[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR,"] SIR,—Your correspondent "A Radical
Squire" seems to forget that England is a country to be inhabited, as well as an area in which food of various kinds can be grown and manufactured. Were it not for those troublesome beings called Englishmen, his argument would be unanswerable, and outside its towns this island would present a peaceful paradise of corn-growers and rent-payers, and a fluctuating population of submissive "hands." I say out- side the towns, for even our friend the squire would hardly argue that the lodgers and householders in Little Pedlington should have their lodgings and houses on the tenure of blacking the boots of their landlords, or being turned into the streets the next day with- out a moment's notice to shift for themselves as they can, their house or lodging being wanted for boot-blacking successors. The case I have quoted is fairly parallel, because the squire's letter takes for granted that the cottager holds and will hold under the farmer upon the very simple tenure, "Whenever you cease to work for me, out you go ; "and in fact, whenever cottages are so let, they are held at rent in wages or weekly rent, and upon such terms may be compelled to be vacated on the termination of any current week. When the fact that a " hand " generally has a wife and family and a little furniture, and that change of domi- cile to him (I suppose, speaking of a " hand," I ought to say it), involves certain loss, a great deal of suffering, and not im- probable ruin, is take% into consideration, it will be easily seen what a cheerful, contented, orderly, and moral population our English country labourers will become under the new re-gime. The families and young folks will love the law that gives them such protection.
I will not enlarge further upon the subject of the wretched serfdom it is proposed to place upon the necks of our diggers and delvers, but I will say woe awaits the employers on the day when the " hand " so treated is allowed to put a vote in the ballot-box. I trinst that such vote will be given him before the mandates of Tory duke and Radical squire have borne their inevitable fruits. —I
Previous page
