The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-01-10
BRITISH COMMERCIAL LEGIsLA.
TTON.

L1ONs
National commerce has always been
Ehe pet subject Of national legislation.
And, of all subjects appertaining to ma
tional interests, none has been so great
"A sufferer from unwise and illjudged
legislation as the subject of commerce.
There is no species of public interest
that really needs so little of legislation,
and none that receives SO much, as this.
From its very nature, the commerce of
nation thrives best when least disturbed
by enactments OF the'law- -making power
"a truth that Lawmakers are slow to
comprehend. Just as capitalization
becomes irregular and abnormal
when the matrix is disturbed
during the process, so commerce be-
comes devious ands spasmodic by too
much legislative disturbance of its
own organic laws. There is closer
connection between freedom OF
commerce and freedom OF in
stitutions than is generally imagined; !;
for, every specially protected interest
exists at the expense OF all other inter-
ests, and being itself founded upon this
syster1 of general injustice, it can not
fail to beget injustice in others. 1t was
this narrow-minded policy and selfish
folly in the Spanish Bourbons that has
rendered Spain sad example of the
great trut F., that land OF monopoly soon
: becomes land OF commercial poverty
and OF political slavery.
But this form Of governmental folly
has not been confined to Spain and her
Bourbons. Though now ranked among
the foremost commercial nations of the
globe, Great Britain was formerly but an
unkind stepmother to her Infant COM
merce. AS tile ancestor of our Anglo
Saxon family we are apt to regard her
with undue reverence, and especially in
all matters appertaining to the regu-
Iation OF commercial affairs. And yet,
glance at her commercial legislation
will suffice to show succession of blum
ders that might even put to blush the
bigoted Bourbons of Spain; blunders,
too. which required even centuries for
British commerce to overcome and out
grow.
The origin of British foreign commerce
was from her wool. In this the Flem-
ings had long been supreme as manutac.
turers and exporters to all Europe. Al
the middle of the fourteenth century
wool constituted thirtee teen-fourteenths ol
nF Rrifiah tpadp
Little cloth was made in the kingdom
To promote this manufacture among his
people, Edward Ill invited the weavers
of Flanders to come and settle in Eng
land, offering to and actually creating 4
monopoly in their favor by law prohil-
iting the wearing of any cloth but Of
British make. But this legislative inter
ference soon became odious because
of the impositions practiced by the
foreign monopolists upon the British
people. And, again, TO checl
these, Parliament enacted another very
unwise law which prohibited the expor
OF wooden goods, but permitted that o
the unwoven wool. This, in turn, eX
cited the land-holding interest, which
aimed to keep up the high price Of thei
wool; and to satisfy this interest an
other law was enacted, prohibiting am
person in England from buying woo
except from the owners of the sheer
and for his own use. OF course this
closed the home market, and foreign
buyers could not be found. The result
was that, by reason Of this legislative
interference with the laws of trade, the