The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-01-15
FARMING In ENGLAND
Free Trade Has Ruined the
Tillers of the Soil.
STATESMEN ALL ADMIT THIS.
But Nome Suggests "a Remedy Cham
beriaIn-s scheme of Imperial
Federation.
rnnann Iletter n Nen YORK Tribune.

London Letter IN New York Tribune.
There i one fact in British economies
which 10 frankly admitted b al controsef-
xlalsts II a the DISASTROUS effect o. Tree
trade upon ali Agricultural interests o. tae
United Kingdom. whether foreign tFaa1
be GOOD or bad fore.ans competition = n
varabiy ruinous 20 the English producer
Of AGRICULTURAL staples. one ministry SIC
ceeds anather bat bothapostical parties are
rowerless to order any :ehapxe - the Dot
OF the unfortunate farmer. Wheat ana
meat are cnespened ONE decade after ai3-
other, and their production = rendered
more and more 11pTOAtaolei s5eciAl NOUS
tries. Ike hop farming and barley ealsi az.
which we're once highly TemunefauYe. aF"
confronted year after year With incFeas-
ing nagOrtatiops and are rapidly defining
market gardening and poultry farming IRE
exposed 10 competition from the continent.
and to exorbltaBt railway charges ana
the land Is everywhere going out ~ uilaNe
because the returns for the LABOR o CUR
waiting Il are inadequate
Every decade Of nee trade 10 England
has been a period Of agricultural distress
Rents have fallen and taZ rates have flseH'
and iandholders who on 2 owned great g.
tates have been compelled 10 mortgage
them heavily. and whenever foreclosure
sale is forced the shriIkags IN the salAs 81
land IL disclosed.
All these facts are undtsPuted 10 Eng
land The provincial pfeaesis constantly
recording foreclosure saieszn @aieh farms
once held at 800 an acre have gone bss
ring at Si5 The statistics show that all
the agricultural industries are decinlas'
and that the acreage under cultivation IS
shrinking year hy year Every Delegation
which visits the foreign Office 10 soteH
Lord Salisbury sympathTand active sup
Erraffg
tell OF low prices caused " unfestfietsa
foreign competition.
Every political leader, wheii.he faces
popular audience l. footed - tasnL tnAt
langllsh agriculture Is La a bad way. and
that there Is no help for It'd .f9filsfs
OF relief measures are made>sei Tore eie.-
ton reputation Of item foiloN5 a. ma
ter Of course when the Responsibilities 81
office are accepted ST Frank Lockwood.
who Is one Of the bright men On the LID
eral side hit OF this tendency. "a alshf 'f
two ago when he described Lord ..5ai.syuiF
81 encouraging protection beiorea:gie tleli
hy rernarking that there WAS sOo1 deat
TO be said about hops, are taeE a. eooiy
Diminishing the matter as ano interestlRs
topic FOR conversation when he was dshed
as prime minister to redeem the pledge
Lord Salisbury however, Is not lacking ~
candor IN explaining the main cause OF AK
reulturai ruin lie nas repeatedly deciarei
that Golden and the free traders laileq 70
forecast the disastrous consequences OF IN
restricted Importation Of farm products
upon one of the greatest Industries oil the
kingdom.
\ striking Contrast.
The contrast between English ana toh-
tInental agriculture is certainly striking
one France. Germany and Russia have
been exposed % the same competition
from America which has proved ruinous
10 English farming; but they have found
means of saving their agriculture. kuFia
France IL still thrifty and prosperous
Neither Is the acreage under tllaSe ae-
ciiuing nor Is the value-of farEzinS prop
erty failing steadily ia the market, nor
are the peasants emigrating in swans as
they have done from England. Germany
has created by state bounties and scieit-
tinc education new agricultural in6ustfE
of tremendous magnitude. and Is now bent
upon stimulating-it by further legislatloh
until beet sugar shall displace game sugae
in the markets of the world. Russia has
protected its agriculture by tariff and
treaty. and during recent years has nitro
duced cotton planting on a large scale un-
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 a
coasting trade. which carries farm pro-
duets INTO tiit fuAife1l iok re- anu ti'e 'ttt'
prices IN the markets there. II Is tie I'm
giish farmer alone who Is apparently de
fenseless.
sympathy is not lacking. Mr.. Morley
EXPRESSED a large measure 0f 10 recently
Mt Newcastle IN referring 20 the hopeless
condition OF those landholders and labor
ers whose existence depended upon pront-
able farming Sir Michael Hicks Beach.
on the same day. 1T Bristol regretfuiiy
confessed his Inability 10 suggest any
method OF relieving by legislation the bur
dens OF the agricultural classes. Every
political leader IS very sorry that the land
owner. the tenant farmer and poor Hodge
are having So much trouble. bat nobody
Is fble 90 devise any way of escape Fen
wears ago voices were occasionally heard
IN favor of an import duty OF T. per cent.
imposed on all foreign food products.as
measure Of protection for the depressed
agricultural industries OF Great 1tcitain.
Sometimes manufactures were coupled
with food products. and "a British Xpfvere-
IN was proposed. by which all dependencies
of the empire would be- admitted u free
trade with the mother country oh prefer
cnttal terms. while an othef countries
would be placed at "a disadvantage So long
as they were unwiilinE - readiust their
tariffs and 10 comply with TIE conditions
or free exchange
Dead set Against Protection.
An proposals of this nature were with
drawn when President CieNciaa3. p 1875.
gave tn signal fov tac lower t7CtU move
ncnt IN the United states NJ. English
leaders 20 any real authority lu fuhIle lsfe
now have the hardshoed to suegs:t lmVor,
duties ap food products Tor tlte sake et
rest0rinr the prosperity 'f depressed fErf-
cultural Interests Tho prime mNtts Ell.
the chancellor of thc vNchcquer. ana every
other member of che cttiutt lrr at oo.