New-York tribune., 1904-08-16
CoBDEyTSB AND FACTS.

5 American Cobdenites. always more royal than
the King, are making merry over Mr.. Chamber
lain's enuncation of what they dub the novel
doctrine that the depression and distress in
England in the years before tho repeal of the
corn laws were due not 10 the price Of food but
20 the lack Of work and the lowness Of wages.
and are pouring contempt and wrath upon him
for having as they say touched his lowest
depth in telling English farmers that under
his lian of fiscal reform they are 10 have as
much protection As The manufacturers We
bold no brief for Mr. Chamberlain. Who seems
unconmonly Well able % take care Of himself.
and il is 20 business Of ours. save i'm an aca-
deinic way But since our American Ccbdenites
ere displaying 50 much excitement over il. TO-
gether with 50 little information. it may be
worth while. an act Of charity 10 remind
thru ~ the facts in the case.
i is not novel doctrine that before 1s4s
England was suffering from idleness and low
vases rather than from TOO costly food On the
contrary. IL is one Of the perfectly we'll known
End we'll established facts Of history which no
intelligent economist with regard for his repu-
nuon for sincerity can afford 10 ignore. That
fact was recognized and admitted at the time
81 the very beginning Of the anticorn LAW agita-
ton Joseph Hume ought 10 be regarded as A
pretty good authority upon the matter, except
inS. az course, by those who are. as We have
said, more royal tlan the King: and Joseph
Hume explicitly declared in 1893 that want Of
employment was then ''the great evil" As
matter Of record. the repeal Of the corn laws did
not materially lessen the price Of grain The
average price in the ten years following repeal
was only about .O5 per cent less than in the ten
years preceding. Indeed Hume did not expect
any reduction His theory was that the open
inc OF the British market 10 foraicyn e,ro;, ,,l5
leave the price unchanged in England. but would
ioice Il up 10 the English ieTel in foreign lands
II was not cheaper bread for Englshmen that
ne AMI his free trade comrades were after but
dearer bread for the rest of Europe. THE
price Of food" he said would rise everywhere
''to the price IN England The advantage
'ie Great Britain would be more bv raising the
rest OF the world 10 our standard and price
than by lowering the prices here" So much
Tor the novel doctrine, which is at least two
generations old
NoW' as 70 that lowest depth" and "r1lbbishy
promise in telling farmers they shall be as
Wei protected as manufacturers We may be
oDtuse' but We confess we are unable 10 see any
particularly damning turpitude in a policy of
eqaai. and impartial treatment for all classes of
indusu1alists. We cannot see why il Is wicked
% frame fiscal laws with view 10 the interests
ot agriculture as well as OF manufactures ana
commerce. To our mind farming is fugt as i'm
nortant and just as respectable and fust as
worthy OF Statesmanlike regard az IS COTTON
spinning or ship owning As for Mr.. Chamber
iains 'open appeal 10 the self4interest Of hts
hearers" what have the Cobdenites been doing
from The beginning but appealing TO seIfipter.
e-t ana 70 class INTEREST," If we must confess
''o "u'h' said Golden himself in 1913. 'IIost