Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-10-02
PREMIER BALFOUR
Delivers His Anxious|y Awaited
Tariff Reform Speech.
Free Trade Is Only An Empty Name
and An Empty Force.
Knows No Cure, but Has Hopes of
Knows No Cure, but Has Hopes of
Finding a Palliation.

Sheffield, Eng, Oct. 1.-The artillery
hall where Premier Balfour made his
tariff reform speech, this afternoon.
was packed by an eXpect@nt audience
long before O'Clock, the hour at which
Mr.. Balfour was announced to begin
speaking. An overflow meeting in
Albert hall. was also crowded, While
thousands We're unable to obtain seats
at either meeting.
Mr.. Balfour received an enthusiastic
reception. He announced at the out
start that he intended to confine his
speech to tariff reform, which he said
had come prominently to the front ow-
ing to the growing uneasiness among
men of varied opinions. Mr.. Chamber
lains speech in May, he added. would
not have produced the effect it did if
it had not fallen on ground already pre-
pared, and the threats against Canada
for granting preference to Great Britain
brought home the helplessness of this
country to deal with such a situation.
Tariff attacks could only be met by
! tariff replies.
This statement of the premier was
greeted with prolonged cheering.
| Continuing, Mr.. Balfour said that for
| the building up of wall of hostile tar
ifs against her. Even her colonies
were building up Il system of protection.
| which, when it reached it's natural con-
clusion, would make it as hard for the
United Kingdom to export goods to her
colonies as to export goods to the Unit
ed States and other protected countries.
The premier said free trade was an
empty name and vain force. Golden
never dreamed of the modern trust sys-
TEN, built up under protection, which
inflicted injury upon the capital and
the workmen of the United Kingdom.
For the present state of affairs, Mr..
Balfour remarked he did not know of
cure. The evil had gone too far; but
be knew of a palliation.
Tremendous cheering followed the
premier's last statement.
You will not get the great CONNER
cial nations of the world to abandon
protection" said Mr.. Balfour. II fear
that you will not get the great self
governing colonies to retrace the steps
which we without remonstrance per-
mitted them to take. ! am here, there
fore, to recommend a palliation which
DtiltNe " Dc Stlll pOSSlUle. CODuen
hoped and believed in free trade
throughout the world. What in fact we
have got to deal with is world where
international commercial relations are
regulated entirely by treaty. 1t is COM
mon sense that we, the greatest COM
mercial nation, should come forward
and saw we want to arrange treaties?
We went to arrange treaties with you,
but we have nothing to give you, moth
ing to withhold from you. We throw
ourselves upon your mercy and consid-
Grafton. Please remember how good
we are to your commerce, how we
throw no impeachment 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 treaay.'
My fundamental and essential re-
quest to you, tonight, to which the rest
of my speech is subsidiary and inciden-
tai is that the people of this country
should give TO it's government that free
dom of negotiation of which we have
been deprived, not by force Of circ,lm-
stances, or by the pressure of foreign
but by something l can only
Continued on page 2.)