Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-07-26

4 - BsoSos H. xAvE kuE P0Dt EHEAf
bread A far great honor this than 70 hare
written the sSsodsse Of hamsa books, d
! have Won the field q Waterloo. 70 have
founded m empire. 70 have emaneipsssd 4
Nation Of serfs. And vhys What greater
human scehievemsns than TO have written
the plays Of shsksspesss-,s immortal -
the human mind ifseif; TO have driven back
in Disorder the invaders Of . Sssion's boa
orr 70 have discovered continent %
have, BY . single act, made men Of :hose
Who 81 The nighttime before, laid themsel-
YES de.a - sksss! The sechievemeat
Of giving . cheap loaf 70 the hung
~ poor. There 10 nothing 90 sweet
Ia this life ~ food to . fsmishing human be-
ing, and bread being divin~iy called the
star Of life" 10 the type Of that which gives
the greatest comfort TO Humanity, shieh
''sssengshsns mans heart Who can sppre-
cisie or enjoy Shakespeare Or Milton, il he
10 hungry, or IL be IL not sure Of the morn
ing loaf 70 feed his crying children? Who
you'd not - soon be . slave - . freeman,
II hunger 10 to be forever logging his foot
steps? Of What glory to have discovered a
new world, II the inhabitants msst be born,
live and die hungry,
| To raiizs Why il Is 90 distinguished an
honor 10 have given ehesp bread to the poor.
vs must know little Of the history of the
people ~ho have made up the great English
nation At present the total population Of
the United Kingdom Is about thirty millions
or nearly 275 indi vidaals to each square mile
Of territory, for the entire country, or nearly
400 for England and Wales alone. From
the earliest times the most stringent laws
have regulated the trade 10 corn" this be-
ing the term used throughout England 70
designate wheat Whest 10 the most imper-
ishabie form Of food supplies. is the most
constant in demand, 10 the easiest handled |
and stored. and IL it were only possible |
To keep it in bulk. unmilied, for a longer |
time than at present il would become |
more perfect standard Of value than
even gold itself. One Of the drst of the |
English corn laws" WAS that of prohibiting
the expectation of wheat This was IN
doubtediy Intended to lower the price Of that |
grain. Roads in those early days " ere very
bad: there was little domes site intercourse,
and often there was scarcity of grain in one |
part and plenty in another part Of the Kiag-
dom. The export of wheat by sea or river
to some foreign market was in many cases
more easy than Transporting it by land from
one market town to another. Follow ing |
close upon this statute prohibiting export of |
wheat, was one prohibiting importation Of it |
from any foreign country. These laws
were enacted for the purpose Of promoting
agriculture and increasing the home
supply Of bread. But they did
neither. In the reign of Henry |
VII. 10 1885. and down to that of Elizabeth
in 1868, it repaired lxboring man to work
a month and a half in order to earn twenty
eight pounds Of wheat. Population kept con-
SANITY increasing at = rapid pace, and with it
misery, want and suffering among the poorer
classes. And so rigidly fxed are the Eng
lish laws, that so late as - is statute was
enacted prohibiting the importation of foreign
wheat until the price was above 80 shilings, |
. quarter, or o.. so = bushel. Yet with this
Law a. the authority of the realm history
tells US that in the year Of 1916, ''the agr- |
cultural and industrial poor were on the
verge Of starvation" In 1912. the foreign
wheat laws were so changed that it
was hIed at the option of the
Prime Minister to regulate the duties
on imported wheat. shutting it out Of the
country in seasons Of low prices. and allow
prices Ou,,dc of Parliament a great asso-
citation known As the Anti COrn-Law
League" headed by Richard Golden. com
menced a mighty agitation for the repeal of
all duties on foreign wheat, and that pure
minded statesman, in public speeches all
over the Kingdom poured forth unanswer-
able arguments in behalf Of the entire free |
dom from duty of all imported food. That
grand old Anglo Saxon fighter against all
shams and extortions, Thomas Carlyle, said |
in one of his published volumes "If
| were the Conservative party of
England / would not for a hundred
thousand pound. an hour allow the Corn laws
to continue. All potosi and Golcouda put
together would not purchase my assent to
them. The discussion Of their repeal is be-
uun and I, mu.t be carried on. When. now.
million. Of our brother men sit in work
hop.e. and 1--WE millions. As il insoient,y |
.a;d .reio;ce in potatoes.' the discussion of
their renesI must be begun. let il end whore
;tc,n" Wesll know what became of the FIVE
million, of human beings who "reioiced in DO |
,.toe.- wben the potato rot broke out in Ireland
!, 1916. how million. of them died OF starv-
..;or--hut il was Sir Robert Peels opportu- |
ni,v. He propo sed and carried resolution
in Parliament providing for the repeal of all
du,ie. ON imported wheat. He had previous
lv admitted free Of duty foreign fat cattle
Rut this last act broke UP his party and made
h;s retirement from office inevitable. Re-
| ferv;pg to Il in one of the greatest speeches