The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1868-06-17
nehasement Of the English Yeomanry.

The land monopoly, and the increasing degfaoation
of the agricultural working class which results from
il day the most important questions that Great
Britain = called upon meet and settle equitably
The yeouanry of England have disappeared almost
altogether In Cumberland there remains class OF
! small land owners known as 9 statesmen" but even
they are becoming less numerous every year. The
character of the country there prevents the forma
ton of large sheep farms, which seem to be the
agricultural passion of the day 10 that TACT Is oouo
| less due the preservation Of this small remnant OF a
bold veomanry" once their countrys pride In Corn
wall there exists class of land owners, but they are
chiefly the miners who in that region work on shares
and not for wages They are body almost unique in
character amid the mass of English workingmen.
| few facts recently made public, will exhibit the
startling proportions which the British landed interest
has assumed. In ITO there were i'll the United King
dom $50, 900 landlords; there less than So
900, of whom 5000 in Ireland. England and Scot
land really under the control of 900 persons 1t
is perhaps surprising that there should be $4,000
900 acres of land not under cultivation. Ut course
considerable proportion Of this area is what is known
as mooraud heath and bog, but at least one-half is
included in the parks, pleasances, game preserves for
ests and shooting moors reserved for the sole grath
cation of the privileged few. The majority OF the
English yeomanry long since migrated to this CONT
neut II is declared in contraventon OF the land mo-
nopoly cry that the figures given above Incorrect
and that the number of land owners is twelve times
greater return to the House of Commons NO 44S
of 1869 gives 358 526 reeholders in England % 425
proprietors in Scotland and 1852 freeholders in Ire
land. But this, when examined, does not prove what
it is claimed do There is wide difference between
| the land owner spoken of the monopost, and the
freeholder named in the quoted returns. So far as
extent of ownership is concerned, eleventweths of
these merely of very small parcels of ground
mostly in the cities and towns, while the 80 900 spo
ken of are the real landlords Some twelve titled fam
lilies seven-tenths Of the entire Of Scotland
one the duca family of Sutherland, covering two
| th.i, Ia anI, r.,
SHIRE the Duke of Bedford has farm of $50 900 acres
in parish. In Norfolk, the bachelor Lord Lecon-
field, With rent roll Of $500, 900 year, in gold is
constantly engaged in adding to his real estate; he
owns two boroughs, and controls the nomination for
them and the western portion of his county. The ag-
rcultural returns of the laud under grain for 1867
show less than Ell ght million half of the
included in the land reserved for aristocrac graf
ifcation This is poor exhibit for country which
imports one-f fifth Of its breadstuffs.
With the increase of this monopoly and its corol.
larry, tenant FARMS has grown up the system of sheep
farming, by which immense tracts devoted to this
purpose and the raising of turnips. ACCOMPANYING
it, and induced by the law of settlement" as it is
termed by which each parish is compelled to support
it's poor, and under which paupers are removed
from to another until settlement can be proven
there has during the last ten fifteen years. been
general destruction of cottage dwellings and
ing OF villages SO as to drive away the poor aborers
Here is an iustraon In 922 parishes there was, in
1854 population St per cent. larger than in 1861,
while the house room per cent. less. On the
Duke of Bedlords Cambridge farm above alluded to
there is not dwelling for the aborer. All have to walk
six eight miles to their work 1t is stated in illus
tFation Of this hardship that at Bolton Lin
colnshre, walks fythree miles each week to his work
for which be receives twelve shDgs-two shillings
per day. There seems to be in England, among the
great body of agricultural employers and land owners
comparatively little humane feeling toward the labor
ing population In no other cvilised country, pos
sessed of comparative equality in wealth and culture
is there such class of degraded ignorant and brutal
Used human beings as the English farm laborers Re-
Gently public attention has been called to their cond
ton by the publication of report from a Parliamen-
tary commission the employment of children. Dur
irg the last thirty years number of laws have been
enacted, intended to regulate the Employment of chill
dren in the factories, and to prevent their growing up
in such ignorance formerly the rule Yet
in spite of these laws, it is found that million and
half of young Children youths of both sexes, and
women, employed in variety of ways at hours
and periods which the factory laws prohibit and with
total disregard Of educational advantages The most
startling exposures, and which illustrates the abso
lutte rottenness of the present English industrial sys
tenn, relates to what known as agricultural |
gangs" These are, in brief bodies of young children,
youths, and women-a majority being children-who |
first hired at small rates by the gangmaster usually
shrewd, mddleaged farm Iaborer or foreman and |
by him armed out the tenant farmers These gangs
often number five hundred persons. The smallest are
not less than fifty The average wages will be eight
pence to tenpence per head per day The villages be-
ing generally from five ten miles distant from the
work, the gangs usually assemble at AN. and re-
turn at or 8 PM The farmers prefer gang labor be-
cause they have no trouble iE overseeing it, and it
cheaper, because they do not have to pay for days
when field labor is suspended as is the case in con-
tracts made with individuals. The children are en-
ployed usually in wedding, picking stones, hoeing,
gathering turnlps, etc.-work which is most delete
rlous The result is in districts where the gang sys-
TEN prevails that spinal diseases prevail and perma-
nent curvature is common. These gangs often sleep
IN the barns and sheds of farms where they are at
work. The most frighttul immortality prevails Girls
employed in the fields acquire great distaste for
homework, and for any kind of settled life 1t is
for girls of fifteen and sixteen years to be en-
ciente Married women who so employed grow in
different to their offspring and child-murder-by the
use of audanum and other opates-is believed to be
alarmngly on the increase. Education is totally neg
ected. What time the wretched mankins who
thus labor find for school? The worst of it is that
the agitation in England this subject develops the
Tact that the agrlcultursts are, class bitterly op-
posed not only to education, but to any process by
which the iaborers condition may be improved. At
The farmers dinner and meetings the protest against
educational attempts have been bold and brutal Mr..
paget, M. P for Norfolk, himsefa tenant farmer and
The sole representative Of his class in the British Par
lament, in recent speech derides all such efforts as
only tending to make the aborer dissatisfied. Eng
ish legislators may be Congratulated the fact that
hey have but practical farmer in their body.
HUMOROUS INCIDENT IN THE LIFE OF EDMUND KEAN
At one time quartette of friends dined weekly to-