The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-12-08
TRADE LAWS IN ENGLAND AND
AMERICA.

Agitation of the so-called fair trade
leagues in England has had the effect
in giving the friends of free trade an
opportunity for re-stating the ground
upon which their doctrine rests. Sol
idly based principles, after long ac-
ceptance, are apt to be questioned by a
new generation which did not expert
ence the trials and tribulatiOns through
which knowledge of these principles
was first reached, particularly so when
that new generation has trials of its
own. l, his been so in England. To
the great mass of men who rememl er
the miserable condition of the English
industrial classes, both agricultural and
manufacturing, before the repeal of the
corn laws, who took part in the nOtO-
riOus battle for commercial freedom,
who listened to the arguments of Cob
den and Bright and their lieutenants in
that battle, and who have observed the
vast growth of British commerce since
! free trade was adopted, every PROPOSE
! tion to recede from that policy seems as
absurd as would be a proposal to go
| back to the absolute government of the
TudOrs or to abandon Magma Charta.
But a new generation has come since
then, and it is not surprising that some
of these, discovering that, in spite of
commercial freedom, there are still
such things as poverty and suffering,
should ascribe commercial freedom as
their cause. The very uniyersality of
the acceptance of free trade as a settled
policy of the empire silenced discussion
for many years, and in the absence of
discussion the young grew up in ignOr-
ance of the merits of a controversy
practically closed nearly 40 years ago.
1t is to this class that the protective
tariff in the speciOus form of fair
trade" has addressed itself in England
during the last few months.
Fair trade" is simply contention
that a policy intrinsically bad and in
furious in itself, becomes useful and
helpful when aimed as reprisal against
other nations which adopt it, The first
serious consideration of it by the lead
ers of the government effectually expo
ses its inherent weakness. Mr.. Glad
stones speech at Leeds will be followed
by an OminOus silence on the part of the
fair trade" advocates. He did not go
so deeply into the statistics of the sub
ject as he might either, but the princi-
pal facts he mentioned were of tremen-
dOus force, and he was hardly guilty Of
nv finT hnV lA aniI hot Il
though there had been a slight reaction
the TeactiOnists might as well attempt
to overthrow trial by jury as to re-estab-
lish protective duties in England. That
will be true at least while other count
ries competent to compete with Eng
land, handicap themselves with tariff,
and thus secure to Great Britain the
overwhelming supremacy in the worlds
commerce she has gained by her free
dom Of trade. The whole export of this
country to Asia, Africa and Australia, is
less than $24,OOO,OOO per annum; that of
England is $685., 100000. Compared with
Germany and America, the two leading
protective countries of the world, Eng
land has, after a fair trial of the two
policies, man for man, three times the
trade of either.
A consideration of the details of this
growth is humiliating to Americans,
who see their country throwing away,
for the benefit of few mOnOpOlists, the
weapon with which we could dispute
and rival it. Poverty, pauperism and
crime go together, and are fair indices of
each other. In 1910 the number
of persons in Great Britain convicted of
various Offenses was 2S,9O5; in 1873, it
was 1908, adecrease of Il, 1867, although
in the meantime the population has in
creased by 100000. Since 1849 the
paupers of great Britain decreased by
1898. Since 1850 the wages of agri-
cultural labOrers increased over 81 per
cent. The taxed income increased
from e251, 900 to e535, ,709,OOO in
1875, although the latter year was one
of the worst of the panic period. The
savings deposits increased from 1920
per capita in 1910 to 5000 per capita
in 1878. But perhaps, nothing so
strongly illustrates and demonstrates
the increased prosperity of the masses
of the people of Great Britain since the
adoption of free trade, as the increase
in the average consumption of food
shown by the following table:
1S40. 1873
Bacon and hams. .....,,,, 126
Butter .... LOS 5.12
Cheese ............. .92 6.37
| Wheat fOur so 27 1S3 %