The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-10-21
From the New Ysrk Evening Post.
FREE TRADE IN FRANCE.

Every nation must ultimately rest it's materi
al prosperity on system of commercial policy
which allows the broadest and freest intercourse
of the nations of the earth, and which, having
its basis in nature, opens the channels of wealth
to the equal flow and universal distribution of
it's bounties.
The civilized nations of the earth, so far as
concerns the course of trade within their own
boundaries, are gradually yielding to the force
of evidence and to the pressure of circumstances
which are now affecting the foreign relations of
all. France, especially, appears to feel the
necessity of adopting the free.trade policy to
its fullest extent in relation to oil its dependen
cies.
She has proclaimed a perfect freedom of
trade 80 far as the colony Of Algeria is con.
cerned, opening all its ports to untrammelled
intercourse with the world. Surely, if this pol.
icy be the wise and natural method of develop.
ing the resources of the colony, it could not fail to
be equally beneficial to France also. The protec-
tive policy of France is dead weight on her
commercial relations with the world, and she
cannot therefore maintain Q competition with
either this country or England. In freights,
France, with all the ingenuity and activity of
her people, is considerably behind the two
countries we have mentioned indeed, that
branch of her commerce is 90 small as not to
be worth the comparison. Foreigners alone
are her agents in the exchange of products, and
enrich themselves at her expense. The nation
that adopts a protective policy must necessarily
place its commission business entirely in the
hands of foreigners.
If its manufacturers remain in their own
country, foreigners must establish their com.
mission houses there also, to effect An exchange
of products. If they wait for customers to
visit them, then the commissions on exchange
of products are lost, and are obtained by for
eigners, while they necessarily exclude them.
selves from all foreign markets, which can fur.
nish them no profits. French manufacturers
generally confne their business to home ope-
ratious, whilst English manufacturers have their
commission houses in every market in the
world. No commercial nation can prosperous.
ly exist under this outworn policy of the past !;
and hence. one by one, the leading nations of
| the civilized world are abandoning it, and, as
with France, training up their colonies in the
| spirit and practice of broad and perfect free
| trade policy founded on a mutual system of in.
| tercourse, and a reciprocal exchange of those
| special products which the bounty of Provi.
| dence has placed in the hands of each.
One would suppose, that when the advocates
OF protective policy in our country see even
the despotisms of the Old World casting aside
their commercial letters, and, in spite of in.
veterate habit and prejudice, becoming liberal
from necessity, they might be induced to recon.
slider the positions to which they have hitherto
adhered 30 tensciously, and yield to the logic of
| facts, that assent which cannot be extorted by
| mere reasoning.