Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-10-16

But take Gaze that you do not CEN
, clude that that is permanent which
is only transitory, though upon
that subject l give no opinion, be.
cause | think it would be presump.
tion in any one of Us to give any
opinion but still feel convinced
thai where you have to deal with
new rcumstances, that where Won
tind them of 80 transitory nature
that the very iand which four or
five years sgo, by it's Extraordinary
produce of fifty bushels an acre, Of.
fected the market in England and
frightened all those who are compe-
tent to think, TO ponder, and TO
form 40 opinion upon the subject. is
wise, when you see circumstances
so transitory that the very place Of
competition is doubtful, and when
you hear that Canada expects COM
pletely and successfully to beat the
United States from the European
markets,it is wise for us not TO take
any preeipitate steps. Loud
cheers There is another reason
why | think, 10 considering the
present position of the agricultural
interest, we should not act with
precipitation. Let US for moment
dismiss from our minds all exter-
nal considerations. Let us look at
what has passed in our own coun.
try during the last five years. Has
nothing passed which may account
for q great deal of distres1 and suf.
fering? Is it not fact that for
five years the farmer has sought in
vain for quick and matured pro-
duce for his labors2 We have had
bad harvests, we have as bad bar
vests as any men have had to en-.
counter, but we have not had lus.
ter of bad harvests. You have gone
on and or, fairly hoping that nature
would reassert itself, and If you had
one or two bad harvests you have
always believed the time would
naturally come in which you would
find a remedy. Well, that is not
the case, but it is necessary that we
should be conscious that there is q
strain upon the proprietors of the
land which they have not, in our
experience, ever endured. Well,
what is the natural course we
should take-what is the step we
should pursue in such circum.
stances | can not doubt what is
the course we ought to take. The
rents of England have been calcu-
lated upon fair average of nature
and our experience of the results.
What has happened during the last
five years has been entirely CONTRA
ry to those calculations. and to my
mind it is the duty-and. tor all
hear. it may be the willing duty
of the proprietors of the soil to
come forward, to stand by that
class with whom there had never
been any want of affection. and du.
ty and devotion. ECheers.l l say
that l believe the landlords of Eng
land are prepared to do their duty
on this occasion but what want
to impress upon you. and, if | may
presume to do 80, upon numbers of
tn agricultural interest who are
not present in this hall, is that It is
of vital Importance that they should
thoroughly comprehend the present |
state of affairs. Cheers. Now, / |
do not want to take refuge in gem
eral expressions. say. for one,
that reduction of rent calculated on
the uniform percentage of the rent
does not appear to me to be pan. |
acea for the evils which we have to
encounter, or the remedy for those
caIsmities which most of US expert.
ence and all acknowledge. When
| consider the variety of soils in
this country, the variety of chimes,
even. | would say, in this island
when | remember the peculiar cir /
cumstances of districts-I would
even say the peculiar circum stances
OF estates; when | mention what / |
know is fact, and which many of
you must know, that in the same |
district, with the same conditions, |
with the same soil, with the same |
climate. with the same amount of |
labor, that the rents are very differ I
ent as to the rate at which they t
are apportioned,i it seems to mo there
is only one conclusion to ar.
rive at - that we should ex
anime every individual instance,
and that the aid which |
landlord and tenant should give each
other should be from reciprocal &C.
quaintance of each others duties and
necessities. Ten per cent. reduction
of rent NAV be, in some instances. a
very agreeable Christmas box-if it
comes at the time !; but / know in.
stances in which ten per cent. reduc.
ton of rent would be utterly insuffic-
lent 10 meet the circumstances of |
the case. Cheers | consider N.Y.
self, however, in a judicial position,
and therefore you will permit me to
say that there are some cases in
which even ten per cent. reduction
of rent is not necessary. Laughter
and cheers. Gentlemen, this is the
spirit in which think the present
state of affairs ought to be encount.
cred. would not too curiously in.
quire into the question of the compe
tition of America, and I will tell YOU
why. | have had an opportunity
lately of some conversation on this
subject with one who may probably
be considered the highest living au-
thority on such matters, which are
almost as political, l may say, statis-
tical, and he told me that he was
quite perple xed, after the deepest
and most minute inquiry as to what
what would be the result to Canada
OF 200, 100000 aceres ofthe wilderness
being gradually brought into cultiya-
ton. He said he saw there were
some who believed, and he shared
their opinion, that, under all circum.
stances, the market of the United
States would be destroyed but as
regards Canada itself, be said if the
influx of population were to so on as
it is going on now-but that We can.
not expect--in consequence of these
fertile acres being placed at their dis