The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-02
FIRST HEAVY GUN
FIRED BY BALFOUR IN FISCAL
REFORM CAMPAIGN.
SAID NOTHING OF CABINET
BUT CONFINED HIMSELF TO TAR
IFF QUESTION.

Says Great Britain Is Helpless to
Meet Foreign Retaliation-Fiscn1
Relations With Colonies Incon-
sistent with Free Trade Princi-
pIes-DeVeIOpment of Trust Sys-
tenn Under Protection a Danger 10
Capital and Enterprise of Eng
Iand-Has no Cure, Only n PaIlia-
tive-This Is Freedom of NegOtin-
ton.
London, Oct. addressing a mass
meeting at Sheffield to-nigh in con-
nection with the conference of the Ma
tioal Union of Conservative Associa-
lions, Premier Balfour delivered the
speech which has been long heralded
as the first heavy gun to be fired in
the fiscal reform campaign, which is
absorbing the attention of the United
Kingdom, her colonies and indeed the
whole world, and which has caused
the present British cabinet crisis, the
result of which it is impossible to fore
tell.
Mr.. Balfour, in the course of his
speech, did not even hint at the sue
cessors in the cabinet to Mr.. Cham
berlain, Lord George Hamilton and Mr.
Ritchie. In fact, he did not mention
the ministerial designations, ignoring
altogether that phase of the situation
on which it was expected he would
make some declaration.
The Premier confined himself strict
ly to the tariff question, and his speech
was to a large extent a repetition of
the arguments contained in his recent
pamphlet.
Premier Balfour was greeted with
repeated rounds of cheers. He spoke
of the prominence the fiscal question
had gained, and attributed it to the
closer touch with the colonies gained
as result of the late war. He polnt>
ed out Great Britain's helplessness I'M
der present conditions to meet foreign
retaliation, and said the fiscal rela-
tions with the colonies were incon-
sistant with free trade principles.
Mr.. Balfour continued: Free trade
is indeed an empty name, and vain
farce if it is a fact that foreign ma
tions are setting themselves to divert
our industries exclude our manufac-
lures, and limit the international play
of supply and demand. There has
been a development of which Golden.
and his contemporaries never dreamed
the development of the trust system,
under protection.
The phenomenon is so new that
dare scarce venture to prophesY what
development it is likely to take, hut
you may be absolutely sure that in the
alliance of trusts, and tariffs. there
is danger to the capital and enter
prise of this country which acts and
reacts not mainly upon the capitalist,
for he is at liberty to go to those
regions where his industry will be
looked after, but it will fall with the
heaviest weight upon the artisan and
the labor classes which are net capable
of protecting their interests against
such calamity.
Now, if 1 have rightly described the
dangers. and evils we suffer you are
entitled to ask me whether / know of
a cure. My answer will be disappoint-
ing. know of no cure, but l do know
of a palliation. The ill has gone too
far. You will not get the great COM
mercial nations Of the world to aban-
don protection. l fear that you will
not get the great self governing colon
les to retrace the steps which we
without remonstrance permitted them
to take.
Il am here. therefore, to recommend
a palliation which l believe to be
still possible. Golden hoped, and be-
lieved in free trade throughout the
world. What, in fact. we have got to
deal with is a world where interna-
tional commercial relations are regulat-
ed entirely by treaty. Is it common
sense, that We. the greatest CONNER
cial nation, should come forward and
say We want to arrange treaties with
you, but we have nothing to give you,
nothing to withhold from you. We
throw ourselves upon your mercy and
consideration. Please remember how
good we are to your commerce, how we
throw no impediment in it's way, and
how we do all we can for you. and
please don't forget us when YOU are
making your next treaty (Laughter)
My fundamental and essential re-
quest to you to-day to which the rest
of my speech is subsidiary and acct
dental, is that the people of this coun-
try should give to its government that
freedom of negotiation of which we
have been deprived. not by force of cir
cun1stances or by the pressure of for
eign powers, but by something I can
only describe as our pedentry and self
conceit"
The speaker believed that the evils of
taxation of food had been eXaggeratel
beyond what reason and logic justified.
sun, ne thought that public opinion
was not yet ripe for the taxation of
food. Therefre, as an adviser of
great party he was bound to tell them
plainly that it was outside the limits
of practical politics. He was not an
ticipating a general tariff war but he
thought eve might inform any foreign
country that we thought was treating
us with outrageous unfairness that I'M
less they modified their policy we
should take certain steps with regard
to certain articles exported by Them
1.-THE second question is, do you de-
sire to reverse and alter the fundamen-
tai fiscal tradition which has prevailed
for two generations my answer is,
yes, 1 do" cloud cheers.)
Failed to Satisfy Press.
London, Oct. At is evident that
Mr. Ralfonr's sneech has quite failed