The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-14
FROM THE OTHER SIDE.

In correspondence from England ana olHer-
wise, the Journal has noted, from time to time,
the strength of what is known in Great Britain
as the Fair Trade movement. It is a protest
against the Golden Bright Manchester free
trade idea. The movement is supported very
largely by the present Conservative party, for
which reason Lord Salisbury has the almost
united support of manufacturers and 'men
in trade" Lord Randolph Churchill, Chan
cellor of the Exchequer in salisbury's original
Cabinet was an avowed protectionist and
,Iair Trade is being pushed vigorously, and by
strong and influential organization. The
Boston Journal reviews recent meeting held
in London, called t'to protest against the ruin
Of British industries through unre-
stricted foreign competition" 1t was
attended by many members of Parlia-
ment, and ny representative manufacturers,
merchants and workingmen. The chairman,
Mr.. Howard Vincent III. P, pointed to Amer
lea as striking illustration of the soundness
of the protection idea By the protection Of
their industries he said, magnificent sur
pluses had been accumulated by the Ameri
can people, and if we follow in the same steps
similar results would follow" The increas-
ing and unrestricted foreign competition had
far more than undone all the benefits which
the free trade policy had brought about, and
the results of that policy were in the wide
spread poverty of the present day. Mr..
Vincent called attention to the recent
distressful scenes in Trafalgar square
the result of industrial prostration,
largely resulting from the inimical policy
Of free trade. Lord Penzance, in letter adj
dressed to the meeting wrote: ''When it is
added that the United States and Germany,
whose fiscal system is most opposed to
own. are precisely the nations which are -four
fishing above all Others it is difficult to be
satisfied with things as they are" The Duke
of Portland, in brief speech, pertinently OBJ
served that whereas free-trade England was
too poor to keep its army and navy in proper
state, protectionist America had SURPRISES so
large that she hardly knew what to do with
them" He urged manufacturers to unite
with agriculturists in the great battle which
next general election. Mr.. John Cunning
ham, of Glasgow, asked if America, in
the excess of her prosperity, was embarking
on free trade policy, "why should not this
country, in its depression, adopt policy of
moderate duties2" He believed that if Amer
lea nominally reduced her import duties
means would be taken to make the apparent
concessions nugatory. America would never
admit our goods, and we should have to force
our way into her markets.
The meeting took significant action in the
adoption of the following resolution, which
was moved by Mr.. Pettifer, secretary of the
Workingmen's Association for the Defense of
British Industries:
s.That this meeting, realizing that the in
creasing want of employment among those
whose daily bread depends on their labor must
ultimately result In danger to the peace and
we'll being of the nation, counsels the adop-
ton of moderate duties all imported goods
which compete with our home industries and
labor, in order that British capital may be
invested in the cultivation of our own soil and
in the working of our own mills and factories
without which amount of buying and SELL
ing the productions of other lands can really
couuuce TO LIE prosperity OIL our people
Mr.. Pettifer made strong speech in sup
port of his resolution, in which he said that
in free-trade England accumulated wealth
amounted to e. los head whereas in pro-
tectionist America it was so, and in the lit
tie State of Massachusetts f22 head In
view of the reaction against free trade in
England it will strike American readers
strangely that party in this country should
be committed to the policy of taking up old
clothes about to be cast off by the British
Philistiues. Why should we DE asked to
abandon system which has made our ma
terial development the marvel and the envy
OF the nations, and to adopt policy which,
in England has resulted in loss and wide
spread industrial distress?
CHAIRMAN MILLS says the ways and means