without intermission, may purchase the landlord's freehold, and all other interests in the said property, either through the State Land Bank or otherwise. And upon such tenants giving their landlords written notice of their intention to buy such property, their landlords shall be compelled to sell it at a fair and equitable price, ascertained in the manner herein before mentioned. And such tenant shall have the right to borrow the full purchase price from the State Land Bank, on the usual terms. PROVINCIAL RULE. If such a scheme as this were adopted by the British Government, to allow the landed and house property of the country to pass into the possession of occupiers, they would, on becoming the owners of the freeholds, not only care more for the improvement of their own property, but they would feel that the ownership of it gave them loyal interest in their own country. The landlords could still retain their parks and mansions, with any quantity of land they liked to farm themselves, and, by investing their money at 3 per cent. per annum interest in the Imperial Land Bank Fund, they would receive their incomes punctually, without the least trouble. The cause of agrarian disputes would be removed and quiet would result. If there were three provinces in Ireland, with governing councils sitting at Belfast, Dublin, and Cork, and if these provinces knew they had exactly the same lawful power of self-government as every other province in the United Kingdom, each province would then look within itself, and to its own council, for good rule. Local public opinion would be regarded, and the effect of the expenditure of the local taxes be closely watched. If each province appointed and paid its own police, the residents (whilst allowing freedom of opinion) would help to keep order, to spare themselves expense. By the restoration of public order in the Irish provinces (which would be sure to result from good rule), confidence in the security of capital would be created. Instead of money being sent from America to resist landlords, it would be sent to buy out landlords, and (in some instances) the capital which the landlords realized by land sales would be used to start industrial works and give employment to the poor. NATIONAL PROSPERITY. If it be asked, How is Britain to recover from its present agricultural and commercial depression? the answer is-In the same way that Prussia recovered from that state of prostration which followed the battle of Jena in 1806, described by Alison the historian. Prussia raised itself by abolishing every remnant of the feudal system of land tenure, and establishing free land laws and free education. How the old system of landlordism began to break down in Prussia in 1807 is mentioned by Sir R. Morier in "Systems of Land Tenure in Various Countries" (Cassell and Co.); and Mr. Kay, M.A., Q.C., in his "Free Trade in Land," describes the change of the law in Prussia that followed, in these words: " "My belief is that the 'Edict for the better cultivation of the Land,' which was promulgated in Prussia in 1811, and mainly brought the free trade in land now existing in that country, is the right principle. The edict allows the owner to give, sell, or devise his land, or any part of it, to any one he pleases, but it does not allow him to tie it up by any instrument, so as to prevent it being sold after his death. The land is always saleable; it is always changing hands. Some estates subdivide, some increase in size, and the consequence is that, while there are a considerable number of large estates, there are vast numbers of yeoman farmers, peasants, and market gardeners, who own and cultivate their own land. If an owner cannot make his farm pay, or finds a more prosperous career open to him, or becomes a bankrupt, or for any other reason wishes to enter into some other business, he sells to some one who has capital and enterprise and knowledge enough to make the land a profitable investment. The land is never tied up in the hands of men who have neither the capital nor the industry to cultivate it profitably." If British laws, like Prussian, allowed all owners to sell their land, such freedom would permit capital to find the employment most congenial and profitable to its owner. A life tenant of an entailed or settled estate in Britain, who is competent to increase capital by embarking in an industrial enterprise, is now prevented by the "dead hand." He cannot sell the property; he can only encumber it by raising money on it, which process wastes it by needless expense. No action of the past dead or for the future unborn should prevent the present living generation from dealing, as they think best at the time, with their own landed and other property. The laws of primogeniture and entail are ill adapted to these modern times of steam, electricity, and education. Why should not Britain take advantage of the experience of Prussia and other foreign countries? The reports of her Majesty's representatives in foreign countries in 1869 state :-AUSTRIA (Mr. Lytton): "In 1848 the feudal system was completely abolished. The peasant was invested with free and unconditional ownership of land. Since which the value of land has risen 100 per cent." HESSE (Sir R. Morier): "The creation of freeholds has been enforced by the legislature." The one ruling idea has been to extirpate tenancy, and substitute full rights of proprietary possession." . . . “A country of small proprietors." "An able-bodied pauper a thing unknown." FRANCE (Mr. West): "To the small proprietors may be attributed the agricultural progress of France, so remarkable between 1815 and 1847." DENMARK (Mr. Strachey): "Constitution of 1849 forbids fresh entails, and promises conversion of those existing into free property." |