The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-01-26
The Prospects Of British FREQ Trade.

The Prospects Of British FREQ Trade.
We some time since invited the attention of
our readers to the repulsiue tendencies Of Brit
ish policy, as shown IN the fact that Ireland
and India and all others of the colonies of Great
Britain, would gladly escape from British free
trade; and to the attractive tendencies of protec
ton, as exhibited in the fact that Ireland and Ca
NADIA, the West Indies and the Sandwich Islands,
would gladly accept admission into our Union.
Hanover was at that moment abandoning
her connexon with England. and accepting
place in the great Customs Union of northern
Germany, the leading idea Of which is that of
protection against the system which looks to
compelling the farmers and planters of the
world to make all their exchanges in the
single market of Great Britain. Since then
we have had new evidences of the attractive
tendencies of protection, in the fact that Begl-
um now seeks to join the German Union,
while Austria is busily engaged in the effort to
make arrangement that shall include all
Germany, and, as we believe, the whole of the
provinces of the Austrian empire, in one great
Union, in which tho internal trade will be as
free as is that of the States Of our Union while
the farmers will everywhere be protected in
their efforts to bring the consumers to their
side, and thus enable the loom and the spindle
to take their natural places by the side of the
plough and the harrow.
Russia, too, appears to have been invited to
enter into arrangements that shall facilitate
freedom of trade throughout Europe. while
maintaining the system of protection against the
British monopoly and should the Union of Ger
many be accomplished, it is not improbable that
nearly all the continent will soon be- seen unit
ed in = measure that will, we are disposed to
believe, do more for Europe than any other that
has ever been adopted, and for the reason that
it will do more to advance the happiness, the
comfort, and the freedom of the people. Wher
ever protection against British free trade is
adopted, there the people become prosperous
and the march towards freedom is in the direct
ratio of the march towards prosperity. But
little while since, Germany exported wool and
imported cloth. Now she exports little wool,
and she is furnishing cloth to all the world, be-
cause protection has made cloth cheap. We
have now before US Wilmer & Smiths Europe
an Times, received by the last packet, from
which we make the following extract, with
view to show the American producers Of
cotton what has been accomplished in Ger.
many, with only fifteen years Of efficient
protection, that they may see that the ZoA
Verem is doing for Germany what the
tariff Of S42 was doing for them; that is, max
ing market on the land for all the products of
the land
''The import [of German WOOL continues to de-
cline, and few houses find il worth while
to continue the trade. Within short period the
receipts haze fallen off tuno thirds ba The eonsump
tion Of Germany has incrtased TO more than the
ertsnt, particularly of medium class wools and
each year they becoming larger customers in this
country for such descriptions"
We see thus that Germany is following the
advice Of ADAM SMITH, in COMPRISING large
quantity Of food and wool into piece of cloth,
and thus facilitating their transmission to the
most remote parts Of the world. So, too, is it
with cotton and with iron. Until 1885 the
country was almost wholly dependent upon
England for cotton goods Of every description,
but now it is largely furnishing the world with
food and cotton in the form of cloth, while Ger
man hardware is being sold in the market of
Birmingham.
Such, too, is the course Of things in Russia,
as will be seen by the following statement Of
the growth Of the consumption Of cotton under
system Of efficient protection:
Rop Gotten. Cotton Yars. Total