Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-22
rBY CABLE TO THE prsPArcH.1

the majority of Tories and all Liberal
Unionists and British Liberals are free
traders to the backbone.
Guessing at salisbury's Motive.
What then could have been the Prime
Minister'S object in placating an insigni6-
cant minority at the expense of an over.
whelming majority? The question is in
every mans mouth to-day, and the only
answer that cannot be dismissed as utterly
absurd is that Lord Salisbury was speaking
as a minister for foreign affairs, just de-
feated in an effort to negotiate com
mercial treaty with Spain, and
that he hoped to frighten the Spaniards
into reason by holding up a bogie of pro-
lection. 1t is gravely suggested to-day that
the speech will gain the Government the
coming general election, but tho few work.
men who are protectionists already vote the
Tory ticket, and there is absolutely no
margin for gain in this direction to set
against the certain loss of Liberal Unionist
votes.
That the speech will estrange a good
many Unionists of the rank and file is be-
yond reasonable doubt, but it is not likely,
as the Unionist London Chronicle suggests,
that it will dissolve the Tory Unionist alli-
ance, which stood equally severe strains in
the past Joseph Chamberlain and Union
lists of his stamp have not deserted the Gov
ernment, and dare not upon the eve of dis.
solution of Parliament, because their politi-
cal lives depend upon the votes of their
Tory allies, but should Lord Salisbury com.
init an economic indiccretion" after Mr..
Gladstone's return to power it might be
utiIized as an excuse for the return of the
.tna-aJ ,Laar ~ the ortbodo, foId sbon1d
.L yond T oId sb.nbord core r. 80 ,ban,
the grano oio shePnefo care 70 Jake Inen
back.
PARTY Le.ders Adyise a Backdovn-
Meanwhile reports are arriving at Tory
anu MugNump neauquaiters Wy eYe1y man
of the Prime Minister'S speech, and the
party managers are urging the advisable
ness of climb down. Lord Salisbury is to
deliver another speech at Tory meeting in
ST. James Hall next week, and it is sug-
gested that the occasion would afford him
an admirable opportunity for exp lining
that he did not mean that which he said at
Hastings.
With the use of little of that impudence
of which Lord Salisbury has large stock,
and which before now has been described
not inaptly as brazen effrontery, he could
put the blame on the stenographers who re-
ported him, or on acoustic failings of the
hall in which he spoke, or on both. Or he
could declare that he was joking at Hast
pressed at Derby December 10, 1887, upon
which occasion he declared for free trade,
and sarcastically dismissed fair trade with
these words:
Jbave listened to and read carefn,,r vbot
has been said about fair trade and free
trade, and I have observed this, that in
respect to many points they are agre ed and
tb upon naIy poimos ,ron oney arI uue upon
they are NOT aqreed. and mon those noints
upon which they are agreed they are not
precise.
Another Job for HI. I,ord.b,n
-. -,
line tnlng Is q9lte Ieaslpie, ana really,
IL is urged, Hls LofoshP ougnt 70 make an
effort. LORD SALISBURY might also, while
ne is aoout ~, explain tnat ne never really
meant TO incite civil war with Ireland, and
IL ~ouio 40 no harm ne should
REMIND orange swashpucklers who,
to taIi of 6pbtinp Duhl;n
Parliament, that Catholics are 46 per cent of
the entire population OF Ulster, that they
comprise 55 per cent OF the population out
side the Parliamentary borough of Belfast,
and that apart from the two counties of
Down and Antrim, which constitute no
more than Iourtn OF tne area OF .ne prov
ince, Catholics are 81. 4 per cent of the pop
ulation of Ulster. These striking figures
are taken from the Census Commissioners
returns for last year, and whatever they
do in the United States, census returns in
this country do not lie.
The fact remains that for some time trade
has been going down with respect to nearly
every article of British manufacture for e1-
port, but most of all with regard to iron
and steel hardware and cutlery. For the
first four months of this year hardware and
cutlery show a drop Of e159, 1863 on 1890.
The United States have taken e45, 900 less,
Germany and France each e6, 600 less, the
Argentine Republic sS2, 900 less. In iron
and steel there is drop OF quite 93, ,00O. 900.
OF steel have dropped eS7, 1000,
and railroad iron FL, 400, 900. Exports are
Just the same as they, were in 1883, though
the imports of foreign goods are much
higher, and there are 1000, 600 more pairs of
hands seeking work.