Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-10-03
PROTECTION 70 SHIPPING.

The late James c. Blaine. one time
representative and later d senator In
congress and twice afterward secre
tary of state, wa concededly the
ablest advocate Of his time Of the pol
ley of protection The late william
u. Gladstone. premier Of Great Brit
ain and concededly the leading states
man Of that country during a long
portion Of his life, was an equally efnr
inent exponenet of free trade. In the
January number OF the North Ameri.
can Review, in 1890, Mr.. Gladstone
contributed a paper on Free Trade 10
which. in The same number Of the Re-
view, Mr., Blaine replied. In the course
Of his reply Mr.. Blaine at some length
discussed the subject Of shipping pro-
lection, which portion Of his paper
We regard as quite as timely and AZ
telling now as when II was penned,
In view Of the extraordinary Subsidies
which The British government has
just entered into an agreement 10 pay
to the Gunard Steamship company.
These subsidies consist OF a loan OF
$1,000 900 by The British government
to the Cunard company, which the
latter will use In constructing two
steamships, which viii be the largest
and fastest eyer put afloat- To engage
In the trade between Great Britain
and the United States. IN addition to-
the loan. the British government also
agrees to pay two other subsidies, az
gregating in amount the sum Of ST.,
100000 annually, for twenty years, for
n weekly mail service, and agrees to
pay q still larger sum for a semi
weekly mail service, II furnished by
the Cnnard company. This muniicent
subsidy Is merely the continuation,
upon Il grcatIy enlarged scale, d a
subsidy payment that Great Britain
has unintarrnptedly made 10 the Gu
nard line for sixty-threc years. begin
ming In 1910.
Great Britain agrees to pay down
this $4,000 O0, and for twenty years
to pay annually 81, 900, 900 In order to
protect British shipping against grow
Ing and threatened foreign COMPETE
ton. In the course OF his pape., Mr..
Blaine said:
THE zeal Of Mr., Gladstone for free
trade reaches us highest point In the
declaration that all protection Is NOR.
ally as well as economically bad He
Is right in making his strongest
ground OF opposition, II protection is
a question OF morals. But his asser;
tion leaves him In an attitude of per-
sonal inconsistency. There Is protee.
tiun on sea as well as on land. In
deed. the most palpable and effective
form Of protection Ii In the direct
payment OF public money to a line of
steamers that could not be maintained
without that form OF aid. | do not
say that such aid Is unMise protec-
tlon: least OF all do I say II Is Inn
moral. On the contrary, | think II has
often proved the highest commercial
wisdom. without In the least infring-
Ing upon the domain Of morals. Mr.,
Gladstone, however, commits himself
TO the principle that all protection is J
morally bad. II this has been his be.
lief ever since he became mn advo-
cate Of FREQ trade, his conscience must
have received many and severe
wounds AZ session after session, while
chancellor OF the ex0hcuner, he car.
ried through parliament a bounty
may | not say d direct protection?
Of n hundred and eighty thousand
pounds sterling 70 n line ~ steamers
between England and the
States~a protection that be-
gan six years before free trade was
proclaimed In British manufactures.
aud continued yearly two years after.
In the whole pcrjDd of TWENTY-FIVE |