Griggs courier., 1893-10-13
EDITORIAL NOTES.
And Other Matters of Interest
to the Readers of the
Courier.
Including Clippings From Our
Exchanges and Miscellane-
Gus Matters.
AN ENGLISH VIEW

AN ENGLISH VIEW.
Walter Bagehot says in the Con
temporary Review for July 1880:
"Out of England free trade is almost
everywhere unpopular" and ne
might have added that in England it
Is not universally popular. England
has her "fair traders" as we'll as
''free traders" who believe in plac-
Ing heavy duties on imported arti-
cles Gin order to induce or force
other nations to receive our ENG
9ish) imports free of duty, as we re-
csive theirs free Of duty"
There must be reason for the
unpopularity Of free trade "almost
everywhere outside of England.
The reasons for free trade in Eng
land are not far to seek-English
Writers themselves are tree in their
expression of them.
When the "system of fiscal free
dom" was adopted by England her
manufactures and trades were prop
erly established, she required pro-
section to set them going, but only
Tree trade to stimulate their product
sveness. We went in for free trade
and we kept to it, because we sci
f1shly thought it would be of the
greatest advantage to the trade of
England that the exchange of her
products against those of other ma
tions should be, as far as possible,
expanded. We believed, and 1 still
hope believe, that system of free
trade would best bring about the ex-
pansion, and enable US preitably to
increase our productions, to compete
with the foreign manufacturers, and
Hood his market with our goods.
Our first, second, and third thoughts
were for ourselves" "The foreign
manufacturer, on the other hand, did
not quite see the matter in the same
light. He was painfully aware that
English goods were being imported
In million OF yards and tons, and that
he was being beaten even in his own
market. He called for and received
protection. We cannot justly com
plain Of the foreigner for adopting a
system which he considered best for
himself; and, certainly, we cannot
fairly call him selfish if he avails
himself to the fullest extent of any
advantages he may consider he OBJ
sains from our system of free trade;
he would be fool if he didn't"
'"Our foreign and colonial trade
depends on our powers of competi-
:ion in hostile, and, especially, in
neutral markets; and any increase in
The cost of production, any self
thrown stumbling blocks in the way
'ofour trade, would by so much
diminish our powers of competition
and decrease the volume of our
trade. The fact is too much put
aside or forgotten that we stand in a
very different position from any
other nation in the matter of foreign
trade. Not only do we engross fifty
two per cent of the whole carrying
trade of the world; but we, with our
population of thirty-fve millions,
have an annual foreign trade ofnear-
~ 7ee millions. We see, therefore,
that our foreign trade is of much
more relative importance to us than
the foreign trade of any other nation
is to her."
"Other nations were in different
position, and believed that the best
means of enabling their Traders and
manufactures to obtain fair start
and prevent their markets from be-
Ing flooded with our goods, was to
protect and foster them. Their
policy has been thus far So successful
that they can now produce articles
which they used to have to buy