The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-04
CHAMBERLAlN'SPLAN
DEFENDED BY ITS AUTHOR IN A
MANIFESTO.
CoBDEN'S THEORIES WRONG.
PROVED so BY OTHER NATIONS
AND COLONIES, HE SAYS.

Dor Neither Consistent Nor Profit
abIe-British Exports Practically
at a StandstiIl for Twelve Years.
Chile ish to Ignore Fact That
other Nations Have Benefited
Themselves by bargaining for
Their Special Interests.
London, Oct. 3.-Former Colonial
Secretary Chamberlain has written a
manifesto forcibly enunciating the car
dinal features of his fiscal policy. AS
the document will not be published in
the United Kingdom until Monday
morning, the effect on the public and
the press can only be estimated.
1t is certain. however, that the ag-
gressiye attitude, which the Associated
Press Is able to announce Mr. Cham
berlain adopts, will add bitterness to
a controversy that already RACES with
a vigor almost unequaled in the his
tory of English politics.
Mr.. Chamberlain now not only re-
1terates his belief that the federation
of the empire depends upon fiscal re-
taliation with it's consequent taxes
upon Englands food, but openly classes
the out and out Cobdenites with the
Little Englanders," whom he de-
rides with all the force of ridicule, and
argument of which he is such a mas
ter.
Not only does he adhere to his taxes
on wheat and meat. but through the
medium of Mr.. Vince, justifies them.
and declares that they will not add a
farthing to the workingmans family
expenses.
Every other nation and all
our own self-governing colonies
have refused to accept the gospel of
Golden, and yet although they ought
according to its dogmas. to be in the
last stage of depression and decline,
they have grown during the last twen-
ty years in wealth, population and
trade, and in everything that goes to
make up the greatness of a nation"
That is the keynote of Joseph Cham
berlain's manifesto which will be
published Oct. in the form of a pre-
face to shilling pamphlet by c. A.
Vince, secretary to Mr.. Chamberlain
tariff organization.
Mr.. Chamberlain points out that
has increased in greater proportion to
the protected countries than i'll the
United Kingdom. and says:
Free trade, if it had ever existed
might have secured for us all that it's
promoters promised; but free imports
without free trade have brought us face
to face with problems which never
entered into Cobden's calculations.
I'VE know that the idea of a united
empire did not appeal to him and that
he regarded the colonies as an encum-
brance to be got rid of as soon as pos
sibie. But what would Golden have
said if he had foreseen that the trades
unions, whose existence he deprecated
would be successful in protecting labor
in score of ways, tending to increase
the rate of wages and to raise the
standard of living.
Golden Was Consistent.
Would Golden as the representa-
tive of the manufacturing class, have
still maintained that while the manu-
facturer was artificially prevented
from obtaining labor at the lowest
rate he ought to rest content when
the products of foreign labor. untram-
melled by any regulations, and legis-
lation, to which he has to submit,
under-sell him in his own markets?
Cobdens scheme was at least consis-
tent. 1t was free labor as we'll as
free imports, but free imports COM
bined with protected labor is neither
consistent nor profitable to any of the
parties concerned"
Mr. Chamberlain holds that the
theory that other countries are ruin
ing themselves by bounties and I'M
port duties hardly comedies with the
fact that British exports have been
practically stationary for twelve years
while those of other countries have in
creased so rapidly that IF the rela-
tive progress continues for a few
years longer they will have left us
far behind"
rs it not childish to ignore the
fact that by. bargaining on equal
terms other nations have been able
to promote their special interests, and
that if we also had in our
hands weapons of retaliation
we should probably be able to
bring the world much nearer uni
versal free trade system than it has
ever been since Cobdens time?
Our free food friends will have to
be a little more definite and more ac-
curate. They will have to explain why
the transfer of taxation, say from tea
to bread, would be disastrous, even
though it benefited our industries and
restored them to something like the
relative position which they enjoyed
twenty years ago.
To Benefit All Classes.
Dealing passionately with the accu-
sation that his policy is intended to
reduce the workman and his family
to starvation" Mr.. Chamberlain
writes:
Let them at least admit that, right
ly or wrongly, this policy is PROFOUND
ed in the interests of the masses of the
people, of the poor much more than
of the rich, and that those who are re-
sponsible for it have earned by siren
uous endeavor in the past the right
to resent the charge of neSlecting the
interests of the industrial population. +"
Mr., Vince, IN his pamphlet. devotes
a chapter to the Art and Theory of
Dumping" Figures are given show
ing that American carpets. glass tum-
blers and organs. and German wire
nails are all sold In England in large
quantities under the cost of produce
ton in the home market. \ table is
given showing how the American man.
ufacturer can double his profit by iu-
dicious dumping.
The British market. Mr.. Vince as
serts, is the most promising, indeed
the only promising field for dumping
operations; and the British manufac-
turer is the only victim who is power
less to resist. He is shut off from re-
taliating by the American tariff.
Mr.. Vince states that a large Amer
lean concern doing a heavy business
in England fearing that the English