The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-04-02
MUTINY IN BOLIVIA.

received here that a mutiny has broken
out in the army in Bolivia, several per
SONS having been killed and wounded
The outbreak has been attended with
great excitement. 1t is now thought pos
! on account of the mutiny, as it is feared
that some one will be imposed on the
country by force of arms
The minister for Bolivia has made de-
mand that the claims of his government
on Peru be arranged.
Mr.. Chamberlain then reviewed the
growth of the feeling for the imperial
| federation, and said although experience
has shown that the final realization of
our hopes of federation is a matter of
such vast magnitude and great compli-
cation that it can not be undertaken at
the present time, it does not follow on
that account that we should give up our
| aspirations. The greatest obligation is
| the imperial defense; the greatest inter
est is the imperial trade. The former
must be reached through the latter. as
was the case in the creation of the Ger
man empire. At first the reichstag was
convened to deal with the commercial
interests of the States Gradually it en-
braced national and political objects and
became the bond of unity and the basis
of the empire.
Remarking that il was natural that
Canada should take the initiative. Mr..
Chamberlain cited the resolution of the
Ottawa conference in favor of customs
arrangements between Great Britain
foresaw very serious dislocaton of
and the colonies, and also Mr. McNeill's
resolution in the Canadian legislature
on Tuesday in favor of an ad valorem
duty on foreign imports. Although he
trade with England if such a proposal
became effective, Mr.. Chamberlain as
serted that the proposal merited re-
spectful consideration.
This proposal Mr.. Chamberlain pro-
ceeded, would involve at least small
duty on food and raw material and
would thus increase the cost of living
and the pressure on the working classes.
1t would also tend to increase the cost
of production and would thereby preju-
dice us in competing with foreign cOun
tries on neutral markets. 1t is useless
for us TO shut our eyes to these facts. |
In return we should get a very small
consideration in the shape of prefer
ence, maybe 2 per cent, and perhaps |
even per cent in competing with for
eign manufacturers in the colonial |
markets. This is very startling pro-
posal for a free trading country and
seems in its present form impossible for |
us to adopt. / am a pronounced free |
trader, but at the same time, | am not |
so pedantic that, if sufficient advantage |
were considered, | would refuse to con-
slider n deviation from the strict dogma. |
But so far no sufficient quid pro quo has |
been offered to induce England to take |
certain losses and the possible risk in |
vOlved in revising altoghether her pres |
ent commercial policy. The preference |
would be smaller in the case of British |
goods imported into the colonies than in |
that of colonial goods imported into |
tant that our foreign trade is so gigantic |
in proportion to the foreign trade of the |
colonies that the burden of taxation |
would fall with much greater weight |
upon the united kingdom than upon the !
colonies.
Mr.. Chamberlain then proceeded to in
vite the colonies to continue their efforts
and he expressed the opinion that the
Marquis of Ripon's dispatch to the gov
ernor of the colonies on this subject, IN
1895, had not closed the doors to more
favorable proposals which might be adj
vanced in the future and he called par
ticular attention to Lord Ripons state
ment that an arrangement creating
custom union comprising the whole EN-
pire, by which the aggregate customs
revenue might be equitably prOportioned
among the principal communities, would |
in principle be free from objection.
Mr.. Chamberlain regarded this as an |
alternative and not as it was generally |
regarded, an impossible alternative.
Its advantages to the colonies would |
be so enormous. he continued, that it |
appears to me that the colonies them
selves will be bound to give such sug-
gestion there careful consideration.
Apologzing for speaking on the sub
ject at length, Mr.. Chamberlain added
that he spoke for himself alone, but that
the subject was so important that he de-
sired to provoke a discussion, above all
in the colonies.
The speech was listened to with the
greatest attention and his various points
were cheered with enthusiasm.