The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-07
English People Do Not Take Kind.
{ ly to His Scheme for "Protec-
-. tive Tariff" System.
TAKING THE MANY FOR FEW:
In Vigorous Speeches the New Pol
icy Is So Denounced and Some
Declare 1t Would Be Fatal
to Unity of Empire.
BY HERBERT PAUL.

SPECIAL BY CABLE To THE NEW YORK
HERALD AND THE ST. LOUIS REPUBLIC.
London. June ,6-(Copyright. 19o3)-The
kite flown by the Colonial Secretary has
encountered irregular currents of winds
and its course is by no means smooth.
Political speeches are not frequent dur
ing the short Whitsuntide recess, but two
subordinate members of the Government
and a prominent member of the Liberal
party have spoken on the subject of the
day.
Mr.. Haldane. who of all Liberals is the
| most favorable to the Government in gen.
eral and to Mr.. Chamberlain in particular
has followed Mr.. Asquith and Sir Edward
Grey in denouncing a preferential tariff as
fatal to the unity of the Empire. He points
out that. even If 1t were possible to ex-
clude raw materials of manufacturing from
import duties-which Mr. Chamberlain
scheme .requires-the sacred cause of i'm
perialism would not profit by being asso-
ciated with taxes on food But to exclude
raw materials would not be possible for If
Canada Is to receive the benefit of prefer
entail duty foreign wheat. Australia
would at once demand that a similar en-
barge should be made upon foreign wool
Mr.. Haldane is clear and definite in his
attitude of uncompromising adherence to
free trade.
The First Commissioner OF Works and
the Chancellor of the Duchy Of Lancaster
are cautious and evasive. Lord Windsor
confined himself to plausible generalities
which might have been, uttered If Mr.
Chamberlain had never spoken.
| Sir VIM. Walrond protests in language
borrowed from the Anti-Corn Law League
against taxing the many for the benefit of
the few. In fact. it Is quite plain that Sir
William. who knows practical politics as
only an old whip can know them disikes
the proposals exceedingly
But more important than any speeches IS
the attitude of the cooperative congress
at Doncaster. representing two millions of
the working classes. With scarcely a dis
sentient voice, the congress adopted on
Tuesday a resolution strongly condenning
a protectfonists tax upon food Working
men are not to be deluded by the bait Or
brine of old-age pensions.
Mr.. Chamberlain has been offering this
attraction for the last ten years, and 1t is
further of now than 1t was ten years ago
II he could promise an immediate rise of
wages and system of pensions ready
made, With the ultimate possibility of a
new corn law. he might perhaps succeed.
but bread is to be Immediately taxed and
the prospect of countervailing advantages
is uncertain as well as remote
Wages were never lower in England than
when artificial protection to agriculture
was at Its height 1t is. indeed conceivable
that, under the preferential tariff bread
would become SO dear as to, necessitate a
rise OF wages, but II SO. the poor would be
within measurable distance of starvation.
Meanwhile, the story about German re-
taliation upon Canada, Of which Mr..
Chamberlain has made so much, turns out
to be a very trivial matter (sanado Irct
the most favored nation treatment because
she ceased to give 1t. She has only to adopt
free trade and retaliation would become
impossible