Arizona weekly citizen., 1896-09-05
FREE TRADE AFTER FIFTY
YEARS.

! Both at home and abroad the tiftieth
anniversary OF the repeal OF the corn
! lave, which is to be celebrated toward
the end of this month, is exciting good
| deal of controversy, says the Saturday
Review. In England neither party is
quite sure about what it should say on
the subject; they have both practically
abandoned the old lslsser faire attitude,
aud are inclined to nibble ct protection
| in small things But their leaders are
| afraid to admit it in so many words, al
| though on the back benches OF the gov
ernment side a very distinct protection
ist group is forming itself. 1t has no
definite policy, bot it is full OF blind
wrath at the steadily spproachlDg ruin
OF the agricultural interest" and tries
in vain to discover some means OF re-
viviDg corn growing without alternating
the town workman, who is said to be
growing good tory, but who will not
hear Of the "desr loaf" The problem is
difficult one; but it is, from the politi-
cal point of view, worth making an at
tempt to solve il, for the man who dis
covers a means of uniting the rural and
the Industrial protectionist will find an
enormously strong party at his back
with demands to which neither radical
nor tory can turn deaf ear. Trade
uDionisn, as Golden saw, is in its
essence rigid!y protective, and there are
marked symptoms. both In the iron and
in the coal industries, OF feeling with |
regard to German and Belgian competi- |
tion very similar to that existing among |
the farmers and their advocates. Ii this |
should develop, and if the two armies of |
discomfort should join hands, the |!
Golden Club will have to pull itself to-
gether and face fight much bigger than
that Of fifty years ago.
If the prospects OF free trade at home |
are not particularly bright. the situation
abroad is such as would have driven
Golden to despair. The system of rigid
protection which was established IN
Germany by Prince Bismark in 1879.
1887, and which was somewhat relaxed
under Count Caprivi, is now more ex-
elusive and aggressive than ever. The
strongest protectionist in France has
just been made prime minister, while in
the United States the triumph of Mr..
Mckinley seems assured. Even Mr..
Courtney. when he comes to address the
Cobdsn Club at its ju ubiles dinner, will
not deny that free trade is forlorn
hope over three-fourths of the world.
Golden was the sublime type of what
the continental democrat loathes most
of ell-the bourgeois" He was against
trade unionism, against factory legisls-
tion against everything that the work.
ingman swesrs by, except, of course,
the 'cheap Loaf" and that he and his
friends advocated most of all because
they thought it meant cheap labor.
Golden was hated and his meetings
broken up by the real democrats Of the
time-the Chartlsts-snd he swells with
glory in describing his meetings, com
posed of earnest, energetic men OF the
class" The fact is, of
course, that great deal OF Cobden's
work consisted in forcing an open door.
Peel was at heart like Pitt, free trader,
Ind he only awaited his opportunity,
which came with the agricultural crisis
Of ls45, and "the rain that rained away
the corn lsws" The question was not
settled by the legislation OF fifty years
Rgo. and Rs we have hinted, it may come
up for reconsideration sooner than most
people think.