Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-12-19
CHAMBERLAIN HIT HARD
DR.. Lunn's Crushing Answer to
His Antagonist.
RETALIATION BAD FOR ENGLAND.

DIR. Henry S. Lunn, who, with Lord
LyveClon, is now in this country arrang-
ing for visit next year to the st.
Louis exposition of a large party of
members of the British parliament, is
president of the new Reform club in
England and is one of the ablest and
most vigorous of the opponents of the
protectionist scheme of Joseph Cham
berlain. The kind of blows he is Civ
ing Chamberlain is evident from the
following extracts from an interview
printed at Washington Nov. "a:
There is an infinite difference be-
tween the fiscal position of Great Brit
ain and of America Geographically
Great Britain could be added to one of
the American states like Texas without
perceptibly increasing the size of that
state. Politically Great Britain is part
of an empire consisting of widely sepa-
rated territories divided by oceans and
hostile territories, while the United
States are self contained. Economical
ly if England alone, like Noah's ark,
survived a universal flood the majority
Of the population would be starved to
death within three months. On the
other hand, if the United States alone
survived a great cOsmic cataclysm the
population would be. practically speak
ing, unaffected so far as the means Of
subsistence were concerned. Why is
this? Because in America the country
produces everything from an iceberg to
a banana.
AT the present time England is pros
porous beyond the widest dreams of
our ancestors. The income tax, which
is the real test of national prosperity,
was levied on gross incomes, in 1861
amounting to 81 1000, 100000, in 1881 to
81. $50. 100000 and in 1901 to 81, $780,
100000.
During the last forty years the num-
Der of paupers in Great Britain has de-
chned from a. per 1000 to % per 1000
while the wages of the average work
man have increased 1871 per cent, and
the purchasing power of food has di-
minished from 143 to 100, so that Il Ia
borer who today has 100 shillings can
buy produce worth 143 shillings TWEEN
ty-fve years ago, while at that date the
laborer would only have 5000 shilHngs
to purchase at these higher values;
therefore the real worth of the work
man has nearly doubled during this pc
Rod.
MIR. Chamberlain has dwelt greatly
upon the excess of our imports over
our exports and has argued that we are
either selling our securities or running
into debt. When we turn, however, to
the figures, we discover that the in
come derived from British investments
abroad increased between the years
1881 and 1891 from $30,000,0O0 to $54.-
100000 and from 1891 to 1902 from
SOD, 100000 to $50, 100000. Moreover,
our gigantic shipping industry is esti-
mated to earn $9O,000O00 per year, and.
in addition to this, we have the great
profits of our international banking, in
surance, brokerage, etc.
IF the theory were right that we
paid in golden sovereigns, as some en-
bryonic economists have argued, we
should have paid away during the last
ten years $S,000,O00,00 which, as Eu-
cid would say, is absurd This i'm
possible sum is really the tribute of the
nations to England as the great creditor
nation and the payment of the nations
for our great services rendered in ship
ping, banking. etc.
1.-The United Kingdom is in a partic-
uIarly weak condition for retaliation.
Our shipping is vulnerable, our imports
consist of few raw materials, and the
the greater portion of our exports are
manufactured goods.
Now Mr.. Chamberlain's remedy:
Mr.. Chamberlain comes forward with
his remedy OF preferential tariffs.
What would be the result of giving
preference when Immediately elements
of great discord would be introduced
into the councils of the empire? Cana
da will complain unless she gets q
great preference in wheat. Australia
will then insist on a protection on wool,
which Mr.. Chamberlain has under
taken as being a raw material not to
tax. New Zealand will demand pref
erential treatment What council of
the empire can hope to decide between
these conflicting interests? An attempt
to enforce a uniform system of taxa
ton upon such an empire would lead to
many a Boston tea party.
"The great difficulty that confronts
Mr.. Chamberlain is that in any system
of preference for the colonies, as he
himself already admits, he must be
driven to the taxation of food. He
stated in one of his speeches that he
was willing to go into any mechanics
house and say to him, Now, this poll
ey il it is carried out will cost you so
much a week more than you are pay
ing at present for your food
MIR. Chamberlain's next great argu-
ment is that wages will rise under pro-
lection. The argument from the Unit
ed States is absurd-in the first place,
because of your numerous neutral re-
sources. which are continually demand
ing skilled labor, and. in the second
place, because the United States itself
is the greatest free trade area in the
world, having absolute free trade be-
tween it's different states.
1.-THE British workman now stands
first in Europe in money wages, and
the purchasing power of his money,
saw as against Germany is that ID