Over-Population, And Its Remedy - Softcover

William Thomas Thornton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0461750864 ISBN 13: 9780461750867

Publisher: HardPress, 2021

Synopsis

Over-Population, And Its Remedy: Or, An Inquiry Into The Extent And Causes Of The Distress Prevailing Among The Labouring Classes Of The British Islands, And Into The Means Of Remedying It by William Thomas Thornton. This work analyzes how a mid-19th-century Britain and Ireland suffer poverty and destitution not only because of crowding but due to imbalances between labor supply and demand. It sets out a three-part program: define the problem through region-by-region evidence; examine evidence of over-population in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland; and propose remedies centered on land reform, subsidizing smallholders, and secure tenure rather than capital-intensive schemes. The author argues that labour, not capital, should drive reclamation of waste lands, advocating the creation of hundreds of thousands of rural leaseholders; cites Kilcullen as a positive case; supports perpetual leases or long-term tenancies with compensation to prior possessors. The analysis also engages with the Repeal debate, warning that constitutional disruption is dangerous unless land rights are secured for the people. The conclusion emphasizes empowering agricultural workers as a shield against future downturns and views landholding as the surest path to national prosperity and social peace, while urging a broad, peaceful reform agenda. It also outlines an ambitious aim to create 200,000 pauper families as landholders to form a yeomanry, reduce wage pressures, and stimulate industry. Kilcullen colony is cited as a positive example of small-colony success.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0461750864
• ISBN 13: 9780461750867
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 504