The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-01-23


ducts ere more varied more numerous. and of
more valuable character than those OF ali Eu
rope To.quote one or 1lf. Gladstone's phrases
we constitute mot so much a country in our
selves as a world" n tells US that we carry
on .'the business of domestic exchanges on
scale such as mankind has never seem Our
foreign commerce. very large III itself, is only
as one TO twenty-five compared 70 our internal
trade And yet Mr. Gladstone thinks that
policy Which is essential to an island in the
northern ocean should be adopted as the policy
of a country whiche even to his own vision Is "a
world within ITSELF
With these fundamental points of difference
between the two countries, assume that varied
financial ana industrial systems, wrought by
the experience of each, would be the natural
and logical result. Hence donot join the issue
with Elr. Gladstone on both of his propositions
He defends I7ree-Trade in Great Britain. He
assaiis Protection in the United States. The
first proposition neither deny nor affirm We're
Ito assume that Protection is in all countries
and under all circumstances the wisest policy,
should be guilty of an error similar to that
which think Mr. Gladstone commits. 1t might
be difTicult to prove that Freelrfade is not the
wisest financial policy for Great Britain. SO far
from Guarding herself against pateriaIimported
from other countries, her industrial system
would wither and ole II foreign products were
WITHHELD for even q brief period. She is in an es-
pecial degree dependent upon the product OF
other nations. Moreover, She does not feel
bound to pay heed to the rate OF wages which
her labor may receive. That, like the fabrics
which her labor creates, must take its chance i'll
the markets Of the world.
On many Points and in many respects it was
far different with Great Britain a hundred years
ago size did not then feel assured that she
rf 4,
tions. She Vas therefore, aggressiyely, even
cruelty, protective. She manufactured for her
self ana for her net work of colonies reaching
aror1,id the globe INTO those colonies nc other
nation could carry anything. There was no
scale OF DUTY upon which other nations could
enter colonial port. Whatthe colonies needed
outside of British products could be furnishe
to them only in British ships This was not Pro-
lection! 1t was prohibition, absolute and re
Inorseless, an:i it was continued even to the day
when Mr. Gladstone entered upon his long and
splendid career in Parliament. 1t was not
broken though in some respects it was relaxed,
until III the fulness of time British energy had
carried the wealth and the skin of the kingdom
to the point where no competition could be
feared
During the last thirty years OF her Protective
ystenl, and especially during the twenty years
from 1926 to 1916, Great Britain increased Ter
o,a al meir 49, - tne rorl ITer ON
n,a,+ Of etns,7,-nT,ya,. ,ave 10 every B,itisb
+l,o .,,s oe f,,a,.eus a,a the invan-
tive noy-er Of he. mechanics increased- the
auount. tI,e variety and the value OF her fabrics
ba1ond all anticipation. Every wear of that
neriod witnessed the addition Of millions upon
,ii4ioY,s Of sterlin To fine reserve canital of the
- .o oot,o acs,Arr Tbosa ar.rregate
,,c.gar va alraadv the wonder Of the world