The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-26 00:00:00

Sir,—There is nothing easier, and nothing is more
common with a class of men who measurc-, other
people by their own standard, than to impute im-
proper motives, where it is found impossible to con-
tend by fair argument ; and if it be discovered that
the interests of the individual are in harmony with
the cause he is advocating, this accidental coinci-
dence is held to be a sufficient refutation of the ar-
guments set forth.
In stepping forth as the defender of the trade
with which I am connected from the unjust and
oppressive legislation with which we are threatened
by the unconditional remission of the Customs'duty
of ld, per lb. upon paper imported from foreign
countries, I anticipated, and was fully prepared for,
this ungenerous interpretation of my motives, as
will be seen by reference to my first letter, where
I say, " (A it will he seiti, this is part of the old
rag ; free-trader in everything hut what affects his
own in tere:-3t,"
Thus prepared, f ara not surprised to find my
anticipations realised ; a
your space, and if I had no regard for
might retort upon my adversaries, by
inquiring whether the course of legislation which
they so zealously recommend is dictated by pure
patriotism, unilloyed by a trace of sellinterest ; or
whether it does not partake in some degree of that
very COMMGII human frailty—a desire to benefit
themselves.
Who is this "public" on whose behalf the paper
duties have been repealed at a sacrifice of upwards
of a million and a quarter of revenue, and on whose
behalf an unconditional surrender of the import
duty is demanded ?
It is no small favour to-the proprietor's of the
cheap -newspapits, 'and- the -PubliSkitg-inieffest-t
generally, to be relies-6d from a tax equivalent to 20
per cent. on the paper they use, involving the
placing of this burden on the broader shoulders of
the income-tax payer by an increase of a ld. in the
pound; and yet they demand the sacrifice of a whole
trading interest to their inordinate cupidity.
The struggle now going on is not whether the
trade of the English papermaker shall be sacrificed
for the benefit of the whole community, but it is
whether the paper trade shall be sacrificed for the
benefit of the newspaper and publishing trade; and
it is no answer to the charge of injustice which I
have advanced that in defending the paper trade
from the assaults now made upon it, as I think
most unfairly, I am thereby defending my own in-
terests:
Notwithstanding the stleerliti,b taunts which are
levelled against me, I stand, unabashed, the uncom-
promising advocate of free trade and the defender
of the paper trade at the same time.
I do not sue in
,forma pauperis for mercy at
the hands of the Government ; 1 do not ask for pro-
tection. I demand justice, I ask for free trade,
in the sense in which it is applied to the great
trading interests of this country; las only. to be
put upon the same footing as the cotton spinner,
the flax spinner, the woolln manufacturer and the
silk manufacturer.
If I am to be called upon, like them, to meet the
world's market in my manufactured article, I want,
like them, to have access to a common source for the
raw material of manufacture. The English cotton
spinner and manufacturer meets his foreign com-
petitor on equal ground, because they both buy
their material from the came markets. and he fears
no competition ; and so do the linen, the woollen,
and the silk manufacturers, they have all access
to the markets of the world for the purchase of
their raw material, and they are, therefore, in a
position to meet their foreign competitors, let the
competition arise where it may.
Is there injustice, or any craving for favour, in
asking that the papermaker shall be placed in a
similar position ? " Oh, no," it is responded, "there
is no injustice in your request; it is quite fair and
seasonable; and we should be very glad if we could
obtain for you the same position which all other
trades enjoy ; but, you see, foreign Governments
are so obstinate in their refual to allow rags to be
exported, that we cannot place you in this desirable
and just position; but is this," say they, "any
reason why we should not buy foreign paper, and
allow it to enter this country free of duty, even
though it be, as you say, that their paper can be
made at a much cheaper rate than you Gan make
it, arising from the great abundance and the arti-
ficially low price of the material from which it is
made ?" I answer, "Unless you are entirely des-
titute of English sympathies—unless you desire to
aid foreign Governments in the selfish policy they
have laid down, and to close the door for ever to a
more just and equitable state of things—unless
you wish to help them to take advantage of their
own wrong—unless you are prepared to place this
country in a position of dependence on foreign
countries for the supply of paper, and to witness,
the destruction of an useful and important manu-
facturing ieterest, giving employment to a large
amount of labour—unless," I say, " you have well
considered and are prepared for all the consequences,
you ought not to admit foreign paper free from
countries which maintain an export duty on rags."
If the position of the English cotton spinners,
the woollen manufacturers, the linen and silk ma-
nufacturers be only ohe of bare justice and equity,
then the position in which the English papermaker
will, be placed by the admission of foreign paper
without the privilege,
enjoyed by those other great
interests, of buying their materials from a common
source, being totally Efferent, it therefore cannot
be a position based on either justice or equality.
I will illustrate my meaning by putting a hypo-
thetical case, and I will take the cotton trade for
the purpose.

