The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-10-17
oMMERcIAL FREEpoM THRoueH-


fled free trade including the opening of the coasng
trade TO foreign flags and the abolition of the differ
entail duties sugar the spirit of commercial freedom
has marched steadily forward totally dsmoshing the
whole supersructure Of prohibitory and restrictive
regulations in countries in Belgium, and to
great extent in Holland, and in others entering SO
deeply into the popular mind, and sharing 50 largely
in the discussions of the day questions of political
economy, that the protechonists and prohbtionists
already sunendering the most cherished of their
antiquated notions, and governments hitherto most
inyeterately welded to the anti-progressive prin-
ciples Of monopohes and restrictions are grad
ually yielding ground before the steady, onward
advance of liberal principles. The CONNER
cial policy of Great Britain was inaugurated on
the LIST of January, 1885, and Immediately thereafter
the navigation laws of Belgium and Holland were
remodeled, because, as proclaimed by the latter
country in the act of amendment, the abolition of
the British navigation acts rendered necessary the
immediate adoption of that step" The movement
in England was not altogether without its effect in
France but the difference between France and Eng
land, respects the progress Of commercial free
DOM consists in this, that since Sir Robert Peel
ceeded in making British statesmen understand that
commerce best fiourishes where it is entirely Free
the commercial legislation of Great Britain has been
direct simple, and practical-the legislative web
work of complicated and innumerable colonial enact
ments has been swept from the satute-book, and in
few plain sentences, stripped ofal ambiguous tech
ncal verbiage, is contained the brief but compre-
hensive code which regulates the commercial inter
between Great Britain and the nations of the
earth. . t.a.......
In France, on the other hand, the question
of commercial freedom has formed prolific theme
for ingenious and learned discussion at the
of the different philosophical societies. in the public
journals in the Legislative assemblies and generally
throughout the eghty-six departments into which
the empire is politically divided but, as yet moth
ing practical has been done, and but little ameiora
ton can with any just reason be hoped for. And
yet there is no country in the world in which COM
more attention, or claim larger share of govern
ment patronage. II had been supposed that at the
recent sessions of the councils general of the de-
partments active demonstration would have been
made against the longer continuance of prohibiory
and restrictive policy but the sessions have been
brought to close without any conclusive expires.
sion of opinion either for or against the system of
prohibition II is true several Of the departments
passed resolutions theoretically protesting in favor
of a liberal commercial policy; but in others
trary sentiment was, with equal earnestness express
ed and adopted. The great leader of the liberal
movement, Mfr. Michel Chevalier, under whose
guidance the Council General of Herault adopted a
most earnest protest, was noby seconded by
the department of the Gironde, Of which Bor-
deaux is the chief commercial metropolis The
resolutions passed by the Council General of the
Gironde breathe the true reformatory spirit while
those of the Department of the Heraut are calculated
with that remarkable power of argument and elo-
quence of language for which NJ. Michel Chevaer
is pre-eminently distinguished. They assert that
the existing customs tariff by the restrictions they
impose on foreign commerce. are detrimental to the
interests of agriculture, as well to most of the
branches of manufactures by which they are not
even required since those manufactures are in con-
dition of much prosperity and vigor that in add
ton to the supply of the home market, they export
upwards of 5000 100000 worth of productions an
nually which have to compete in the markets Of the
world with similar manufactures of countries into
which, in most cases. the raw materials admitted
free of duty. They declare that customs restrictions
are carried in France to point which was never
reached in any other civilized natonnine-te at
least, of manufactured productions being protected
by absolute prohibition and the remainder by duties
so high almost to amount to prohibition and that
this is contrary to the tendencies of the age which
are the promotion of commercial relations and the
rapproheme of nations They assert that the rigors
of the French tariffs against foreign productions
have caused foreign governments to adopt retaiaory
measures against French productions especially on
wine, the most important, amounting annually to
$l20 900 000 and in which the Department of ITe-
rault is peculiarly interested. They state further
that the existing system constitutes q monopoly
for the benefit of tho manufacturers and to the
injury of the consumers; that it produces the
strange effect of sacrificing the branches of man
ufactures which employ the greatest number of
hands to those which employ the least--thoseN of
printed cottons and muslins for example, to that of
Gotten spinning. They state that notwithstanding
the reductions of duties on iron STEEL and other ar
tcles made in 1853, the existing duties are triple
what they in the time of the first Napoleon,
and ought for the sake of agriculture to be reduced
Lastly, the Council General resolved to thank the
onyarnment for tho reductions IL hoe ntada in tba