Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-05-31
GrNPOmDER AYp r4xAs.
Are These tile Alternative TO the calico
Milisnuium?"

no easier way Of proving that you are a
live economic dog than by swapping at
that dead economic lion. Things may
not be going on very well with the new
political economy, but anyhow the Man
chester school is dead and buried, and
that is great comfort and always serves
to fill a gap in the argument. Especially
in the matter Of foreign ACKNOWLEDGMENT
have the views of the Manchester school,
according to Mr.. .Lecky, turned out
ridiculous. Their calico millennium"
has no, arrived Their dreams of inter-
national peace and general disarmament
have proved to be Aarcadian in their
sweet simplicity
Now, the much-abused Manchester
school may be dead, though, as the
lrlshman said, it is not itself conscious
CT it, and its system OF economy and
theories of International conduct thor
oughly discrclited; but that will not
siitie inquiries as 10 what we have got
in place of il and what kind OF mill
lcnnium We are enjoying in place Of
the calico one. For it must not be for
gotten that Golden and Bright did not
| tie themselves up TO barren doctrine
OF nOu-iuterference with trade. They
were instant and tireless ia carrying
| that doctrine out to its logical conclu-
sons ia the abolition of war and OF
| preparations for war, and in the promo
! ton of international good will. Golden
was no closet philosopher; he was a
| puOlicist who knew the glve.and.take
OF debate in Parliament, and who was
! intrusted with delicate international
negotiations which he brought to sue.
/ cesstul issue. He was a pioneer in the
/ cause of International arbitration, and
| his motions in favor of general digarma-
ment were pressed as heartily as those
| for the repeal Of the corn laws. As was
/ said of hun at his death by the French
minister Of foreign affairs, he was "the
| representative Of those sentiments and
those cosmopolitan principles before
which national frontiers and rivalries
disappear"
His hopes have been frustrated and his
! theories rejected, but what have we got
| in their place? We have, in the first
| place Europe an armed camp. We see
France and Italy on the verge Of bank.
rnptcy through spending enormous sums
on tue so'called peace footing" OF
their armies, thereby burdening their
taxpayers more terribly in time OF peace
than would have been deemed possible
IN time of war 30 year. ago. We see
France, beaten In horrible war, not at
all convinced thereby OF its folly, but
straining every nerve to be better read y
for tine next one. Across the RAine We
see Germany, at the head Of European
learning and science, dragged at the
heels OF halfCrazy captain.emperor,
Who takes more and more of her treas.
ure and life for his military OK perimcnts.
Even England, saved only Ey her in.
sular position from the need of going Ia
with the rest of them for great stand
ing army, is periodically frightened into
enormous outlay, with its incident Of
crushing taxation, for new ships aud
guns. This is not calico millennium
sure enough; but is it a millennium OF
any kindG The Manchester school Ii
certainly not responsible for ii, but what
school is? What school except the
satanic can take delight in it or be proud
OF il?
Nor is the spectacle of internationa
commercial war any more exhilaratine
or ennobling. The time and talent Of
legislators in Europe and this country
have been absorbed TO an appalling ex,
tent in questions of ciEcumveuting and
wounding each other by ingenious tariff
taxes on each others products Now il
is fight between France and Italy ovei
wines and olive oil and silk, which
brings the two countries 10 the verge Of
war, throws thousands of people Of
either nationality out of work and int
misery, and finally ends, after vast losses
in confession on both sides that The
whole thing was piece of stupendou!
folly. But nobody takes the lesson t
heart, and France is straightway by the
ears with Switzerland and Spain over
Just such another lot Of beggarly mat
tiers, and tho voice of Harvard culture i:
loud in the United States Senate for 1
commercial war with England. Carlyl,
would never have called this a calico
millennium, but what contemntuou.
phrase would he have found for it if h
had lived to witness itI No wonder tina
Mt. Gladstone, in his recent letter to the
Paris Society of Political Economy
should say:
1T is for me cause of sincere grie
to look back and measure the grounl
which has been lost during the past q
or 30 years, not only on the continent o
Europe but also among the most numer
Gus section of what is generally calico
the Anglo-Saxon slce. | regret no
only tie material losses which havt
grown out Of the system of protection
but reflect also on .he power of liberty
Of commerce TO develop that good viii
and that friendship which we ougn
ardently to desire to see triumphant il
the different nations Of the world"
The prOtectiOnists and the historical
and socialistic philosophers agree witt
Mr., Gladstone in considering the situa
ton depressing, but they fatuously lay
the blame upon him and the Manchester
school. Here you have had domi
nant political economy of that kind foI
. 40 years" they say, "and see what yol
have got as u result" For purposes 81
recrimlnatiun, the Manchester school /,
not dead. Its q Twice was not taken, bu
It is responsible for the consequence.
Just the same. But, at any rate, if it.
advice has been spurned by our new
lights, its prophecies have been fulfilled
by them. 1t distinctly foretold jus
, such millennium Of gunpowder and
: taxes as We are now enjoying, in case
the world went on in the old paths u
| international jealousy and hatred, Sc
, that it has forced the very wrath of it!
enemies TO praise its sa1acity. 1t neve
set out to regenerate the world uifhapt
+ or Of Itself; it simply said, "Act OF
these principles, and you will get you
calico miliennium; act on others, ant
you will get the other thing" We hav
got the other thing