The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-10-08
MIR. cHAMBERLAIN.s SPEECH.

| VIII GHAMbEHLAIA'S SPEECH.
The Hon. Joseph Chamberlain's
! speech in Glasgow on the new fiscal
! policy which he proposes for the Brit
! ish empire is unusually clear for that
| gentleman. Heretofore his announce
| ments have been notable for what
| they have left to be inferred or
| guessed; but in this instance it is evil
! dent that he sought to make his pro-
| gramme lucid He wishes Great Britain
| to turn her back on the principle of
free trade and adopt protection as a
means of retaliation upon protected
countries and of binding the colonies
to the mother country. He would levy
duties upon manufactures and food
products from countries that lay du-
ties on their imports, but admit arti-
cles from the British colonies free or
with preferential duties Thus the
products of the colonies would be ad-
mitted to the British market either
free of duty or at such lower duties
that the colonies would be a a decided
advantage as compared with other
countries producing the similar articles.
Meanwhile, raw materials needed in
British manufactures are to remain on
the free list. Food products from the
colonies are not to be taxed. but such
products from protected countries are
to be subject to tariff taxation. BY
reducing certain food taxes and rails
ing others, Mr.. Chamberlain calculates
that in the final result the food of
British consumers would not cost
more than at present. He figures it
out that the protective system, as he
proposes to apply it, would give the
government a weapon with which TO
defend itself against other tariff-pro-
tected countries, would result in hold
ing the empire in a closer bond of
trade and friendship, and at the same
time be of benefit to the public reVe-
nues. In this connection he falls into
the old protectonist fallacy that the
foreigner pays the tax He said he
believed a greater part of the tax on
food would be paid by the foreigner"
hence there would be reduction in
the cost of food to both the artisan
DRY has been vehemently asserted by
protectionists in this country for years
but the instance in which the foreigner
pays the tax is yet to be brought to
public attention and elucidated. The
United States have grown wealthy and
prosperous, not because of the tariff,
but In spite of it. Our resources are
so marvePusly full and rich that we
have progressed despite the handicap
placed upon us by the system of laws
that taxes our producers in order that
our manufacturers may sell in other
markets at lower prices than they do
in their own.
Mr.. Chamberlain was frank to say
that in part at least his new policy
was directed against the United States.
Great Britain is our best customer for
food products, taking about half of
what we have to sell. In the event
of the adoption of Mr.. Chamberlain's
policy, it is not to be supposed that
our trade with Great Britain would
be ruined, but it might be considerably
injured. The new policy might stimu-
late the production of wheat, corn,
beef, pork, ETC., in Canada, Australia,
Egypt and other colonies, and, with a
preferential tariff in their favor, the
colonies would possibly increase their
exports to the United Kingdom at the
expense of the United States. How do
our own protectionists like this aspect
of the matter? They have heretofore
exulted in every indication that Great
Britain would return to her ancient
policy of protectionism as a vindica-
ton of their pet theory. Now, should
the reactionaries under the leadership
of Mr.. Chamberlain carry their point,
there is a fair prospect that our plant
ers and farmers would be hurt. In
it's last analysis Mr.. Chamberlain pro-
| poses retaliation, and we are in a po-
| sition, because of our prohibitive pro-
lection policy, to be the first and the
| hardest hit.