New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-10

1 IL
be remembered also, was imposed. not % assist
| agrfcuIture-to do which indeed 1t is absolutely
| insufhcient-but 20 bring money into the Golfers
| however cannot tell Possibly after some
| national disaster. too dreadful 70 contemplate
| a starving broken generation may fly to Pro-
lection TO save them: but that hour Is not with
| u.s. and let us hope never viii be with US.
| AS it is, one can travel about the country,
| as I have done, with open eyes and ears, with
| out learning to understand how policy OF
Free Trade and unfettered imports has shot its
| fbres through every part and organ Of the body
corporate. till it is in truth no excreseence adj
ditfOn but an integral part Of our national life.
| In the end il may kill as a cancer kills or il
may triumphantly vtndicate the wisdom OF
| those who interWove it with policy: that is
an issue which be decided by time alone
| But at present. L believe. attempt to
| drag it forth would result in something very
like civil war. 1t is. in my opinion. one Of the
| few things for which the people may fight.
| lection on foodstufs. Various industries may
| demand and obtain defensive duties and by so
doing affect certain classes Of the community
| for good or i'll: but this matter OF the price OF
| food appeals to every individual in the British
Isles who is old enough to reason 1t appeals
| to his pocket, and through MS pocket 20 the vel
/ fare and comfort Of his body
| Protection must mean dearer fOOd-hOwever
small the tax the middleman would see 70 that
as has been proved, indeed, in the case Of the
| trifing registration duty aforesaid-and dearer
| food TO the vast majority means less food and
more work. To escape these things even law
| abiding men might shed blood 1t may be said
| that this is not in other countries; but the
| a &
| perience of two generations Of free trade What
/ the eye does not see the heart does not covet-
The mass of our population lives By trade and
| through trade. 1t knows nothing Of the land.
and is not concerned with the great questions
that wrapped up in its prosperity or ruin
| Protection then being out Of the question, has
Mr. Haggard any definite suggestions to offer?
He has them. and they are many and varied
| He proposes, for instance that the government
establish cooperative credit banks. under the
control of the Board Of Agriculture, and thus
enable public bodies or landowners 10 borrow
money for the erection of cottages and farm
buildings on small holdings This small hold
ing plan is one of his pet ideas. 1t is based on
the theory that the man who has a farm which
| he can call his own is less likely to sever the
ties binding him to the land than is the mere
wage worker. The cry has been raised against
Mr. Haggard that he would cut all England
| into small holdings" This cry he deprecates.
| but he makes it evident that he IS firmly con-
WINGED that the more small holdings there are
the better for the country. How sound his yea
sonfng is the British authorities viii have OPP
portunity learn if the pending Irish Land Bill
goes into effect. He further advocates the
esta bIishment by the Board of Agriculture ot
cooperative milk and butter factories. legisl1-
ton to lessen the burden of taxation on real
estate the abolition of cOpyhOld and the cheap
ening of land transfers Ills most HOte"oIlhS
suggestion however. is the inauguration of an
agricultural post
Briefly stated he would the lines of the
present parcels post develop a system of car
rying anything. from milk in Churns TO nay IN
bales freight charges TO be paid in postage
stamps and no single delivery to weigh more
than one hundred pounds pending the extern
sion of the system by traction trainS-the gov
eminent to insure quick collection and prompt
delivery. He points out that the immediate e.
feet of such an extension would probably be a
prompt reduction in the rates of the railroad
companies in the hope that they would thus
kill the agricultural post, but that the govern
ment would be in . better position than any in
dviduaI firm to meet such initial rivalry. The
result could not, he afirns. be anything but
beneficial to the farmer. the man whose appeal
he has so forcibly expressed. He asserts. more
over, that the government would be the gamer
in the long run, just the government has been
the gamer by the penny and the parcels posts
He adds:
Even il some loss were incurred at first, seeing
that the benefit which must result would. am
sure be the establishment of thousands of small
holders and the increased prosperity OF many
who already exist. and of the land and aSrI-
culture at large, L urge that the possibility OF
such q loss should not be allowed 10 Kill the
scheme. Let US say that the cost Of its promo
ton amounted to that of one Uganda railway: