HISTORY’S LESSON

Hokitika Guardian, 14 February 1931, Page 6

HISTORY’S LESSON

BETTER TIMES AHEAD. STRIKINC PREDICTION. M.w.’S INEVITABLE PROGRESS. Stranely appropriate to the present economic situation is an article pubI'sshed in the “Edinburgh Review’’ of •January, 1830 by Lord Macauley. The whole burden of the article was to show that human progress is unconquerable, thal better times are always ahead, however gloomy the immediate outlook may he. Macauley went hack two hundred years to prove that after every setback-, trade, prosperity, and general welfare increased once more, rising to new heights, lie went on to prophesy the amazing material progress that would be made in the following Mil) years, a prophecy that in a remarkable number of details has been borne out by the facts. 'l*hose who are inclined to falter at the present aspect of world affairs cannot do better than pejMi.se Macaulay’s article, which is as follows—• History is full of the signs <>l i 1 1 >s natural progress of society. We see in almost every part of the annals ol mankind how the industry ol individ-

uals. struggling up against wars, taxes, famines, conflagrations, mischiovioiis prohibitions and more mischievous protections creates faster than governments can squander, and repairs whatever invaders can destroy. We sec the capital nations increasing and all the arts of life approaching nearer ana nearer to perfection in spite of the grossest corruption and the wildest profusion one the part ot rulers. RERSPFCTfVE NEEDED. The present moment is one of great distress. But how small will that distress appear when we think over the history of the last forty years--a war compared with which, all other wars sink into insignificance—taxation, such as the most heavily taxed people of former times could not have conceived—a debt larger than all the public debts that ever existed in the world added together—the food of the people studiously rendered dear —the currency impudently debased and improvidently restored. Yet is the country poorer than in 1790? We fully believe tlial, in spite of all the misgovei ninent of all her rulers she has been almost constantly becoming richer and richer. Now and then there has been a stoppage, now and then a short retrogression ; tmt as to the general contingency there can he no doubt. A single breaker may recede; but the tide is evidently coming in.

If we were to prophesy that in the year 1930, a population of filly millions better fed. rind and lodged than the English of our time, will cover these island—that Sussex or Huntingdonshire will he wealthier than the wealthiest parts of the West Riding ol Yorkshire now are—that cultivation, rich as that o fa flower garden, wili he carried up to the very tops of Ben Nevis and Helvellyn—that machines, constructed on principles, yet undiscovered, will he in every house—that there will he no highways but railroads, no travelling but by steam —that our debt

vast as it seems to us, will appear to our great grandchildren a trilling eniwhidh migly't easily be paid off in a year or two -many people would think us insane. UNKELIEYAHLE COMES TREE. We prophesy nothing; but this we say—if any person had told the Parliament which met in perplexity and terror after the crash of 1720 that in 1.830 the wealth of England would surpass' all the wildest dreams, that the annual revenue would equal the principal of that debt which they considered an intolerable burden—that for one man of £IO,OOO then living there would bo live l men of £50,000; that London would be twice as large and twice as populous, ami that nevertheless the mortality would have diniin-

islied to one half what it then was—that the post office .wonhi bring more into the exchequer than the excise and customs had brought in together under Charlesli—that stage coaches would run from London to York in twemyfollr hours—that men would sail without wind, and would be beginning to ride without horses—our ancestors would have given as . much credit to the prediction as Ihcy"~gave to Gulli* ver's Travels. Yet the prediction would have been true; and they would have perceived

that it was not altogether absurd, ir they had considered that the country was then raising every year a sum which would have purchased the roesi tuple ot the revenue of the Plantagents —ten times what supported the Government of Elizabeth —three times what, in the time of Oliver Cromwell, had been thought intolerably oppressive. To almost all .men the state of things in which they have been used to live seems to be the necessary state of tilings. We have heard it said that five per cent, is the natural interest of money that twelve is the natural number of a jury, that forty shillings is the natural qualification of a country voter. Hence it is that- though in every age everybody knows that up to his own time progressive improvement lias been taking place, nobody seems to reckon on any improvement during the next generateion.' CROAKERS IN EVERY AGE AYe cannot absolutely prove tiiat those are in error who tell us that society has reached the turning point—that we have seen our best days. But

so said all wlm came before us, and with just as much apparent, reason. "A million a year will beggar us,” said the patriots of 1040. “Two millions a year will grind the country In powder,” was the cry in Il'jiii). "Six millions a year ami a debt of fifty millions!” exclaimed Swift; ‘‘the high allies have been the ruin of us.” A" hundred and forty millions of debt!” said .J mints. 'Well may we say that we owe Lord Chatham mure than we shall ever pay. if we owe him sudi a load as this.” "Two hundred and forty millions oi debt!” cried all the statesmen of 1783 in chorus. “Wlmt abilities, or what economy on the part, of a .Minister, can save a conn ;y so burdened f” We know that ill since 1.783 no fresh debt bad been incurred the increased resources of the country would have enabled us to defray that burden, at which I’i.tt. Fox and Ifurke stood aghast—to -defray it over and over again, and that with niueli lighter tax- j ation than what we have actually j .--borne. On what principle is it that j when we see nothing but improvement | behind us we are to expect nothing j but deterioration Indore nsr !

LESS GOVERNMENT IN J 5 ESI NESS. If is not by the intermeddling of Air Southey's idol—the ointiiscen and omnipotent Stale—but by the prudence and energy of the people that England has hitherto been carried forward in civilisation ;and ami it is to the some prudence mid the same energy that we now look with comfort and good hope. Our rulers will best promote the improvement of the people by strictly confining themselves to their own legitimate duties—by leaving capital to find its most lucrative course, commodities their fair price industry and intelligence their natural reward, idleness and folly their natural punishment —by maintaining peace, by defending property, by diminishing the price of law, and by observing strict economy in every department of the State. i.et tin* Government do this —the people will assuredly do the rest.