The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-10-01
BRITISH FgoTECTIosfsM AND THE
DELT0Ep DEMOCRACY.



nonic Patscy OF England.
We usually sm.ie when we hear OF the
good will Of the Eag.isA government or
people Eoxsrds foreign nations We have
learned Dy experiences that i. signifies a
transfer Of foreign wealth 70 British Golfers.
The history Of the world daring the nine-
teen;h century is fur Of illustrations Of
this fact Bat there are still some persons
whose submission 20 the decrerit dogn
Of free trade SO far closures their VISION
that they cannot recoSrrs any truths
which coniroYers their economic faith
Teey continue 20 believe in England 5 IN
cerity and Observation-Disclosures when ste
urges upon foreign nations the advantages
o. Tree trade. and when she appeals TO her
own prosperity Tor evidence Of these ad-
vaniages. They fail 10 observe that Eng
land - careful To urge only one form Of
free trade. that form which would ouea
the ports OF other nations TO her COM
rnerce. and which would reserve 20 Eng
land the monopoly Of manufactures. They
do not see that while insisting upon free
foreign markets. she practices st home the
most ultra and obnoxious forms Of rrosec-
ton to enable her merchants and manu-
faesurers 10 profit by the sucesss Of her
so-eailed liberal foreign policy.
Having by the fortaitous conditions of
her iron and coal deposits. her facilities
for commerce, her precedence in the in
ventIon anu adaptation of machinery TO
suPplsnt msn-power by steani~power.
advanced far beyond other nations ia the
processes of manufacture, she conceived
the idea at the beginning of the nineteenth
century that she might monopolize the
worlds manufactures and eoufine other
nations 10 the production OF raw mate.
rails. To this end her various mechanical.
manufacturing and commercial pursuits
were rigidly protected By tariffs and navi-
CATION laws until her land was turreted
with smoking ehimneys and her ships
were traversing every sea. Nearly fifty
years OF unexampled prosperity ensued.
During this period were achieved the
fortunes of the great commoners of the
realm. the Peeis and the Brights-whose
names have not yet ceased 10 be familiar
and the foundations OF British financial SUI
premacy were laid. Before the mid
die OF the century was reached excessive
prosperity had stimulated excessive pro-
ductlon. and the markets OF the world
which EDgland aimed TO monopoIixe were
curtaiied by the protective policy
and invaded by the protected industries
of other nations. Shrewdiy discerning
that the only way to countervail COMPETE
ton from foreign rivals and maintain her
own supremacy in manufactures, and
thereby her supremacy in trade. was by
removing every obstacle TO cheaper pro-
duction. England completely reversed her
economic policy. The successful struggle
of her manufacturing ami commercial III
terests in the fifth decade OF the century
for the repeal of the corn laws involved
the ruin Of her agriculture, and, by in
creasing her imports of food products.
augmented the profits of her COM
merce. The number of persons engaged
in agriculture declined from 40 per cent in
1850 to about 10 per cent OF the population
In 1890, and as Muihali says ''the farmers
margin is only half what it was in the
earlier year. OF the present reign" Mean
while British tonnage had doubled and
the carrying power of her ships had in
creased fourfold. In pursuance of the
same policy import duties on raw materials
we're removed and laws enacted for reliev-