Sapp)se that America, actuated by a desire to
monopolise not only the growth, but also the ma-
nufacture of cotton, were to lay a tax of 50 per
cent, upon the export of cotton ; would our Eng-
lish cotton spinners consider it fair to this great in-
terest if it were proposed to admit American cloth
and yarn freely to this country ? Would they be
satisfied to be told that the thing would right it-
self in the course of a few years, and that in the
mean time they must do the best they could?
Would they patiently endure to be reminded of the
indomitable nature of Engiish skill and enter-
prise ? Would any Government dare to make a
proposal of this nature ?
And if not, where is the difference between the
position of the English papermaker as it will be if
the proposed remission of the import duty is
effected, and that which I have drawn of the cotto•
trade as it would be under similar circumstances ?
The only difference is, that the one is a compara-
tively small and powerless interest, and the other
is all-powerful—an imperiuna ire imperio.
I am thankful,:sir, and the trade with which I am
connected, and which is so seriously threatened,
has reason to be grateful, that you, notwithstand-
ing that your interests appear to be in an opposite
direction, have so generously afforded me the means
of, placing our case before the public ; and if you
will still afford me the opportunity, it shall not be
my fault it' this case is not better understood. I
am resolved that no one shall have the excuse of
ignorance for taking part in this act of injustice and
oppression.
I find that much doubt and misconception still
exists as to the extent of this prohibitory system
on the continent of Europe; and also as to the dif-
ferential cost at which paper can be made in these
protected countries as compared with English
manufacture.

Portugal and Belgium a prohibi-
tive law exists. In France the export of rags has
been up fo the present time prohibited, and the pro-
posed export tariff is 81. to 101. per ton. In Holland
it is 121. 10s. per ton. In Germany and the Zoll-
verein 91. per ton. In Russia 6/. per ton ; and
these duties, it must be remembered, are from 50 to
100 per cent. upon the value of the rags in the re-
spective countries.
Well, then, it is said that the foreigner labours
under many disadvantages in inferior machinery,
want of coal, &c. No greater mistake can be com•
mitted ; the fact of the foreign paper used abroad
not being so good as our own does not arise from
their inability to make better, but because the taste
and habits of the people make them content with a
worse paper at a lower price. They have as good
machinery (nearly all English make) ; they have
labour at a much less cost, and the want of coal is
more than counterbalanced by the abundance and
cheapness of their water power; and the, cum, if they
are required, produce as good paper as we can at a
much smaller cost.

But one fact is worth a whole bundle of theories.
A day or two ago I had put into my hand by a
most respectable member of our trade a parcel of
samples sent over from France and Germany, and
the gentleman said, in placing the samples in my
hand, lam prepared to take orders from you, or
any one else, to any extent, at the prices marked."
I have since learnt that he has made large sales at
these prices. It thus appears that, notwithstanding
the present import duty is 2!-,-d. per lb., against our
Excise duty of , affording a protection to the
home maker of ld. per lb., this paper of foreign
manufacture can now be brought into successful
competition with our own ; and, such being the