sir William Cooper, 

 CLE., has written a book entitled 'The Murder of Agriculture,' which is now submitted for the 

 careful consideration of the reading public." — Belfast livening Telegraph. 



" There is no mistaking Sir William Cooper's earnestness in the cause or causes he advo- 

 cates. . . . Every one will agree with him that the amount of momy spent by the poor-law 

 system and public and private charities in the reli<f of distress is appalling." — Glasgow livening 

 News. 



"Sir William Cooper has all the pros and cms of the question at his fingers' ends, and 

 students of tlie problems of Free Trade and Protection will find in ' The Murder of Agriculture' 

 quite a storehouse of facts bearing upon them and handled with the tamiliarity of intimate 

 knowledge of the questions discussed." — Aberdeen Journal. 



" After exposing the absurdity of our so-called Free 'i'rade theories and their baleful effect in 

 destroying home industries, sir William Cooper attacks our rotten poor-law system, which has 

 wasted millions in the past and done so much to demoralise a large part of our population. . . . 

 The author is a bold, clear thinker, and his writings are marked by undoubted ability." — The 

 Welihman. 



