The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1879-08-08
highlands Distress.
THE AoRTouLTURAL DEPRESSION AND THE
APPREHENSION WHICH IT oABsEs.

AfPkEhEN6fON WHICH 1T uABbEs.
The agricultural depression In Great
Britain has been felt for long time very
severely by the tenant farmers. Re-
ports from all parts of the United King
dom spsak of hundreds of farms remain-
ing unlet IN spite Of the reductions that
have Deen made on numerous estates by
the landlords. The depression Ia the
agricultural districts has made itself Sc
verely felt, Of course. on the landlords,
in Parliament have a considerable interest
in the discussion Of the question. The
Pail Mall Gazette said very recently: "The
prevalent belief as to the severity OF the
depression existing in English agriculture
will be confirmed by the figures recently
produced before the Devices Union
Assessment Committee. The room In
which the COMMITTEES sat ID stated to have
been crowded with farmers, anxious 70
obtain a reduction Of their assessments,
on the ground that their rents had been
lowered. On this they produced incon-
testable written evidence evidence which
showed a most remarkable state of things.
Thus one landlady owned two farms oc-
cupied by the same tenant. The rent was
$500 (it had now been reduced 10 e400l
and the other 1850, which had been re-
,
fore, from her landed property has sud-
denly decreased from f9o0 70 E8o0. In
nine other cases rents had been reduee cd
from E6s0 TO e445. eS6S 70 E750, e35S to
E250, e300 to E24O E450 TO e400 ESQ 70
ESQ, f225 to ESQ, clio TO ESQ, GOO 10
el65. Roughly, the reduction seems 10
have averaged about third. Such q
sudden loss Of income cannot but seri-
ously interfere with the usual expendi-
4 Al A. a ~
will again react upon trade already suffer-
ing by the decrease of farmers' custom. II
would be extremely interesting II some
member of Parliament would call for q
return Of the assessments that lowered
throughout the country. A deterioration
in the value of land to this extent, IL Il is
at all general. is a question OF national
concern"
The subject was also discussed at the
recent gathering Of the Golden Club, and
although ali the speakers naturally spoke
enthusiastically OF "free trade, peace aud
good will among nations" there were
many admissions that the depression in
the manufacturing and agricultural dis
tricts needed 10 be taken into considern-
ton. The Earl Of Northbrook said that
but for the free trade the present depres-
sion in England would have been much
more serious. "As regarded agriculture"
lE aAlQe nc Q&u UQk N&lA&lA All4h thH DIEHtHN
condition was in any way TO be attributed
by any one who has really considered the
subject. 70 the passing ofthe repeal Of the
corn laws. There was no one who did
not remember the condition of the agri-
cultural interest about the year 1915,
when Richard Golden in the House Of
Commons moved for the very committee
which those who were advocating the in
terests Of the farmers who were moving
4. as.f Ia a.
condition Of the agricultural interests
and when he said upon the highest
authority that frem all parts ofthe country
came the cry that the farmers were ruin
ed. This was before the repeal of corn
laws, when protection 10 British agriculture
existed and James Caird. who was
probably the highest authority they had
upon agricultural subjects in this country,
in 1851 wrote 3 book, in which he ven
the prophecies that were made
at that time, that the British
farmer and the landed interests would be
perfectly able to meet the competition of
the foreigner after the abolition Of pretec.
ton. Mr.. Card the other day wiote
another book. in which he showed m9st
clearly that what he had said in 1910 bad
turned out to be the fact. The average
rent per year in 1850 was 28s, and in 1870
~ was Oyo- AtAbG1 ia lou WNAGs Va RtttAhg
It'd per pound, and in 1873, 1ld per
pound OF meat in 1850, Sd, and in 1878,
Cd per pound; Of butter In $780, Is, and in
1875, is Sd per pound; and, ofail things the
most important, the wages Of labor were,
in 1850, 9s I'd per week and in 1878, las.
It was said that free trade had injured
the agricultural interest. What was the
agricultural interests Of this country The
real agricultural interest in this country
meant the owners of land, and the gross
annual value of income from land in 1857
was not quite E5e, 100000, whereas in
1877 it was nearly E67 ,000,000 So that in
that time there was an absolute increase
/ in the actual income derived from land
in this country of no less than eli ,000, 600,
or capital sum at thirty years purchase
Of something like e330, ,000,O00. So far for
owners of land. As regarded the other
/ agricultural interests-the interest of the
/ farmers of land-that was q question be-
/ tween the landlord and farmer" He
then went on TO discuss the relations be-
tween the tenant farmers and the land
lords, and made out the present condi
ton ofthe English farmer to be far better
than before the repeal of the corn laws
| the tone Of all the speeches was naturally
a condemnation of protection. and Prince
Bismarck's tariffs came in for good share
Of abuse The arguments used were tlis
familiar ones, but they have no rea
/ interest in the present question, which il
one connected with the absurd and op
| pressive land laws.