WCP3026

[1]¹

Malvernbury

Great Malvern

May 2. 1879

Dear Sir

I wrote to the Editor of the 19^th Century asking if he would print my addition to y[ou]r paper. but after the manner of Editors he made no answer. so it was sent else where.

The fact that France does in fact export to us both cotton & silk has no bearing on the case: The proposition I put was stated as pure hypothesis:

As a matter of fact however I believe France does send us no ale and does send us some wine. Supporting France to exclude our ale by a prohibitive [2] duty we should not bring France to reason by putting on extra duty on French ale — but we should be very glad to do it by putting an extra duty on French wine — That is my case.

The answer to Sir E Sullivan's view is contained in the paper I scored at the side.

In addition the difference of a duty of 10 or 15 per cent on corn & beef would at once bring the United States to reason. & that without costing us a shilling — for as I have shown such a duty would have no effect in raising the price to the consumer.

[3] It is perfectly true that Free trade people are afflicted with a perfect "diarrhoea scribendi" a great discharge of matter accompanied by g[rea]t weakness of parts. I am at the moment engaged in answering one A J Wilson² who has been perpetrating three papers of pure bosh in MacMillan³. Where I shall send it remains to be seen — perhaps Vanity Fair.

The fact is, till the manufacturers can swallow without nausea the idea of [1 word illeg] to the land in the matter of [4] ⁴ taxation he will have to stay out in the cold. If you will take a piece of paper and a pencil you will find that land bears six times the amount of burdens that any other property does.

Take £1000 a year from the owning & occupying a say 600 acre of land — rental value 660 rated at 600 including house at £60 & £1000 a year from Funds[.] House £60 — sales in both cases 216 in the pound. Upkeep of Estate. 12 <necessary> repairs — 20 per cent — & see the result.

Yours faithfully | E S Cayley [signature]