The New York herald., 1879-08-12
GREAT BRITAINY DECLINE on PROSPERITY.


To THE EDITOR HERALD
Now that Great Britain is considering the question
of reciprocity with the United States it will be an
interesting study to look into the causes that are
working on her and conscience to produce SO
great change of heart glance ut the following
facts and figures will be quite sufficient to convince
the thoughtful observer OF the reasons for this
desire on her part. and also show why
she has. with so much haste. passed a
bill substantially prohibiting the importation
of foreign cattle. her hollow preence of protection
against disease being shown to be exceedingly fmsy
in texture. The general depression in commercial
circles and the fact that Great Britain is suffering
more than any other nation from this widespread
check to trade and commerce. brings her pet polit-
ical hobby "free trade up for critical discus
sion by political economists and practical statesmen
on both sides of the Atlantic. That decay has at
tackled Englands boasted industrial and monetary
systems is admitted by her ablest states-
men. Cobdens great contest. over thirty
years ago. whether the land monopoly should
maintain its prestige Great Britain become the
manufacturer and carrier for the world. The vital
question involved in this contest whether the
English laborer should be supplied with cheap food
The first step in this direction the repeal OF the
Corn laws. which, as Golden declared, was only be-
ginning of the reforms necessary. and were he q
younger man he would embrace in the agitation the
evils of the landed monopoly, under which England
is groaning to-day Since the repeal Of the Corn laws
a
mulated larger prices have been obtained for coal
and minerals, the wealth buried under their lands,
thus enabling them under their system OF taxation.
to lessen the number of propretors for by ircreas-
ing the wealth under ground the landed proprietor
is enabled to enlarge his parks and waste surface
without suffering in his income by so doing.
COMPARISON WITH FRANCE
1t is said that one nobeman has received an in
OF So. 900 year from his coal lands and as
tho soil is thus held in large areas from l. 200 OOO
down. great incomes from coal and other minerals
very common. In 1858 the importation Of
rrodn anch no Yna butt
into Great Britain $125. 900 900. with popula-
ton of 2s.000,00O-a fraction under 81 SO a head.
the imports of food S4s6. 10000 or $14 so .
head. During the interval the population increased
per cent. In the laws and systems of country
where such change as this can be effected in nine-
teen years there must be something radically
wrong France. without the mineral CONNER
cial wealth of Great Britain does not show the
suffering and Generalization that is affecting the
latter. Her small landed estates owned by the
farmer and producer are. however the sole advantage
held by France. Taking the average wealth of the
people France is by far the richest nation in Eu-
rope, while deep ulcer Is eating away the life
of Great Britain in the shape of the large landed
estates. No better illustration of this can be found
than that Notwithstanding the fact that the
climate of England is peculiarly we'll adapted to the
raising of poultry. the enormous of $l2 600
Is annually paid to the Continent for eggs alone.
Could this be possible Great Britain owned by
between four and five millions of her people, rs is
ten thousand who now yrtnaIIy contpol thy saii
II the people of Great Britain wish maintain their
cherished systems of primogeniture and CASTE II
they, on tho other hand. wish to avert revolution.
then this latter may be done by taking another step
in the direction of the Corn law repeal; simply by
inaugurating new system of land taxation such az
that of the United states-that is. tax on valuation
instead of the rental and that only when rented
as it is now Under the present system land can re-
main unproductive and idle without expense for
taxes through all time, the development of the
country being thereby retarded and prohibition to
the farmer established which 1t Is impossible to
overcome by any amount OF industry or energy in
the direction of land proprietorshp
PENNY WISE AND POUND FOOLISH.
The wallasy Pool Toll Bridge is the terminus OF
the large dock owned by the Liverpool Board and
its tolls are collected by poor family living at
and exacting is the land greed that the will
not allow these poor people sufficient space to raise
few vegetables; in fact. they are not per-
mitted outlet from the of the house. Much
of this land is worth $4,000 acre, and Of it
less than $1,000 and It rents pasturage at
amount to twenty five per cent of Ii. or 81 80 per
acre. If tax Of one and half per cent. SO 25
acre. were levied this land, and the OF
taxation fixed for all land in Great Britain how long
would labor be unemployed and England import food
States? The uncultvated would soon pass
from the present landed monopolists were o tax
levied upon them or be made productive to pay that
tax. Again, one nobleman owns more than six hum
dred Of land in London. the houses 1t being
held seven. fourteen and twenty-one years leases
This to-day comprises parish in which. If for any
reason any of these houses remain vacant when tho
leases expire the remaining tenants compelled to
pay all the taxes OF the parish except the small
amount levied the Queens taxes. England's
hypocritcal and selfish whining about free trado
ought to awaken her to sense OF her Inconsistency
in her conduct at home she asks for free ports
to enrich herself. but takes alarm at the first int
nation that she will suffer from the principle she SO
loudly breaches to us.
CONDITION THE FARMERS.
Last winter, before 1t thoroughly established
that live cattle could be exported successfully
the United States to Europe England passed bill
designed to shut out tho 100000 Continental cattle
imported annually. This bill embodied tho most
stringent protection principles. and effected by
the landed interest taking alarm at the failure Of the
farmer to pay his rent by grain raising. and onco
the experiment was tried OF turning the land to graz
ing. which was 30 much more profitable. Aside from
the evils arising from transporting $500 600 900
of food. which under proper landed system
would be quite unnecessary what must be the effect
upon the morals OF people who have no stimulus
to create home tor themselves and children,
a hope impossible to cherish by the small farmer
in England? The condition OF the poorer classes
in Great Britain. and the statistics of the consump-
tion of intoxicating liquors will answer this ques-
tion England has been perhaps the greatest civiliz
ing nation in the world but her influence has beou
30 largely external that her poorer classes ut homo
are bound down under system of land tenure and
caste that has long demonstrated its weakness,
and must or later fall from its own weight.