The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-12-26
England's Misfortunes-English Must
Emigrate.

phenomenon which becomes more startling
and painful the more closely it is examined
The ablest observers there and here unite
in the belief that it is not passing and
temporary misfortune, which must be en-
dured but will presently cease they see.
on the contrary, such deep-seated causes
for the present unfortunate situation of
England as demand immediate attention of
her wisest men and the adoption of radical
remedies.
The poverty and suffering of the English
laboring class may be for the moment
alleviated by public and general aid and by
private benefcence. The difficulty and
danger are that the industrial disturbance
and prostration are not temporary. They
arise out Of causes which time will not re-
move, but only intensity. England has
depended for many years, not merely for
her wealth but for her existence, on
her command of the markets Of the
world for her manufactures, and she
has now lost her most important customer,
the United States, and worse yet, finds our
manufacturers her most dangerous rivals
in all other markets. She is in the posi-
ton of merchant who has long controlled
a lucrative trade and who suddenly finds
younger, more energetic rival disputing
the ground with greater capital and better
resources She cannot so into new bust
ness (; she can compete with us only at
constantly increasing loss our planet
has now been SO thoroughly occu-
pied that she cannot expect to discover
at once or even to develop in many years
to come any new market adequate to her
necessities; Central Africa and New Guinea
alone remain to be developed" and
neither promises a great demand for what
civilized nations make.
Finally, the vital difference between our
own condition and that OF England is in
our possession of vast quantities of unset
tied lands On these, during the dreary
years since 1873, many thousands Of
our people have sought and found
refuge from want; and there has
been constant and ontinually in
creasing draft to the country and to agri-
cultural lite from our cities and manufac-
turing centres. Without this outlet we
should not now be on the upward way to
renewed prosperity, but stagnation would
be continued, and deeper than ever. But
England has no such harbor Of refuge for
her unemployed manufacturing population.
To speak plainly, she is overpopulated.
The family is too large for the income, and
the income is decreasing and will continue
to decrease. It would not be extravagant
to say that she has begun to encroach on
her capital, and, very great as that undoubt-
eddy is, no nation, as no family, can live on
its capital without seeing poverty and de-
struction in the future
Almsgiving, public or private, is no euro
for this condition. If her statesmen are
equal to the situation they will see that
they cannot avert the great calamity which
threatens their country by any such trivial
means. If they are wise they must see that
emigration, and on great scale, organized
and carried out by public contribution, is
the only way to avert the danger which
they have cause to fear Nations are but
large families, and when the family nest is
too full the younger, more active and reso-
lutte go out into the world to seek their for
tunes; and happy is the family if this
emigration begins before the family means
are too severely drained, so that something
may still remain for those who stay at
home.
What we are saying will be extremely un-
welcome to Englishmen. They will resent
the suggestion that their island cannot sup
port its people, and it is probable that
many futile expedients will find favor be-
fore the rulers of England are forced to
publicly recognize the facts which be-
Lacquer them. A change in the system of
land tenure and simplifcation of the laws
regulating the purchase and sale of land
are already publicly discussed, the argu-
ment being that with small holdings and
garden culture much larger population
can be comfortably supported. This is
true, but the very argument proves the cor.
rectness of what we are saying
We should not, however, think it neces-
sary to enlarge on this painful subject were
it not that we wish to urge upon the mana
gers of our land grant railroads and upon
the States which seek population to settle
their arabic lands the advisabiity of
making an effort to attract to these lands
the multitudes who must presently see that
their only resource is emigration, and
whom, as English speaking people, men
and women Of our own race, we can,
with benefit to ourselves as we'll as
to them, encourage to come hither.
The Legislatures in many of our West
ern and Southern States are about to
meet, and we recommend this matter to
their earnest consideration. If they are
wise they will send agents to England to
make known in the most thorough manner
the resources Of their States; the cheapness
Of lands; the ease and certainty of COM
Portable subsistence on these lands; the adj