The average price of grain in Britain has, for along series of years, been higher than in the neighbouringcountries of Europe. It is of the utmostimportance to ascertain the cause or causes of thishigher price. The following appear to be theprincipal:—1st, Scarcity, the effect of monopoly;2d, The higher rate of taxation in this than in theneighbouring nations; 3d, The higher rate of thereal wages of labour in this than in the othercountries of Europe.
If it can be proved, that the first is the onlycause of the higher average price of grain in Britain,there can be no doubt that it is the interest of everyclass in the community to have it removed: If thesecond cause, the higher rate of taxation in Britain,has the slightest influence on the price of grain, thequestion assumes a very different aspect: And if the[Pg 4]third cause, the higher real wages of labour in Britain,has any connection whatever with the higher averageprice of grain in Britain, the question of the CornLaws would then evidently connect itself with thebest interests of the country. Those who advocatethe abolition of the Corn Laws, assume it to beproved, that the higher average price of grain inBritain arises from scarcity, the effect of monopoly:as, therefore, the cause of the higher price of grain inBritain would be removed by the abolition of theCorn Laws, they assert that the price here wouldbe brought nearly to a level with the price on theContinent, and that the evils which they considerBritain labours under from a scarcity of food wouldbe removed. Now, I believe it will be admitted,that at no period of the history of Britain has theaverage price of grain so far exceeded the price onthe Continent as during the present century; and Ithink it will also be admitted, that at no period ofthe history of Britain, or of any other nation, has sorapid an increase taken place in the amount of thepopulation, in the wealth, and, above all, in theamount of taxation actually levied from the people.The state of the case is this: It is asserted, that, forthe last thirty-eight years, the inhabitants of Britainhave been labouring under the evil effects of a scarcity[Pg 5]of food, as proved by the higher average price ofgrain in Britain, when compared with the price onthe Continent. During the same period, the populationhas increased in a greater degree than during anyformer period; and the wealth of the country has increasedto such an extent as to excite the wonder andenvy of the world; and the substantial nature ofthis wealth is proved by the amount of the revenueraised from it by taxation, greatly exceeding therevenue of any other country. This view of thequestion must, I think, dispose any dispassionateperson to doubt, that an absolute scarcity of food forthe last thirty-eight years in Britain has been thesole cause of the higher averag