, 1866-03-10
FROM EUROPE.
Our London Correspondence.

Our London Correspondence.
The Government Cattle Plague Bill
The Farming Interest of Great Bri
tafn-MF. John Stuart MIL and tn,
| Question Of Protection In the UnYtc<
Sintes-Su*penAfnn of Glae Hubcas Cor,
pus Act LII ireland.
From Our Own Cor.espondeus,]
LONDON, Feb, II, 1896.
THE GOVERNMENT CATTLE PLAGUE BILL.
have not lately written on agriculture
matters not merely because the news, II suct
II might be called, wns simply q repetition O.
the same old story Of theory, experiment and
failure In treatment of 1inderpest, but, still
more, IN consequence Of the opening Of our Par
lament and necessary pressure of polIttcal
details. There isnothing, however. moro i'm.
portant or Interesting for nc to chronicle by
this mall than the introduction Into Parlia,
mcnt, last Monday night, OF the Government
Cattle P1Aguo Bill. This measure and the
lengthy debates which have ensucd upon II
are brimtul or Importance to the people q,
the United States, for the subject involves a
great principle affecting men iucomparably
moro than cattle, and impcrillng the well.
being Of the whole nation while protesting to
benefit wealthy and selfish privileged class,
l would that what purpose writing couId
be seen BY every farmer, Manufacturer and
capitalist In the United States; for this aues.
tIon, dealt with as 1t is now IN Great Britain.
is precisely similar to that of the mapufae.
turing issue In tho Republic, and involves the
whole theory aud practice of Protection.
Mr.. Bright has well described the Govern
ment bill Us 4 "Panlc Measure" indeed,
cur Minister OF the Interior, or as wc call him
''foz short, /" Her Majesty's Principal Score.
tary Of State for the Home Department, Sir
George Grey, admits the dire Impeachment ut
the very outset, for he informed tho House Of
Commons on Monday night, that "a great
change of publc opinion has recently taken
place respecting the estimates and opinions
which have been formed as 10 the danger
arising from the spread Of this disorder.'' Sir
George Grey's oracular assertion amounts to
Just simply this, no more, no less,-that the
Government had 10 meet Parliament Gov
ernment had no plan Of action to propose re-
gardlng the r1ndt,pea; Government was
afraid Of the great landowners aud scouutry
gentlemen" and hasAllowed itself to be dc.
tat.d to and coerced By the " bucolic'; inter @
est. The bill presented to tho country by her
Majesty's present advisers is model Of dode.
ing the Issue and beating about the bush and
1t Is not surprising, therefore, that manv
clauses have already been amended In com
mlftee. and that the measure itself, In Its en-
tircty, has met with fierce opposition.
Before saying what this precious bill is. a1-
low me to explain Whist it i not, because The
latter involves what might have been. Tho
bill is In no sense such measure as that pro-
posed and carried by the British Government
some hundred odd Jears ago, aud which soon
lid the country Of the rlnde7pe,.. Nor does
u display that courage and energy which. in
France, nave restricted the raya9es Of the
plague to few dozen cattle; for il Is an elab-
orate attempt on the part Of our Government
to shik responsibility, aud to throw upon
county and other local administrations tho
onus Of qnelling the dfstc,npcr. What the
real gist Of the bill Is, Mr.. Bright describes as
follows: ut Is, frst, IN attempt at isolation.
IN which the honorable gentleman opposite
or. Hunt does not think Il goes far enough;
second general purpose to slaughter cattle
that a either attacked BY the disease, Of that
may be liable to be attacked, or suspected Of
belng liable; aud, third, principle of com
pensation, which is admitted, and admitted
now, suspect, for the ftst time In the life-
time OF any member OF the House, In a matter
the bill, and followed the d.tfefent sncskeIs %
who have thus far Joined In discussing lis uer.
It's, should characterize the Government
proposal as follows: A settled determination
not 10 deal with The question Of tte cattlo
plague. combined with jolly big sop. thrown |
10 the landed iuterest-that Is to say, the arI9.
toctacy-as q br'be to allow her MaJosty's
present advisers to remain in office.
The discussion which has already ensucd on
the bill has brought ont John Bright and
yohn Stnart NM In great rrosninanaa- Mr..
Ertssht Is fighting against the measure step by
step and clause By clause, while slr. Mill deals
with the question On abstract grounds of
sound political econoDy-a science which no
privileged class IN any country seems capable
of understanding, and yet political ccouoIny il
one Of the most easily understood Of the sci.
cnces while, at tue game time, 1t Is IS cxnct
and indlsputabia as mathematics themselves.
Mr. Mil thus deals With the Government pro
1sosat for reimbursiug our farmers. losses out
Of the nallon's funds. ."
In whatever proportion the supply OF cattle has
diminished. in that proportion The price woald b
enhanced, and therefore In the end The whole bur
The eon!umex. and Armcst Aud landlords would Ii.
oetu sLfeI, but ouly to tho k1ne extent Al other
msnoeza q ths cotamunity-that I. to Say. - CON
which suffered no class Of The community 4. cI.ss
bad the kn1alltst clam 10 compensation from The
rert Some we7c lefs able 70 bear the loss than |
olheis. and II would BE- quite just 10 co,nponsase
them. but nos. On tho contrary It WI proposed 10
.s1 lhcm in order to compensate those T1o wcrr
aole TO 6ear the loss much better. Therefore. It
appeared 10 him tnat The msmess a cless had no |
clAtm wbatcycs 10 compensation, and the only rea-
ION Why compensation was Just toward any Of thIs
ciss. y W. 20, TIA. the loss tel upon them a,one,
NM that It feu upon sbem with inequality. He up.
pretended thai in real Justice CONDENSATION onent
70 be paid TO tho less fortunate By the more for
nnas o. ,6s a. eass 1hste!yes Therefor ihe
be on ners Of stock" - 1''S
Mr. Bright's argument was grounded on the
.boye principles. but he Illustrated 1t most
orc'bly by some telling examples. For in
'tancc, be referred to the late disasters
amongst our mercantile marine, and told OF
'nc ship-owncr who had lost, In single year,
Upwards Of fort thousand pounds startling Ia
,hipping- Then, again, he instanced the sut.
ertng in our manufacturing region, conse-
}uent upon the cessation Of the American cot
on supply; and challenged tho Government
md The. tummg interest to show why Tie
hip-oWhess md cotton-spfnnerss should not bs !
ON pcDsated fer their losses as we'll 81 the !
arners. One would imagine that the obvious
deductions from the above facts wonld shake
be eGoTeInment's support Of the measure IL
reduced br II, more especially With such
nut the Ministry seem to wish to curry inter
St With the great landowners aud aIe bid
ling tor their cnuntenance or leniencY at the
rice Of principles which the vast majority of
he English people have committed TO their
are The course adopted BY the Government
Ill as introduced on Monday night Is mol
lke!y TO be carried; Ministers are well aware
the fact, and they knew also In advance,
bat the tories had prepared bill which, per
hance, might be driven down theIf throats
olfna rosens. So they absolutely proposed
!lat their own bill and that ofthefr opponents
[athcfed by Mr.. Hunt should be read TO-
HnH {fnFAt 1AN I'M nf -, IL. l