The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-05-29
Britain's New Departure.

Britain's New Departure.
Mr.. Chamberlain. the British colonial
secretary, who recently made a commotion
among the members of the Golden club,
thru a speech intended as feeler and de-
voted to preferential trade within the en-
pre- continued the discussion yesterday
more In detail, reinforced by Premier Bal
four, who has been won over to the pro-
posed policy and came out fiat footed with
the declaration that the time had come
when it should be publicly discussed
whether the doctrine that revenue was
never to be raised except for purposes
OF expenditure must not be abandoned.
This is a declaration heretical enough,
In the estimation Of the champions Of
Englands traditional policy" to make
Richard Golden writhe in his tomb.
The premier, moreover, said that, I'M
der the prevailing tendency, j. e., the
tendency of foreign nations to enfilade
Britain with hostile tariffs. the time must
come when her crown colonies and pro-
tectorates would be the only neutral mar
kets where she would be able to dispose
Of her exports, leaving England helpless
In the hands of other nations. Balfour
admitted the objection Of the working
classes to a bread tax and the unwill-
tngness of the colonies to abandon pro-
lection, and he said if this difficulty could
not be overcome, the plan for preferential
trade within the empire would collapse.
he 81 ia1
last year in London, the colonial secre-
tary brought UP the subject of prefer
entail trade, but the premiers did not
handle 1t with affection and the scheme
received no Endorsement. and the premiers
Laurier, Barton, Seldom and Bond, the
most important members Of the confer
ence, left with the conviction that the
scheme for Pan British federation was
not ripe and the colonies would have to
pursue their own policies to develop pro-.
gressive legislation. Whether anything
favorable has developed recently or not
does not appear Lord Rosebery, the lib
eral leader said in 1902 after the govern
ment had brought in the budget containing
the grain tax, For good or evil the lib
beral party is bound to free trade After
Chamberain's speech on preferential trade
two weeks ago; he said about the same
thing. His party is, indeed, very much
together on that subject, altho divided on
others
It looks as if the conservative govern
ment were going to risk a general cleo
tion on the subject of preferential trade
within the empire. The repeated allusion
by Chamberlain, yesterday to the neces-
sity for "a mandate from the people, ''as es-
sential to the bringing in of definite plan
of action, points to such purpose. "A Pan
British federation would mean complete
customs union with absolute free trade
between Great Britain and all her colo
MES and protectorates, and the mainten-
ance Of a common tariff against all other
countries. Obviously such radical policy
would not be favored by the colonies, who
might be induced to favor preferential
duties on colonial products, which would
afford them a measure of protection in
British markets. Canada proposes this
when she asks Great Britain to let her
food and breadstuffs into the United King
dom free Of duty while taxing such prod
ucts of other nations. Last year, the
imposition of a duty of three pence a hun
dredweight on grain and five pence per
hundredweight on flour and meal led to
a tremendous outcry about taxing 1.-THE
poor mans Loaf and the government was
charged with the purpose Of returning to
the protective policy. In this years
budget the bread tax is omitted. The
fact that last year Great Britain imported
ten million tons of grain and flour which
she could not produce herself, suggests
the seriousness Of the situation which the
government is now considering. The gov
eminent suggestion of preferential trade
embodies a practical abandonment of the
Golden policy pure and simple, and the
talk in the house of commons, yesterday,
foreshadows in the near future political
battle Of tremendous Importance TO Eng
land. involving decision Of the question
of free trade or protection The British
government of to-day is evidently of
Disraeli's opinion in 1S46-"You can't fight
hostile tariffs with free imports"
~ The railway trainmen predict that thew