THE WINTER OF DISCONTENT. im 



making slaves of them and treating them worse than cattle, as 

 they have done in the past, the better it will be ; we may then 

 get on the highway to agricultural prosperity. . . . 



" The farmers of Suffolk are just now forcing the labourers 

 into rebellion. We have offered peaceful arbitration, and some 

 of the farmers have returned our kindly offer in insulting lan- 

 guage. Still, they are members of Christian Churches : no 

 wonder at our churches being unpopular." 



Though it managed to achieve a membership of 17,000 

 this Union must have had an uphill fight against declining 

 corn prices and the repeated attempts of farmers to lower 

 wages. Its financial basis of id. a week was too w r eak to 

 fight foes supported by their bastions of farm-tied cottages. 



The farmers now formed in Norfolk a union for 

 their " mutual protection and benefit," one of the objects 

 being to assist its members in the event of a strike. 

 Possibly farmers \vere somewhat scared by the programme of 

 the Eastern Counties Federation, which contained items be- 

 traying its urban genesis. 1 Possibly the Union ship was 

 carrying too much sail, could not ride the Atlantic breakers, 

 and so foundered in 1895. 



But this stimulus projected from the town proved to be 

 artificial and short-lived. By 1896 one might say that the 

 English agricultural labourer was left destitute of any kind 



1 The programme was as follows : 



Parish Councils wanted in the villages. 



Paid Members of Parliament. 



Boards of Guardians : abolish them. Why not ? 



Old Age Pensions for men and women over Go years. 



Farming Companies and Co-operative Societies, 



Tax uncultivated land to its full value. 



More scientific farming wanted. 



Compulsory cultivation of land. 



Co-operative farming and federation trading. 



Labour representatives on all public authorities. 



A proportion of working men as magistrates. 



Religious equality. 



Tax mansions and deer forests to their full value. 



Land-law reforms ; State to own the land. 



Better wages for agricultural labourers. 



Better homes for the workers ; excessive rents reduced. 



Arbitration in trade disputes in place of strikes. 



Arbitration in place of wars. 



Steam tramways constructed by County Councils. 



Municipal workshops and work for the unemployed. 



County Council firms. 



Regular employment for all working men. 



