The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-20
Mr.. Chamberlain Advocates Protec-
ton.


Mr.. CHAMBERLAIN on May Is at Birming
ham in it's bearings on his personal for
tunes and on the future Of the Cnionls
party. one must consider il in connection
with what took place almost slmutan
eously in London. On the morning o
that day deputaton representing i'm
perialist sentiment and the British landed
interest, headed by Mr. CHAPLIN who
used to be President Of the Board o.
Agriculture, had called upon the Prime
Minister for the purpose of protesting
against the repeal he registration duty
on grain which had been announced b!
Mr.. R1TCHIE. the Chancellor of the Ey'
cheauer. Mr.. BALrouR listened TO then
with courtesy. but made n discouragine
reply, and they left him convinced that
their renlonstrance would be unheeded
It was only Il few hours later that Mr.
CHAMBERLAIN, speaking at Birmingham
made it perfectly clear that, in his judg-
ment, the remonstrants were right, and
that, had he been Premier their petition
would have been granted
Seldom in British parliamentary his
tory has a sharp and irremediable di-
vergence from the official programme OF
a party chief been avowed with so much
boldness by member of the Cabinet
Mr.. CHAMBERLAIN told his Birmingham
constituents that, in his opinion, Great
Britain az regards the maintenance of a
hold upon her transmarine self-govern-
ing dependencies, had reached the part
ing of the wavs. The time had come. he
said, when either the Colonies must be
bound to the mother country by ties of
self-interest. or they would be irrepara-
bly lost. The cohesion of the British
Empire was Mt stake. On the imperial
policy of the next few years depended
whether the Empire should stand to-
gether as one nation against the world
or should disintegrate into separate
States, each seeking it's own interest and
all losing the advantages which unity
alone could give.
Mr.. CHAMBERLAIN seemed for the first
time to recognize that the mere bond OF
sentiment which had assured some
Colonial aid during the South African
war, could not be relied upon to furnish
ADEQUATE assistance in future and graver
exigencies He allowed it to be seen
that he had learned that. il the vast
and increasing resources of the Colonies
were to be made fully available in time
of need for imperial defence. the col
onsts must be made to feel that they
had incomparably more to gain from
commercial union with the mother coun-
try than from their present position Of
semi-detached autonomy, or even from
a status Of political Independence. The
Canadians, for instance, if politically
independent, could hope for no prefer
ence in the British market over the inhab-
itants of other foreign countries, nor, as
a matter of fact, have they any such
preference to-day. How can We expect
the Colonies, said Mr. CHAMBERLAIN, to
tax themselves for imperial defence when
VIC deny to them such privileges in the
British market as are enjoyed by every
State in the American Union in the mar
ket of every other? Mr., CHAMBERLAIN
proceeded to point out that Great Brit
aims refusal to give Colonial products
any preference as compared with those Of
foreign countries was particularly griev-
GUS in the case of Canada. because that
colony had volunteered to give British
manufactures Il preference Of 33 l"3 per
cent. His countrymen must not expect,
said Mr.. CHAMBERLAIN, such a concession
to be continued unless il were recipro-
Gated and. indeed, a warning to that
effect had already been uttered by the
Canadian Minister of Finance.
There is no doubt that Mr. CHAMBER
LAIN is right in his prognosis. What
ever be the fate of England the British
Empire is doomed-not to-day or to-
morrow, but at time, perhaps, not
distant-unless the UNFOLDING of it can
be made matter of vital interest to the
self-governing colonies. 1t is by no
means matter of vital interest to-day,
and never can it be made So except in
the way that Mr. CHAMBERLAIN has
pointed out, namely, by imposing such
considerable duties on food staples
brought from foreign countries as would
permit the concession Of substantial
drawback to similar commodities That
ia the only remedy, and Mr.. CHAMBER
LAIN has now declared himself ready to
apply it, if his countrymen will give him
the requisite authority.
However powerfully the grandeur of
the British Empire may appeal to the
imaginations of the British voters. sig
nal rise in the price of bread would strike
home to their business and their bosoms.
1t is not inconceivable that revolution in
the unionist party might place Mr. CHAM
BERLAIN at its head during the rest of
the statutory term Of the present Paria-
ment. 1t is even not inconceivable, the
effects of protection being as yet I'M
tested by the present generation of Brit
ish consumers, that Mr.. CHAMBERLAIN
appealing to the country on this very
question, might secure from the electors
a tentative permission to place a moder-
ate duty on grain and -four The shoe
would not begin to pinch, till the term
moderate had to be defined We
know how the definition would begin,
and We ran see that it would not end
there. The Canadians have already in
dicated that they would not be satisfied
with difference Of less than one shilling