AND ON THE CONTINENT.

25

During the last century England became the chief commercialcountry of Europe . Even into the camp of landed proprietorshipthe spirit of commerce entered, as is evidenced by the changefrom customary rents to so-called rack-rents. To' a still greaterextent was industrial production seized by the desire for thegreatest possible profit. But, on the other hand, with the thriv-ing of commerce industry came under the pressure of competition.The maritime position of England , the number of her harbours,and the favourable conditions of the tides for shipping aided hertraffic, whilst the bad communication on the Continent combinedto maintain the monopoly of trade for a long period (8). But, asseen above, English cotton industry came first- under the influenceof competition. Therefore with competition arose the striving aftercheapening the costs of production, which led to production inlarge masses, and to the application of labour-saving machinery.“ Communication was the outer vehicle, Commerce the innersoul, which gave the impetus to Centralised Industry” (9).

II. The first essentials of commerce—personal freedom andsecurity of property—were, during the last century, in England ,as a commercial country, more realised than in the still mostlyagrarian States of the European Continent (9a). In the supposedinterest for the livelihood of the people State police-power hasin other countries (10) hindered the coming into use of machinery.The hatred of the masses against inventions has also caused thepersecution of inventors everywhere. The first English manufac-turers passed through this experience; their mills were destroyed,their lives threatened. Kay, the inventor of the fly-shuttle (1733)had to leave his native country, and later inventors were mostlycompelled to seek their fortunes in other lands.

8. According to Sir William Petty (“ Several Essays on Political Arithmetic,”(London , 1G99, p. 173) carriage on land was at that time 15 to 20 times as dearas ship freights.

9. Schmoller : Ueber die Entwicklung des Grossbetriebs und die socialeKlassenbildung, ‘ 1 Preussiscbe Jahrbiicher,” vol.. LXIX., part 4.

9a. Adam Smith acknowledges, thus early, political freedom and securityof property as consequences of commerce, and even declares them to be themost important issues (“ Wealth of Nations,” vol. III., chap. 4). Petty pointsout, following the examples of the Dutch, that commercial and religiousfreedom go hand in hand.

10. Eoscher: System, III., par. 125. Lotz: “ Archiv fur sociale Gesetz-gebung,” vol. IV., p. 560. Thus the people of Dantzic caused the inventor ofthe “Band-Mill” to be secretly drowned. Grassmann: “Entwicklung derAugsburger Industrie” (Augsburg, 1894). At pages 13, 14 there is a passageconcerning a magisterial order against using machinery in the year 1826.