The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-01-29 00:00:00

M. THIERB ON THE TREATIES OF
COMMERCE.

In Saturday's sitting of the Legislative 1114 y the discus-
slot. on M. Join Warne'. interpellation relative to the
Commercial Treaties was resumed by It. Thin, who, In the
course of his speech,
.said
" '"

We have ma
noble tusk before us, and we hope that
we shall be able to ac-xraiplish it—namely, to give to
the country entire liberty, without any disturbance of
public order; hut we have also to se-establish its pros-
perity, and for that end we most rely upon our-
selves.. The Treaties of Commerce have proved of
no advantage to the French silk trade, and have been
injurious to French cotc ii tuanufseturers, England
and Switzerland producing cotton goods more cheaply
than we. The Treaty with England has prejudicially
affected our linen trade, a quarter of the firms engaged
in that industry being reined, and it has placed the
woollen trade in an unfavourable position.... He
declared that the secret of English superiority was that
France, by abandoning the surcharge upon foreign
bottoms, had contributed to the erection of England
into a great commercial centre, and he contended that
the apparent increase of Frerch commerce with Eng-
land signified solely that the French navy was ruined.
H. Thiers admitted afterwards a real increase of French
trade, but said that was due to 50 years of general peace,
which had been disturbed only by accidental wars,
and be expressed his opinion that }ranee was destined
to produce, not cheap articles, but articles of a superior
quality. He delivered a magnificent enlogium upon
England, describing it as a land of hospitality for all,
and the English people as an admirable type of liberty
and generosity to all other nations; but he thought
that the position of France wag better. "We have,"
he said, "consumers at home; we are not at the mercy
of a cannon-hall for the continuance of our genius of
production and of our perfect knowledge and skill.
England depends for existence upon the United States
and her own colonies remaining open to her, and she
might be destroyed by her own productive powers; she
embraces the whole world, but is vulnerable at every
point. She resembles Holland, which it only took 50
years to ruin. Cromwell enacted a navigation law,
Colbert protec' vi the commerce of France, and then,
las far as Holland was concerned, all warn over. Let
us not despair, therefore, and as we have to choose
' between peurile theories and good old common sense,
I believe me, a more sold position than that held by
England can be guaranteed to France by maintaining
her in possession of her home msrkets." Loud cheers
from some benches greeted the conclusion of H.
Thiers' speech.

[A. Fren7ll protectionist paper says that for three
hours M. Thiers was listened to with profound stte,.
tion and without a moment's ennui. The eh quent
or..tor animate I cold quantitiee and ahetract ideas ; he
transrormed them ; he cmsed machine. and inert
matter t palpitate, and interested the House in their
suflerinv a. He recruited allies from every corner of
Vie wind; he showed India di fending herself against
the metropolis; Canada imposing duties on English
and American goods; Amtralia ardently protectionist,
and the United States declaring ten Pittaburgs to be
better than one New York.]