Leaves from a Madeira Garden 



that competition ; and that it is to the interest 

 of the whole community that they should not 

 be driven out of those markets by the artificial 

 raising of the cost of production. " Here is 

 an industry, come let us tax it to death," seems 

 to be their motto. One can almost hear Lord 

 Place, the Parliamentary candidate in Fielding's 

 " Pasquin," *' I hope we shall have no such 

 people as tradesmen shortly ; I can't see any 

 use they are of ; if I am chose, I'll bring in a 

 bill to extirpate all trade out of the nation." 



Of the second fact, remarkable instances may 

 be adduced, some of them savouring rather of 

 the " Arabian Nights " or a comic opera, than of 

 a serious business community. But to quote 

 Dr. Johnson, " Sir, to leave things out of a 

 book because people tell you they will not be 

 believed is meanness." First, as regards flour. 

 In order to prevent, it is said, the growth of a 

 monopoly in the people's food, licence is granted 

 to various millers to grind corn ; each miller 

 being allowed to grind such proportion of the 

 whole amount required as corresponds to the 

 proportion his machinery bears to the total 

 milling machinery in the town. The result 

 is that mills have been multiplied and increased 



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