New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-20
ENGLISH ECONOMICS.

LORD RosEBERY AT THE CRADLE OF
FREE TRADE-A THRUST AT Mr.
CHAMBERLAIN-MR. COURTNEY
AND THE STANDARDS.
London. November 3.
y,ra Roseherv WAS not at his best In his free
trade grafton at Manchester. The beiateo CEN
tennial celebration Of the establishment of the
Chamber Of Commerce OF the spinning Hetropo-
lis was an occasion which imposed restraint
unon the genial pleasantly Of his political
oratory He could not be humorous in his his
+or,cal retrosnect Of the rise Of the Anti-Corn-
Law League and Of tire commercial progress OF
rrv,ard under free trade and until the last mo-
ment the obligation to avoid controVersiei SUD
,ecfs depriyed his speech Of vivacty. which is
nj. most conspicuous characteristic as an orator.
Indeed his grafton would have been densely duii
q he had not succeeded toward the close IN IN
Producing controversial matter and condemnins
Mr. Chanberlain's recent proposals for an I'M
perial ZoIlverein.
The one incident In the century OF the Cham-
Der of Commerce which Lord Rosebery consid-
cred historically important was the use mace OF
Il by Mr. Golden as lever Tor the aooh''oh "a
the Corn Laws. The league had been tormeo oS
s.ven men IN q small room over stable IN
hotel yard Within two months Mr.. Cooden
whipped the governing body into compliance
with his views and forced the Chamber OF COM
merce to pass petition for the repeal OF
duties upon imported food. This action Loro
Rosebery extolled as rejecting lustre on that
Chamber. aud he repeated Mr.. Cooden's preolc-
t,on that Manchester would be Identified by his
torians as the birthplace and the centre or the
greatest moral movement since the invention OF
Teru
origin Of Christian faith or as Mecca is In the
ewes Of Mahometans Mr.. Cobden's estimate OF
the moral force Of the movement was extrava-
CANT. but In one respect he did not err. Map
chester has become famous as the Cradle OF
Free Trade So many Of his predictions respect
ing the abolition Of standing armies. the era OF
universal peace and the acceptance OF free trade
principles throughout the world have been falsi-
fad that II is only Just to credit him with at
least one accurate forecast.
Manchester certainly needs to be reminded Of
Its chief title to fame as the stronghold OF COD
denisn for in its recent history 1t has departed
from its principles. Golden used to deciaim
AGAINST Industries which were dependent upon
Government aid. and contended that every COM
munity and nation should be content to make
its cheapest products and to seek industrial oc-
equations for which 1t possessed peculiar facili-
ties or advantages, leaving to other countries
and localities those Industries in which II could
not hopc to compete on favorable terms. Man
chester was not satisfied with its unrivalled po-
sition as q centre Of cotton manufacturing. but
has sought by the construction OF a costly ship
canal to become a great port as we'll, and TO
take away from Liverpool and other coast towns
a business for which they had superior facilities
It's shipping trade is now fostered and protected
"a fha I'm a
debt has been saddled upon the municipality by
the construction and maintenance Of ship
canal which can never be converted into profit
able enterprise IT is a protected industry In the
birthplace Of free trade.
STALE PIATITUDEs REVIVED.
Lord Rosebery did not refer to this anomaly in
his address at the Free Trade Hall. nor did ne
lay any stress on tho insular narrowness OF
the original Manchester creed, which inspired
its infatuated votaries with their timorous
English gospel Of peace at any price and Austen
ton from European affairs He paid sympathetic
tributes to Golden. Bright Peel and Villiers. and
contended that while FREQ trade had not ui-
umphed abroad. nor even in tho colonies. nor
produced such millennal results as military dis
armament and universal peace. 1t had saved
England from starvation and revolution, pro
NOTED commercial prosperity and created re-
serves Of national wealth by which the Empire
had been maintained and preserved. Agricult-
ural depression he passed over lightly with the
usual commonplace remarks about the farmers
unhappy lot. subject as It is. to the mercy or
every within and humor of nature and climate.
and attached great importance to the commercial
results OF free trade.
There are other countries which have not sac
riiced their agricultural interests as England
has done, but which have protected and devel-
oped them while protecting and diversifying
their manufacturing industries by tariff legis-
lation. Protectionist Germany is underselling
and competing successfully with England's man
ufac.ures and challenging her mercantile su-
premacy, as Lord Rosebery himself gave warn
ing a year ago in an address on technical educa-
ton He was however speaking on this occasion
in Mr. Cobden's Manchester. and naturally took
the orthodox view. This is that other causes
havcspot co-operated with free trade to promote
English prosperity, and that its commercial
progress Is to be attributed solely to unrestrct-
ed trade. and that while protectionist countries
may also have prospered simultaneously without
destroying their agricultural Industries II has
not been in consequence Of their tariffs. but in
spite Of them. The free trade argument began
with the empty stomach and the dread Of revo-
luton, and II has ended with the full pocket.
Lord Rosebery has summarized It in declaring
that Cobdenism saved England from starvation
and revolution in 1S49 and created the wealth
which has enabled the United Kingdom to sus-
tain the burdens Of empire.
It was at this point that Lord Rosebery sud-
denly became animated and interesting. After
proolaiming free trade to be the preserving
force In an empire wherein nearly all the colo
r:al possessions have worked out their salvation
on protectionist lines. he described the proposals
for an Imperial Zollverein as "dead" and then
proceeded rather wantonly to kick the corpse.
He quoted with approval Sir Wilfrid Lauriers
denunciation Of the policy Of maintaining the