The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-06-04
AMERICAN FREE TRADE
 MEMS ANNUAL BANQUET
A NOTABLE EVENT IN BOSTON
 LAST EVENING.

Charles Francis Adams and Edward At
 Declares Protection Unjust to the
 Common People-Louis R. Enrich De-
 nounces it as Unfair and Legalized
 Graft.
 Boston, June 3.-The annual banquet lof the American Free Trade league. held at Hotel vendome tonight. was especially notable in that the occasion marked the twentieth anniversary of lthe federation of the league and the l10Oth anniversary of the birth of Rich lard Cobden. the father of the free trade movement. The guests and
 speakers were Charles Francis Adams land Edward Atkinson of this city. and Louis R. Enrich of New York. Harvey
 N. Shepard of this city presided and
 about 150 members of the league were present.
 Mir. Shepard declared that the Unit led States eventually would have free
 trade. and that it was as much out of place in republic to have protective ltariff as it was to have an established lchurch.
 William Lloyd Garrison of this city, the secretary of the league read letters from Professor Charles Eliot Norton of Harvard university, Goldwin Smith of Toronto, Ont, and John Bigelow of New York, former United States minister to France, expressing regret at inability | to attend the dinner, and containing tributes to the memory of Richard Cpb- den. Secretary Garrison also read copy of cablegram which the Ameri- can Free Trade league had sent to the Golden club of London expressing the hope that the principles of Richard Cob den would be steadfastly maintained in Great Britain. He also read the fol- lowing reply from the English organ ization:
 sThe Golden club reciprocates The reactionaries have been substantially defeated The centenary marks the revival of peace, freedom and reform" ]"
 Chairman Shepard then introduced Charles Francis Adams, who was the first president of the league. The speaker paid a glowing tribute to the memory of Richard Golden, and then with no less fervor arraigned the poll Hey of protection which he characters ized as unjust to the common people. He was hopeful of the growth of sem I timent for free trade.
 r,1J 1 Adams, reviewed Cobden's life work 1 and sketched the conditions which turn ed England to free trade. taking occa- sion to deny what he styled the error that Great Britain was enabled to adopt free trade through having fully attain- ed the purpose of protection. He pro lceeded to show that our own complete and stupid' system had no such effect on this country. The fact was appar- lent. he said, to all that were unpreju- diced, that the prosperity of this coun- Itry was due to the continental trade, the trade that was free between the states under our organic law. l MT. Atkinson said that if this coun- try would, in truth, become world power and take it's true position in the lgreat commerce of the world. then it would remove the burdens upon it's az Iriculture manufactures and commerce now embodied in our restrictive tariff, land, by opening the door to the mutual service and mutual benefit of nations, compel European states to disarnn, in order to maintain any chance of cor1- ipeting with us except in the mere products of hand. work an dof labor Iverging on pauperism.
 In bringing his address to a close, MT. Atkinson spoke Of the passing of war and the certain advent Of peace It may even now, he said, appear vision Iary to renew the prophecy of eternal peace which Emmanuel Kant uttered llittle over a century ago. and yet all the forces of commerce on which he predicted eternal peace are working to- Iday to that end with more force and assurance than ever before. The last speaker of the evening was Louis R. Erich, who denounced protec- Ition as unfair and dishonest and pol iicy of 'legalized graft