Chapter 733 "Principle of Population"
South Bank of the Thames River.
At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the dock workers greeted each other, put down their work, gathered in twos and threes in the shelter behind the warehouse, and began to enjoy a 20-minute tea break.
However, it has become increasingly difficult to see tea during tea breaks these days.
Most people are eating black bread. Occasionally, some workers would serve tea with almost no sweet taste, which attracted envious looks from around them.
At this moment, a man wearing a neat black short coat came among the people and began to talk quietly with the workers.
After a while, he came over and patted Andy's father on the shoulder, glanced at the clear water in his glass, and sighed: "Scott, are you having a hard time lately?"
After The reporter looked sideways, recognized the man from the dock workers' guild, and nodded dejectedly.
The man in black looked in the direction of the supervisor and lowered his voice: "Damn it, sugar is already so expensive, but these black-hearted guys still want to lower our wages!"
Si Kurt nodded again in deep understanding.
The man in black continued: "We are going to go on strike next Wednesday and go to Downing Street to protest together to demand the restoration of wages and a reduction in sugar prices. This is a big deal, and you must go with everyone."
Scott His eyes widened immediately and he stammered: "Here, I won't go... I will be fired. If I lose my job, my whole family will go hungry..."
"What are you afraid of? Everyone will participate this time, and they dare to fire everyone? Who will load and unload the goods on the docked merchant ships?"
Scott still shook his head: "No, no, If it gets serious, he will be put in jail.”
Hearing this, a worker with a patch of hair on his head also came over: “Scott, we must fight”
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"But..."
Alopecia areata whispered in his ear: "The day before yesterday, I saw Anna on Bard Street."
Scott was stunned, he knew very well that Bard Where is the street? But he still deceived himself and asked: "What is she doing there?"
"Just, well, you know, soliciting customers there."
Scott's face suddenly turned livid, and he inserted his fingers hard into his hair , a low whimper came out of his mouth.
His daughter gave him some money a few days ago, saying she earned it from mending clothes. He actually believed her. He didn't expect it to be like this.
After a moment, he stood up suddenly and said to the guild members with red eyes: "Okay, I'll go!"
St. James Palace.
In the corridor, Sir Stewart hugged little Pete forcefully and said in a very soft voice: "My dear, you are the best and will eventually overcome everything."
Little Pete Caressing his back, he nodded: "I feel much more at ease now. Thank you for always giving me firm support when I need help the most."
"This is what I should do."
Sir Stewart let go of him and gestured towards the depths of the corridor: "Your Majesty has been in very good condition recently, go quickly."
Can George III Returning to the palace from Windsor Castle where he was recovering was enough to prove that his condition was under control.
Of course, it was not cured by Dr. Willis' poisonous insects and beatings. The characteristics of porphyria are like this. It comes and goes, and after a period of onset, it will resolve on its own.
Little Pitt walked into the door opened by the attendant and saluted George III who was sitting on a chair reading a book: "Your Majesty, it really makes me happy from the bottom of my heart to see you recovering from health."
George III raised his eyes and glanced at him: "I know you have a lot of things to do. If you have anything to do, just tell me." "Yes, Your Majesty." Little Pete leaned forward again, "To be honest, the situation is a bit tricky."< br>
“Hmm.”
“The price of sugar Prices are still soaring, and we have to subsidize nearly a million pounds every month, but it still cannot alleviate the sugar shortage. There are people making troubles everywhere. "
The king just nodded: "What are your plans?"
Little Pete took a deep breath: "It must be launched in advance."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." The Prime Minister puffed up his chest and said, "We At least 5 major countries will be united and more than 300,000 troops will be recruited, plus our navy, according to Weir. According to the judgment of the Marquis of Sli, the war will be over within half a year."
"Just do it. I will give you all my support."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." , "Before starting the war, I need to stabilize the domestic situation first."
"Please go on."
"The first is to increase taxes. We need to prepare sufficient funds for the war. And for this, I need you to help me pass the bill in Parliament."
Where is Little Pete? The Tories currently control fewer seats in parliament than the opposition parties. Tax increases have always been a focus of contention in the British Parliament. The Whigs were likely to reject his plan for massive tax increases.
Although the British King does not participate in politics, he actually still has great influence in Parliament.
George III nodded.
"Thank you for your trust." Little Pete leaned forward and continued, "In addition, I want to temporarily suspend the Habeas Corpus Law, prohibit all gatherings and public speeches, and arrest the leaders of radical organizations. There is also a "Prevention of Workers' Illegal Laws" "Combined Ordinance" to eliminate the possibility of workers striking without permission and using violence. "[Note 1]
The Habeas Corpus Act was just passed by the British Parliament. It wants to deactivate it. The resistance can be imagined. The latter bill will incur strong opposition from lower-ranked members of the House of Commons.
In peacetime, these things don’t even have to be thought about.
But George III still nodded: "Okay, I understand."
He suddenly thought of something and asked Little Pete: "Oh, do you know Pastor Malthus?"< br>
"Yes, Your Majesty, he has profound knowledge in the theory of social management and human development."
George III raised the manuscript in his hand: "This is his new work, "Principles of Population" ". There are some interesting theories in it.
"He thinks humans are always overproducing. When there is an overpopulation in the world, it is divided into different classes - some are richer, educated and moral, while others are poorer, unhappy, ignorant and immoral.
“So, plagues, hunger, and wars are necessary because they will limit excessive population and help human society return to a balanced state. And for those at the bottom, there is no need to improve them at all
"Perhaps you could have Reverend Malthus give some speeches in Parliament, which would help reduce the pressure you face. ”
"Thank you for your advice, I will definitely ask him for help."
Before little Peter finished speaking, he heard a huge noise coming from outside St. James Palace, and someone could vaguely hear shouting " Slogans such as "lower sugar prices" and "increase wages".
Little Pete hurriedly came to the window and saw thousands of people on the street ahead, holding up scarecrows and slogans, beating gongs and drums and rushing towards No. 10 Downing Street.
[Note 1] These two control measures have actually occurred in the UK in history. It's just about ten years later than the time in the book. The British were quite cruel to the country between the 18th and 19th centuries.
(End of this chapter)