New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-31
TRIUMPH OF COMPETITION.
LETTER FROM CHARLES LANE.

LONDON, Friday, jan 10.
DEAR Tribune Let as not only be faithful to
the Truth, but also true to Fact. By permitting
our friendly wishes in regard to the Future to
blind us to the inmoal certainties Of the Present.
we should not Hktten but rather defer the desira-
BILE contamination. Grand and beautiful as are
the aspiring pictures Of Associative Life which
appear to our inward vision, and which the warm
hearted thought were near their rehabilitation in
ls4e it cannot be denied that other principles
have ia 1850 ruled the majority of minds in our
civilized world. That you may perhaps say you
knew before. The fact, however, which Ihave to
express is that the principles OF competitive life
have, on their own grounds enjoyed a great tri-
umph in the past year, and the promoters OF those
principles begin the present year with correlatlve
CIVILIZATIONS We might, indeed, tell them not to
haloo before they get out OF the wood; but so
long az plenty Of nuts are found for the leading
tenants, they will not care how many boys perish
before they permit them to set about Transforming
the Wilderness into the delightful garden which
all desire.
We cannot speak to the point so decisively for
all Europe, bat in England there is abundant evil
dence that the commeFcialist is the ruler. The
Prime Minister being him who most administers
to the primary wants OF the public at the mo-
nent the Merchant is now the Prime Minister
For. not only does he import for US the luxuries
of the tropics, but he now contributes largely to
the supply Of our necessities by the importation
of the almost necessary article OF your slave
grown Cotton. This is certainly the mercantile
millennium; thoush ssauredly it will not last a
thousand years. COttOn-spinners Ia the Cabinet,
and Bankers in the House Of Lords are the un-
mistakable proofs Of the dominion Of the CONNER
cial aristOcracy. This, which owes its origin to
the workman, has superseded the aristocracy OF
physical force which traces its ancestry to the
furtive savage. The poor weaver, who once
toiled in his garnet for his warrior master,
has worked his way, by the aid OF his coadjutor
science, till he at last inhsbits the palace and
quafs the bowl and the fighting man is we'll nigh
cashiered. Amid the dln OF war the mechanic
worked on steadily and hopefully, ana having
carefully saved his pennies, now calls himself
capitalist and endeavors TO subject the poor me-
chanio to his purse. Can We, Ia this din OF steam
engines and cloud Of factory smoke, discern any
signs which show that the seeds OF a new mode
of society are terminating IN the hot bed OF com
merce Do We yet begin 20 see that commerce
is destined to be only as the manure for moral
supremacy, as conquest was but preparation for
commerce think IL would not be difficult to
make good the argument fer sach hope. mean
that there IS not merely a ply steal dissatisfaction
at the present order Of things, bat moral dis
former In fact, the winners, as much as the
losers desire the commencement OF the new era.
The evidence OF the success OF commercial prn
ciples is found in the facts that under the system
OF free trade and free shipping Britain has export
ed Manufactured goods 20 the extent OF seven or
eight millions sterling more than IN 1892 which
was alsoa prosperous year that she has not been
under the necessity 10 pay the foreigner so much
for bread that she has indOlged % a greater ex-
tent IN such articles as sugar ana tea, as well as
in that dirty luxury, tobacco, and the marderOus
Injuries OF brandy and gin. And further, thas' IN
spite Of the repeal Of the navigation laws our
shipbuilders never were well occupied. la
this United QueendOm wo devou- at the rate of
no less than q thoussni tuns of sugar per day,
Sunday excepted. In duties aud cost Of the pro.
duce John Bull expeDds some sixty or seventy
millions year on needless and nauseous articles,
which from the great quantities consumed must
be paid for by the masses OF the people, tor the
wealthy are too few to use such enormous heaps
This IA commercial JOY, this IS the sort oil proof
commercial politicians give OF British happiness
Yet there Ia some trath in what they advance
Our poor houses are less crowded, food Is cheaper
clothing cheaper, interest OF money Is low, and
wages are not in all cases depressed 10 an equs
ratio and the stomachs Of the people being better
hlled there 10 little apprehension of eiOrs for re
form, backed by physical force Such a Sc asoI
ought 10 be favorable for rational reforms of al
kind. and really believe the people Of this isle are
not so lethargic as formerly.
IL seems, also, that France Aourishes under