The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-06-01
PROTECTION IN ENGLAND.

The full text of Lord Salisbury's Hast
ings speech enables the reader to COM
prehend fully the train of thought
which led the leader of the Tory party
to declare that the doctrine of free
trade had been carried two far. The
extracts previously published did rot
show whether he considered free trade
an absolute failure, and inherently
wrong, or whether he considered it the
ideal theory and simply inexpedient un-
der present conditions. In the light of
his full speech it becomes plain that the
latter is his view. In the commercial
warfare, as he calls it, which is now
going on he is looking for weapons
with which England may protect her.
self, and in finding them he confesses
that they are no other than
the methods Of American protection.
1t is true he errs seriously in asserting
that international commerce is kind of
" commercial warfare" The old
thought of the English merchant seems
to be still lodged in his brain. He can
not broaden his view beyond the idea
that England must manufacture for the
world and that therefore she must have
free access to and control over all the
worlds markets, any act on the part of
other nations to debar England from
this high position seems to him to be an
act of warfare. Whenever a nation at
tempts to become self supporting and
self sufficient, instead of resting con-
tentedly dependent upon England, that
nation becomes an enemy of England.
He can not understand from his point of
view that the other nation is simply APP
plying the principle of self preservation:
that if it is question of whether it shall
be mt war with its own interests or at
war with the interests of England.
Progressive nations without exception
have preferred the latter, but they are
not entering upon a commercial war
fare, they are simply following out the
primary instincts Of life in maintaining
a policy of commercial self-preservation.
When Lord Salisbury looks beyond the
selfish interests of England alone he
will be protectionist, not because it is
expedient, but because it is progressive
and right.
This speech of his, however, is not the
expression of an off-hand opinion. IL is
the well-developed thought of one of the
foremost statesmen of the time, and
whatever may he the method or the
premises of his argument, the fact still
remains that the protective principle in
It's most perfect state has never been
more tersely described and ad-
vocated than in this same speech |
Of Lord Salisbury: "They free |
traders) say everything must be
given 10 the consumer" he declares i'm |
a passage already quoted by the NEws.
If the consumer is tho man who main |
iains the industries of the country, or il |
Lhe consumer is the people at large,
quite agree with them. Y III cannot raise
Ihe price of food. You cannot raise the
price of raw material; but there is an
mass of other importations.
which are mere matters of luxurious
and if il be question
Of wine, or silk, or spirits, or gloves, or
lace or anything of that kind, | should
not shrink from diminishing the con-
and interfering with the cx-
cellent people who consume these articles
of luxury. am bound TO say that we |
must distinguish between consumer and |
consumer, and that, while iealously pre-.
serving the rights VI the consumer who |