The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1889-11-29

| n. 0. states.
i On frequent occasions recently j
has been reported from Europe, ant
through many different and indepen
dent channels, that there is likely tc
take place at no distant date an ex
tensiVe REIMBURSEMENT of tariffs, in the
direction of freer, If not of free trade
The gist of those often-Tepeated Fu
mors is thus crystalizsd by the well
posted London correspondent of tht
! New York Times
Just now there is apparent through,
out Europe considerable mental
movement in favor of free trade. ]
dare say, If really traced to it's origin
it would be found to be one of the
countless remote effects of the Paris
exposition, though, drUlly enough, the
new French Chamber is expected to
be more protectionist than ever. But
elsewhere there is a visfbly growing
feeling against tariffs.
KaInoky's visit to Bismarck has for
its chief object the consideration of a
plan by which Germany, Austria,
Italy, Roumania, Bulgaria, and pos
sibly Holland, Belgium, Turkey
and Greece, enter a big Zolverein
with merely nominal differential duties
replacing the high tariff walls which
now divide of these various countries.
Some time during the winter scheme
will be brought to light for the eslao
lishment of what is practically free
trade between the countries named,
OF the bulk of them. Such com
blnaron, stretching IN a solid block
from the Baltic to the Black Sea,
would mark a vital era in the eco
nomicaI history of the century.
Little Denmark would almost seem
to have been warned of what was
coming, for yesterday the Premier
introduced a bill in the Rigsdag aboI-
fishing duties on raw iron, coal, coffee,
rice, tea, salt and train oil.
This proposal in the Danish parIIa-
ment to free certain articles of uni
versa use from taxation 'ly, is by
far the most important move that has
yet been made in Continental Europe
towards free trade and as the pro
posal has been made by Premier
Estrupp, who has hitherto been OPP
posed TO removing any of the exist
ing commercial restrictions, there ap-
pears to be very little doubt but that
the ministerial bill will become law.
This will be great point gained in
itself, even were the formation of
custOms.union, intended to embrace
the greater part of Europe, as out
lined IN the extract given above, not
to materialize as expected during the
winter. 1t may be taken for certain,
whatever the upshot of these several
projects may be, that there is a ten
dency in Europe towards the liberia
ton of international commerce from
the unnecessary and unreasonable
manacIes by which it is crippled in
its natural flow.
This economic evolution in Eu-
ropean countries, which has hitherto
maintained varying systems of pro-
lection against all imported goods
save the raw materials OF manufacture,
will be watched with no small amount
of interest in this country as else
where. Coming events, as it has been
said, cast their shadows before and
there Is every probability that now Is
sounded the premonitory knelI of
those high Tariffs by which govern
ments have attempted to reverse the
laws of political economy, without
damage to ANYTHING but to the pockets
of the unfortunate people whose
necessarles of life they have unduly
taxed.