Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-07
TARIFF FOR ENGLAND
PLEA OF FORMER COLONIAL SEC
RETARY CHAMBERLAIN.
Opened in Great Meeting at
Glasgow Ominous Predictions
Regarding British Empire.

Joseph Chamberlain former colonial sec
rotary in the British cabinet. made Il speech
at Glasgow last night. in which he formal
ly opened his much heralded campaign
against the present free-trade policy OF
Great Britain. The Associated Press ac-
count of the meeting says the audience was
large and appreciative.
The speaker paid the highest tribute to
Mr.. Balfour, with whose principle he fully
agreed, and said he admired the courage
and resource with which the premier had
faced difficulties unsurpassed In political
history. MIR. Chamberlain continued:
1T seems as though in this country there
have always been men who do not know
the meaning of loyalty and friendship. To
them | say that nothing they may do viii
have the slightest influence to affect In the
slightest degree the friendship and conf
dence existing between the premier and
myself. To my friends and supporters in
the great struggle on which ! have entered
/ say give no encouragement to mean or
libelous insinuations. for in no conceivable
circumstances will l allow myself to be
put in any sort Of competition, direct CT
indirect. with my friend and leader
Il have invited discussion upon question
peculiarly within my province, owing TO my
past life and the office l so recently held.
Taking up the position of pioneer l go
in front of the army. If the army is at
tackled l will return to it. l am always an
optimist. 1t is possible that the nation may
be prepared to go farther than the official
program. / now ask the question: Is II so
prepared? Great Britain in the past has
played a great part in the worlds history.
L desire her to continue ana see the reall2a-
ton of the great ideal of an empire such as
the world has never seen. II that Is TO be
attained. this matter should be treated on
its merits without any personal feeling or
bitterness and without entering on question:;
of purely party controversy
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 the
city itself, now mass of runs. He con-
tinued:
Il do not say that I anticipate such fate
for the British empire, but L do say that !
can signs of decay, cracks and GREY ices,
showing that the founda lions are not broad
and deep enough to sustain it. Am wrong
to warn you? Is it not strange and incon-
siStent that the same people who indicted
the government for its unpreparedness in
the South African war should now denouncc
me in language equally extravagant because
L want to prepare you for struggle so
serious that if we are defeated the country
will lose its place among the great nations.
a struggle which we are invited 10 meet
with antiquated methods and tactics
Adducng statistics, Mir. Chamberlain con-
trasted the moderate increase of ~ per
cent in the export trade of Great Britain
and the increase of 80 per cent in her popu-
lation since 1872 with the enormous in
creases of trade in the United States and
Germany, and he asked how the country
could expect to support its growing popu-
lation with its trade practically stagnant
for thirty years. He proceeded
ION the other hand, the protected coun-
tries, which you have been told and | my
self one time believed We're going rapidly to
wreck and ruin, have progressed infinitely
better in proportion than ourselves, and. in
stead Of as Golden believed. our remaining
the workshop for the world we are sending
less and less of our manufactures abroad,
whilst the protected countries are sending
more and more of their manufactures here.
Thus, our manufactured exports, from fll6-
100000 in 1872. have gradually dwinded to
f13500,C0o in 1902 to the protected countries
of Europe and the United States.
''In the same period our exports to nom
manufacturing countries like Egypt, China
and South America have practically re-
manned unchanged. This loss of trade to
the protected countries has not been no
ticed hitherto. because during the same
period our exports to the British colonies
have increased in ratio to counterbalance
this loss. and are now more valuable than
our trade with the whole of Europe and the
United States together. Our colonial trade
in fact, is the most rapidly increasing, i'm
portant and valuable of all our trade
Meanwhile. foreign exports to the united
kingdom have risen from f6i, O0O.OJ0 in 1877
to f149, 100000 in 1902.
Il have made these figures clear. 1t is
plain that our imperial trade is essential
to our prosperity. If it declines or fails to
increase In proportion to our popula ton
and to the loss of our foreign trade, then
we shall sink into a f1fth-rate nation.
Now. what Is the history of protection?
First. there is tariff and no industries.
Then gradually primary Industries for
which the country has natural facilities
grow up behind the tariff wall. Then sec
ondary industries spring up. first of neces-
saries, then Of luxuries. until at last all
the ground is covered
He believed that 1t. was only by a COM
mercial union and reciprocal preference
that they could lay the foundation of
federation of the empire to which they all
looked as a brilliant possibility. He wish
ed to repeat explicitly that he did not wish
to tax raw materials used in British man.
ufacture. Therefore it was e:tdent that If
they wanted to prevent separation there
must be preferential tax on food. That
was the great cry of his opp onents. and it
was true, but 1t was only half the truth,
because those opponents forgot to add his
explanation that nothing he proposed would
add one farthing to the cost of living OF
any Workingman or of any family in the
country.
With regard to his plan he would state
1t briefly. He proposed to put a low duty,
not exceeding shllings as cents quar-
ter on foreign corn, but none on corn from
the British possessions. He proposed no
tax on maize, partly because it formed the
food of some of the very poorest among the
population, and partly because it was raw
material as feeding stuff. He proposed a
corresponding tax on -four, and he would
give special preference to the miller with
the object of re-establishing one of our an
cient Industries, and of preventing rush
from the county to the town, and also of
placing corn, offal and feeding stuffs more
cheaply within the possession of the far
mer.
A small tax of about 5 per cent on foreign
meat and dairy produce would be imposed
excluding bacon, which was the food of SO
many of the poorest population. Lastly,
he proposed to give a substantial preference
to the colonies on wines and fruits.
Against these increases. he proposed some
great remissions. He proposed to take of
three-quarters of the duty on tea. half the
duty on sugar, with corresponding reduc-
tons on cocoa and coffee. The net result of
these impositions and remissiOns would be
that the town artisans food would, accord
ing to the most elaborate calculation. cost
him ~ pence g cents) less per week
than it did at present; while that of
the agricultural laborer would cost him 2
pence "a cents less, but if, as he believed,
a great part of the tax on food would be
paid by the foreigner. there would be re-
u, t,,f he oct ,ff hnfk for I,a