Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-01-20
ENGLAND AND AMERICAN AGRICULT-
URAL COMPETITION.

said 1T was idle to talk of the exhaustion
"of American land. The supply of land
'sfor many years to come in the great
Northwest would be boundless." He is
right. The English farmer must make up
his mind to the fact that American compe
tition in the food market viii continue and
increase, and that those who are holding
on desperately in the expectation that it is
going to be only shower" are as much
mistaken as was the eountryman who stood
at London Bridge waiting "for the crowd
to 60 past. The conditions of American
agriculture which have now been estab-
lished are not ephemeral. The rapid ex-
tension of railways throughout the West
has developed an immense fertile region,
the products of which will continue to in
crease year after year for long time to
come. And beyond these regions are 9TH
ers, the promise of which is. if possible,
still brighter. The great Valley of the
Saskatchewan will undoubtedly become
one of the most prolific wheat growing
areas on the globe when transportation has
been provided for its crops. And it will
take at least another generation to bring all
this wide region under cultivation, even
supposing that there is no check to imni-
grafton and settlement in the meantime.
| The English farmer must therefore aban-
don all idea OF resumption of the past
conditions of the food market. Cereals and
live stock will be exported from this coun.
try in increasing quantities for an indefinite
period, and whether or not time shall
come when American food production will
fall of, it is plain enough that the British
agriculturist cannot afford to wait for any
such hazy and conjectural change.
American competition has in fact forced
the land question upon the English people,
and they cannot avoid it any longer The
question of the future of the large class
which depends upon farming and stock
raising altogether, is in issue. This class
cannot stand up against our wheat and
cattle, and if they are not relieved in some
way they must go to the wall. The land
system of England, with its feudal COM
plications and entanglements, has become
so costly to the renters of land that they
cannot make living in the teeth of the
new foreign competition. 1t follows that
the landowners must either abandon agri.
culture altogether, and seek to utilize their
holdings for manufacturing and other pur-
poses, or the state must interfere to prevent
the extinction of agriculture, by reorgan.
izing the land system entirely. To permit
the abandonment of farming save for
the very narrow home market remaining
would be most disastrous to the general
interests. This, however, is very probably
what the interests of the landlords would
lead them to, if they were allowed to do
as they please. Public opinion therefore
must under the circumstances compel the
Government to intervene, and SO the
whole question will be opened up As all
the land of England vests in the crown,
there would be no difficulty in changing
the system, so far as constitutional author.
ity is concerned. The most difficult prob
lem to be solved, however, will be in de-
termining the future relations of the
present landlords to the land. 1t is the
demand made by them upon it which is
now paralyzing agriculture. The farmer
cannot pay the current rents and make a
living Nor does it seem probable that he
can do any better if he has to pay any
such rent as will suffice to maintain the
landlord class.
He is in competition with farmers who
pay no rent to anyone, and how can he
succeed in such struggle? The land
lords may in some cases try farming them
selves, but even then they cannot escape
extra expenses. And it is necessary for
the welfare of the country that the farm
ers should not be banished. England
has suffered much already through the
absorption of the small holdings and the
extinction of her yeoman class. She can.
not afford to let agriculture be driven out
of the land altogether. The Irish Land
bill has of course already suggested SIM
liar legislation for England. Mr.. Glad
stone does not as yet appear willing to
entertain this idea, but it is difficult to see
how he can long avoid it. The necessity
of relieving the farmers from the burden
of rent which is now crushing them must
force the Government to alter the present
land system. Primogeniture and entail
will no doubt be Topped away, but when
that is done there will be much more to
do. The Irish Land bill has undoubtedly
familiarized mems minds with the idea
that the virtual confscation of land may
be resorted to by Government, and when
such an idea gains foothold it cannot be
confined to one particular country. There
will therefore be demand for such a
legislative reduction of rents as will enable
the farmers to live, and we do not see
how a demand of this kind can be effect
ually resisted.
The increasing distress consequent upon
American competition will swell the tide
of disaffection. Attention will be fixed
more and more strongly upon the class of
non-producers who monopolize so large a
proportion of the national domain. The
democratic spirit which is growing con-
tinually in England will stimulate the
popular dissatisfaction with the existing
state of things. The transition to a pro.
gramme involving the restoration of the
land to the people need not be difficult or
tedious in a country which has listened to
Mr.. Herbert Spencer and his school with
increasing approval these many years. In
short it is by no means impossible that in
less than ten years, perhaps even in FIVE,
the Land Question in England may have
reached point really far beyond anything
as yet achieved in this country. And when
that point is reached it will be found that
much more than the reformation of the
land system ia in issue.