Lord Beauchamp has made rather a sensible speech to his
tenants at Madresfield. He advised his tenantry, if any agitators came into the district, to leave them alone, confident that the men would find out who were their friends, and to abolish the custom of paying part of wages in cider. Let the men have their wages in silver, and buy cider if they liked. He had tried that plan, and the result was that the labourer had drunk less and worked harder, and that he himself had a great deal more fruit. That is kindly meant, but even Lord Beauchamp could not avoid saying that he did not believe the labourers were worse off than work- men in towns. Do workmen in towns pass their old age in the Unions ? Besides, supposing the statement true, what has it to do with the matter? Supposing the labourer able to save a pound a day, that is no reason why he should not try to get another pound if he can. Whose property is his labour, if it is not his own ? Nobody settles the price at which Lord _Beauchamp is to sell his property.
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