, 1875-11-13

FINED SUGAR OUGHT TO BE MADE AT THE PLAcE OF.
PRODUCTION, DIRECT FROM The CANE. Has Mr..
Napier ever heard of the beautiful Demerara crystals
which go direct into consumption in this country, and
need nc. refner's manipulation ! But perhaps the
section reached its mo5ts sublime moment when
the chairman, Mr.. Chadwick, NJ. p, was in the full
flow of his sentiments. Mr.. Chadwick is a model
member of Parliament. He does not think. Indeed,
nobody takes the trouble to think nowadays, and a
member Of Parliament is especially exem pit from any
exercise of his intellectual faculties. 1t is well
known that ia man sits for many years continuously
in Parliament, he loses even the ca )acIty OF thinking.
In all probability the wisdom thus lost to the
world is not very much missed, but atthe same time
the power OF original thinking, occasionally exercised
may save a whole era from contempt. a public man
IS simply required to learn Ohough he often does SO
with a want of precision that would be disgEacetul IN
a fairly taught parrot) a few unmeaning phrases about
free trade, and his political education is supposed TO
be complete. He stands forth as the embodiment OF
the united wisdom Of his fellow citizens, and a pre-
cious lot of wisdom lie enshrines. In the paper that
was read at the Congress q countervallng duty was
suggested as q proper remedy for the foreign 0oun-
ties. ANYBODY who knows anything ofreal free trade
is ready to admit that q duty of that kind is quite con-
sistent with the true principles OF freedom. But the
shallow politicians of the day do not know W nat tree
trade mans. They can talk gllbly enough "ot the
commercial policy Of this country %asiftheyr really un'
derstood the meaning OF their words. Iney can DE-
nounce a countervailing duty as inconsistent with the
principles Of free trade" asitt they really possessed Prn-
ciples themselves, and knew the Interpretation OF the
term " free trade" This was the style OF speech
adopted by the chairman ofthe section tie said that
Mr.. G ad stone would never aglee to a counlerVallng
duty, whereas Mr.. Gladstone expressly admit.
ted the principle in the Convention OF 1864, and
stipulated for the imposition OF this kind oil duty as
mart of an intern ational arrangement in certain cases.
And again, Mr.. Gladstone, in carrying his measures
CONSEQUENT UPON the Commercial Treaty with France,
expressly retained a prohibtory duty upon Spanish
corks, in order to protect the interests OF the cork
cutters in this country, who were unfairly dealt with
by thu highly protective tariff. arrangements OF spain.
AS for Lord Derby, his ~lordship gives up the whole
question and practically accepts a coun iervaillng DUTY
when he says that the consumer 10 injured instead OK
benefited bv the present state OF things and that the
consumers interest really depends upon a return 10
that freedom of competition which IS so inconsistent
with the existing artificial regime OF bounties. 80
long as bounties are given, the only means to restore
freedom Of competition is by a countervalllng DUTY,
and the logical result of Lord Deroys argument
would be the immediate neutralisatlon, by a duty, OF
the bounties which crush our sugar trade, and lnteE.
fore with the full development of those natural advsn"
tages in the produc ton of sugar in which the West
India Colonies are so rich. Altogether the airy, self.
confident talk of sham free-traders at Brighton mas
not advanced the question very much.
The Right Hon. Stephen Cave, IN speaking at
Sldmouth upon agricultural topics, illustrated his ar.
gument by a refer once to Jamaica as follows :-
fComing back to agricultural subjects, his opinion
was that labourers should aspire 10 become small
farmers, then should endeavour to become large farm.
ers, and they in turn should aspire to become land.
owners, as many had become in Lincolnshire; but
they must not begin, as some people commended, by
giving all the labourer5 so much land Ii they did,
where were the landowners 10 como from I III each
man occupied his own land, and engaged himself
about that only, we should soon descend into the same
state of things as existed in some other countries. In
France and in Jamaica, both more fertile countries
than England, and where the system in a great mes-
sure existed, they found that the produce was not near
SO great. In Jamaica there was little hired labour /;
large estates went to the wall through the labouring
men having no desire to rise, and having no education.
They made their wives and children 90 work thatln
this country was performed by beasts Of burden. In.
deed, a negro once gave as an excuse for failure to
f I'LL a a promise Of marriage that he had got a donkey
who did the work that he had Intended mis- wife to
lance afforded by education, and to explain his idea Of
a proper educational system.