Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1903-10-09
BRITISH EMPIRE,
Joseph Chamberlain Sees In II
Signs Of Decay.
First speech of His Fiscal Campaign
England Losing Ground in the
Commercial Rnce-New Cone
ditIons Must be Met by
n Change OF Policy.

Glasgow, Scotland, Oct. T.-St. An.
drcw's hall was packed to its full ca
pacity. 5000, when Joseph Chamber
lain rose last evening to deliver the
first speech of his fiscal campaign.
His appearance caused tremendous
outburst of enthusiasm. the ovation
lasting for several minutes.
Mr.. Chamberlain returned his
thanks for this. the first opportunity
of explaining his fiscal views. He was
loyal to the party in which he had
found a leader every member might
be proud to follow, and refuted the
insinuation that under any circum
stances would he come in competition
with his friend and leader. He add
ed that he desired to prepare the
country for struggle in which, if
vanquished. it would lose it's place
among nations.
After the presentation of lengthy
trade statistics MIR. Chamberlain said
that if the colonial trade did not in
crease with the population of the
United Kingdom. with the decrease of
foreign trade Great Britain would
sink into a fifth rate nation and her
fate would be the same as that of the
empires of the past.
Speaking of the consequence of the
present policy to this country, Mr..
Chamberlain pointed out the loss of
the tin plate trade and said that if
they could have offered the United
States advantages to leave that trade
alone il would have been retained.
The result of such policy, the speak
er claimed, must be the entire loss of
the colonial trade, while on the con-
trary, with preferential treatment,
the United Kingdom would capture
the foreign trade with the colonies
and give employment to additional
millions of workers.
The late colonial secretary alluded
to the recent visit he paid to Venice
when he found the Campanile, which
had stood for centuries and which
when he previously visited Venice
seemed as permanent as Italy itself,
now mass of ruins. He continues:
81 do not say that | anticipate such
fate for the British empire. but l
do say that | see signs of decay,
cracks and crevices showing that the
foundations are not broad and deep
enough to sustain it. Am l wrong to
warn you? Is it not strange and in
consistent that the same people who
indicted the government for its un-
preparedness in the South African
war should now denounce me in Ian
guage equally eXtravagant because [
want to prepare you for a struggle so
serious that if we are defeated the
country will lose its place among the
great nations, struggle which we
are invited to meet with antiquated
methods and tactics"
Adducing statistics Mr.. Chamber
lain contrasted the moderate increase
of re per cent in the export trade of
Great Britain and the increase of 30
per cent in her population since 1872,
with the enormous increases of trade
in the United States and Germany,
and he asked how the country could
expect to support its growing popula-
ton with its trade practically stag
nant for 30 years. He proceeded:
II have made these figures clear. 1t
is plain that our imperial trade is es-
scntial to our prosperity. If it de-
clines or fails to increase in proper
tion to our population and to the loss
of our foreign trade. then we shall
sink into a fifth rate nation. We
have reached our highest point and L
am not certain but that some of nv
opponents regard that with absolute
complacency. | have the misfortune
to be an optimist. do not believe in
the setting of the British star, but
then ! do not believe in the folly of
the British people. l trust them and
trust the working classes. l have con-
tidence that they who are our mas
ters, electorally speaking, will have
the intelligence to see that they must
wake up, that they must meet the
new conditions with an altogether
new policy."