The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-01-17
FARMING IN ENGLAND
Free Trade Has Ruined the
TillerS of the Soil.
STATESMEN ALL ADMIT THIS.
But None Suggests Remedy-Cham-
berlain's Scheme of Imperial
Federation.
London Letter in New York Tribune.

sialists 1t is the disastrous effect of free
trade upon all agricultural interests of the
United Kingdom. Whether foreign trade
be good or bad foreign competition is in
Variably runous to the English producer
of agricultural staples One ministry sue
Ceeds another, but both political parties are
pOwerlesS to order any change in the lot
of the unfortunate farmer Wheat and
meat are cheapened one decade after an
other, and their production is rendered
more and more Improbable; special indus
tries, like hop farming and barley raising,
which were once highly remunerative, are
confronted year after year with increas-
ing importatiops and are rapidly declining;
market gardening and poultry farming are
exposed to competition from the Continent.
and 10 eXorbitant railway charges; and
the Land is everywhere going out of tillage
because the returns for the labor OF Guilt
waiting it are Inadequate
Every decade of free trade in England
has been period of agricultural distress
Rents have fallen and tax rates have risen,
and landholders who once owned great es-
tatcs have been compelled to mortgage
them heavily, and whenever a foreclosure
sale is forced the shrinkage in the value OF
land is disclosed.
All these facts are undisputed in Eng
Land. The provincial press is constantly
recording foreclosure sales in which farms
once held at 500 an acre have gone beg
IL
the agricultural industries are declining,
ana that the acreage under cultivation is
shrinking year by year. Every delegation
which visits the foreign office 10 solicit
Lord Salisbury's sympathy and active sup
port has the same melancholy story to
tell of low prices caused by unrestricted
Foreign competition.
Every political leader, when he faces n
ncpular audience is forced 70 admit that
English agriculture is III a bad way, ana
that there is 10 help for It. II promises
OF relief measures are made before cleo
ton, population of them follows as mat
ter OF course when the responsibilities of
Office are accepted. Sir Frank Lockwood,
who is one OF the bright men on the Lib
eral side, hit off this tendency night CT
two ago when he described LORD SALISBURY
as encouraging protection before election
by remarking that there was good deal
to be said about hops anG then as coolly
Diminishing the matter as an interesting
topic for conversation when he was asked
as prime minister to redeem the pledge.
Lord Salisbury, however, is not lacking IN
candor in explaining the main cause OIL ag-
ricultural ruin. He has repeatedly declared
that Golden and the free traders failed to
forecast the disastrous consequences or I'M
restricted importation of farm products
upon one of the greatest industries OF the
kingdom.
4 Striking Contrast.
The contrast between English and Con-
tinental agriculture is certainly striking
one. France, Germany and Russia nave
been exposed to the same competition
from America which has proved rulnouS
to English farming; but they have found
means of saving their agriculture. Rural
France is still thrifty and prosperous.
Neither is the acreage under ullage de-
Ginning nor is the value of farming prop
erty falling steadily in the market, nor
are the peasants emigrating in SWarms as
they have done from England. Germany
has created by state bounties and sclen-
tihc education new agricultural industry
of tremendous magnitude, and is now bent
upon stimulating it by further legislation
until beet sugar shall displace cane sugar
in the markets of the world. Russia has
protected it's agriculture by tariff and
treaty, and during recent years has intro
Guced cotton planting on large scale I'M
der government patronage. England is
surrounded with nations great and small,
which have saved their farming industries
in one way or another. Each one has
coasting trade, which carries farm pro-
ducts into the English ports, and cheapens
prices in the markets there. 1t is the En-
fenSeleSS
Sympathy is not lacking. Mr.. Morley
expressed large measure of it recently
at Newcastle in referring to the hopeless
condition of those landholders and labor
ers whose existence depended upon profit
able farming. Sir Michael Hicks-Beach,
on the same day, at Bristol, regretfully
confessed his inability to suggest any
method of relieving by legislation the bur-
dens of the agricultural classes. Every
politica, leader is very sorry that the land
owner, the tenant farmer and poor Hodge
are having so much trouble; but nobody
is able to devise any way of escape. Ten
in favor of an import duty of 10 per cent.
imposed on all foreign food products as
measure of protection for the depressed
agricultural industries Of Great Britain.
Sometimes manufactures were coupled
with food products and a British Zollvere-
in was proposed, by which all dependencies
of the empire would be admitted 10 free
trade with the mother country prefer
entail terms, while all other countries
would be placed at disadvantage SO long
as they were unwilling to readjust their
tariffs and to comply with the conditions
of free exchange.
Dead Set Against Protection.
Ali proposals of this nature were with
drawn when President Cleveland, in 1887
gave the signal for the lower tariff move
ment in the United States. No English
leaders of any real authority In public life
now have the hardihood to suggest import
duties on food products for the sake Of
restoring the prosperity Oh depressed dSr1-
cultural interests. The prime minister,
the chancellor of the eXchequer, and every
other member of the cabinet are of one
mind In declaring that return to the pro-
tective system is utterly impracticable.
When relief measures for British agri-
culture are discussed, these eminent states
men virtually confess their inability to do
anything that Will be practical or effective
They talk Of cheapening the legal methods
of conveying real estate, but that is q
trivial matter. What is needed is some
system by which the value of farming land
will be increased through profitable agri-
culture They also sound an alarm against
the expansive tendencies of local govern
ment. by which an extravagant outlay for
schools is incurred and the rates are raised
until the land owners and occupiers are
everywhere burdened with taxation. But
these tendencies cannot be countera cted
by imperial legislation, especially when the
new government is committed to the policy
of aiding the denominational or sectarian
schools, and thereby increasing the cost of
national education.
Lord Salisbury and his colleagues also
have something to say about the construc-
ton of light railways for the transporta-
ton Of farm produce to market at low cost:
but it is not probable that any attempt will
be made to carry out this policy on a large
scale. Nor would this system Of electric
or other tramways be of much utility I'M
less there were properly organized Coop
erative associations among farmers for
securing united action. All these proposals
are discussed by political leaders with Ian
guild interest and evident lack Of sincerity.
These are penny nostrums which are I'M
worthy of serious consideration There is
only one tone in which the present con-
dition of British agriculture is discussed
: from the platform-that of utter hopeless
ness.
Mr.. Chamberlafn's Move.
II Charnherlair has taken what