We won't have men with theories which work out beautifully on paper, and
bring a great country into the throes of commercial ruin. We won't have
men who think that the laws their fathers made are good enough for them,
and that all change is dangerous, because Englishmen are sure to fight
their way through in the long run--a form of commercial Jingoism to
which I fear we are peculiarly prone. We don't want scholars or
statisticians. We want a commission of plain business men, and I
promise you that if we get them, there shall be presented to Parliament
before I meet you again practical measures which I honestly and firmly
believe will start a wave of commercial prosperity throughout the
country such as the oldest amongst you cannot remember. We have the
craftsmen, the capital, and the brains--all that we need is legislation
adapted to the hour and not the last century, and we can hold our own
yet in the face of the world."
* * * * *
Afterwards, at the political club and at the committee-room, there was
much excited conversation concerning the effect of Henslow's bold
declaration.
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