The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-09-16 00:00:00

THE EARL OF DERBY ON TRADE
AND WAR.

Lord Derby attended the Manchester Chamber of
Inimerce, on Tuesday, as a member of a deputation
from the Rural Commissioners to invite support for
next year's 'Exhibition at South Kensington, London,
M which the processes and products oif the cotton manu-
facture will form a prominent feature. Mr. Ayrton,
Sir Thomas Bazley, Mr. Fairliairn, Mr. 11. Thring,
Mr. C. B. Vignoles, and Major-genet-al Scott Were the
other members of the deputation. In the evening
they were entertained by the Presi lent of the %amber,
at a banquet given at the " Queen's" Hotel, Piccadilly.

Lord Derby, in resi/onaing to the prim-iv:l t..ast Id the
evening. said that the sobtime sit he was ralls,l upon to
aw,ver, "U,,' promotion of irge competition in biter:Adjoin.'
skill awl italustry,- seemed to hits liel,l the mod comp,-
Moo', e 10115 ever bestowi.,l Upon th, lin Mall race
that is, if it was taken In tile SAO, in wide!. he had no doubt
the words were framed. International skill mail in-
dustry might he showit it. various pursuits, iii war
AS 51,11 115 111 peaee. 11101 there had heell a very heell
tnt altogether taidestairted competition hetwom Prance
awl tlermatly in the valise of tile tact twelve Dent!,.;
but he it it mo think that was a kind tile tiaprtition the tiro.
toot lii s.f which wiollbt he of any tern-rat lemetit to mankind,
or that it latel •ell SallAfaleti.ry to thoSe 11110 took part in it,
least of all to those by whom it was brooglit about. ills
lordship went 011 to say that the experience of the last
two-it) years hail not corresponded with the wisiguine loos,
of I,d. Ent if the hopes were ilinsoly he could not hid it
In Isis heart lb, ridicule the illushaa. It was at any rate the
mistake 4.110 obi. atilohl Who tholl„tilt better of !amok hid than
it has unhappily deserved. Pod nii failure 4,1 prim:attire !
hopes at all affected the principle that the spirit of trade and j
if commercial enterprise Is the great rival atoll enemy 44 the
military and aggreasive spirit. "If .the noble earl con-
tismini) I wanted an illustration I should poink to the rela-
thaw between this country rind the United States at
various thaws in the last half eentury. We speak
with truth if the kindly feeling bet, een the two coun-
tries yet I would mitt mailertake to say that peace
would hare been preserved throughout that period between
them if it hail not heell tor the conviction in the sabots of
all rational men on both idalcs of the water that they could
not go to war will t striking anlo3t fatal Mow at their pros•
purity. If I am to look at another part of the world, I 11,,illitt
Oak you to olnwrce how strong is the military feeling of the
potl,lllatioll of 311110 at tilt the great I ottineattal Powers 1:0111-
parvtl with what It is ill England, and hiss much more im-
portance they attach hi military glory stud all that kind of
thing, and I would ask you to notice as a coincidence that,
great as to the ntaterial prosperity 4,1110111 e of these e tries,
more especially France, still the extent of their foreign ei
nterce awl continental relations with .titer Powers appears
comparatively Insignificant in proportion to their population
and resources. We in England are by the admission of all
the world the one great nailing Pow Cr, soil it is Ids. a Net
allollt Mille!, there is i,o limo[te that we ilre the 011 e PoWer
loolitivol iffiluvilee is invariably exercised upon the
, side of peace. tie!!, why is that .; Some foreign writers, alld
I perhaps cute people at 111,111 e, are say it is Weans,.
,1 we are afraid of war, dislike its Itaidships, and shrink from
Us inconvertletwes. Ply answer is that no foreign
1 country can show a military ceintimst such OS (list if India
' or colonies like ours, where every inch of ground has been
gaitted toy the adventure, the enterprise, and the self-
devotion if individual Englishmen If we systematically
abstain from quarrels road put tin high value Upon military
gliory, we have given abundant Imo"( that it is not fri.M fear
of war or inability to Illake it, but because we believe any
needless war is a crime, or, to put it in the mildest terms, a
perversion if hutnan nature and iiithabtry. I ant not going
11111,6 tailed uitsliene.O to trench mom any ground wiMli
may seem political, and therefore. alit may nollaing ale oat the
role we have in general laid down for the COloillet ifinie
fuodigit relations the plaitt and simple rule of leaving oth, r
people alone, in confidence that if yol do no they Will ti-a,,,
yOll 1110110. of course, like all human tales, it is inthject
exceptions. Tic-re are loally ardent spirits win, loos upon
it as all anthlll:l6A 11114101,501ete tileOry, hilt till,Se WOrlid are
no great terror to toe. I have heard them for anatay yearS,
and I110,:,11 tO Stiek to this rule until I can lint a better,
which still llot he 111 a hurry." An far as latgland is con-
cerned, Lord Derby said the 1,111,410 a f unrestricted com-
petition was pretty well settled what RA prospects were in
other countries then- might be those present who knew
better than lie did. Ile dhl not think the French quite knew
their own mind upon the subjewt if the commercial treaty
perhaps they dill not know it up to in good malty others.
Lord Derby rohlid tut the expression if
orillioll that they were ammo likely to eione (ii a
801111.1 conclushot if tlwy did not press and urge and en-
force the question upon them as if the adoption if our
view, were ti be ti fitvonr eolderred 111,011 its. With re-
gard to the United States he hoped we had more reamot
to be sanguine no to the course which they may take. NOW
that the Alll,llOlllOl were beginning t., see their debt clearing
olf, awl that it was within their power to reduee it mate-
rially, if not to dispose alit entirely, within a tttlilteil time,
their attention would be loss exclusively lhe.l mem that
Point, and they would think more id the weight of taxes
they sot-reimposing upon their people, awl thus in Cane he
lent bp reform their tariff. We know this I. t'ashlii Habil that
st the other shle if the Atlantic they do not do thin,s
halves, and if they go itt for free trade, which they lone not
dime hithoto, he should expect thatthey will dolt in eanwst.