Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-03-12

own their lands, as they do with U.s., all
they can get for what they sell goes to.
those who labor upon the soil But, as a.
rule, in Europe, and particularly in Great
Britain, what is made upon farms mus
support at least two and sometimes four
classes of pcrsons--the tenant, who does
the work; the landlord and usually some
agents or middlemen, who hire and SUBJ
let to tenants. Church rates and many
and many other charges must also be
paid. When our cheap grains reached
their markets, as they will hereafter, and
govern the price Of produce, they disturb
the"existing arrangements. The tenant
must have enough to live upon then as
now, taxes and tithes must be paid and
only what is left will 60 to the owners.
This class are to suffer. If you read the
debates in Parliament you will see that
an attempt is made to excite sympathy
for British farmers. But the parties who
are really affected are British landlords.
The conflict is not between American
and British farmers, but American and
British landlords. If the cost of produce
falls rents must come down, for tenants
can pay no more and landlords will get
no more than prices will give. The ten
ants share cannot be less than 1t now is
the loss must fall upon the owners.
Beyond this diminution of the reve-
nues there is difficulty which affects the
structure of political and social organi-
cations. Tho nobility arc landlords. In
Britain they are recognized as one of the
estates Of the government. A class Of
them constitutes the House OF Lords.
The theory of most of the European Gov
ernmcnts is, that these families who have
personal and political rights beyond the
mass of people, to uphold the dignity
and power of his political rank, should
have large estates, and these must in the
main consist of lands. At this rank is
hereditary it must be strengthened by
hereditary cstates.-Perscnal wealth is
evanesccnt, too changeable, to admit of
it being secured by entails. But the ten
ures Of land can be so arranged that they
may be held by families, and made safe
from divisions by laws of entail and Of
primogeniture. AS Mr.. Gladstone has
said; Inequality Of condition and hered-
ity of estates are not so much the crea.
ton OF English laws as the scource of
their political institution
Our cheap and fertile lands and the
low cost of sending our products to Eu
rope may work great changes in the con-
dition OF the higher classes and the ten
ures of real estate. This explains the
uneasiness they have shown when We send
food to relieve the hunger of their peo-
pie. It is not this merclful work, but
the fear that hereafter we may reduce
their resources, which disturbsss them. If
we do, their large estates cannot he held
by their present tenures; they must be
sold or divided. It is not necessary to
dwell on the great changes this would
make in the social and political aspect Of
Great Britain. The fear of this has al
ready given birth to plans for taxing all
food brought from other countries. This
has led to controversy between the land
ed and manufacturing interests. Britain
was called the workshop of the world, but
its artisans are now pressed by competi-
ton from many quarters and are suffer,
ing from the low wages they get. How,
then, can Government tax. their tood2
If this harsh plan is adopted it will send
MANY of its skilled workmen to us, while
they are subjected to sharp competition
by the very workmen driven 70 this
country, where all the necessaries Of life
will be so much cheaper: In tho enc
they must take our grain or give up
classes of their people. We cannot fore
see what course they will take, for no
one can read the debates IN Parliament
without being struck with the ignorance
of members, not only with respect to our
States, but their Canadian colonies. If
their statesmen are as ignorant with re-
gard to their dependencies in Asia and
Africa as they are about those on the
continent, the British Empire is in great
peril of dishonor and disaster. The result
probably will be that the landowners will
find that they must not only reduce their
rents, but they must also change the char
acter Of their farm products and buy
most of their grain and many of their
provisions from us, and our markets in
future will be thus enlarged,
If they tax imported food, they will
break down their manufactures, destroy
their home markets, Ind bring disaster
upon their country. If the continental
nations tax food, in addition to military
and other burdens they will drive away
their young and active citizens ard re-
duce their military strength. Monarcbs
will be safer from bullets when food is
cheap and abundant