The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-11-25
ENGLISH TARIFF AGITATION.
GROWING SENTIMENT FOR PRO-
TECIVE ARIFF IN GREAT
BRITAIN.
Business Depression Attributed to
Free Trade and the Next Parlia-
mentary Election Will Probably Re-
turn Protective Tariff Majority
Other English Gossip.
BY William True Hawthorne.


the United States. No such silver
lining has appeared to the cloud hang
Ing over the British industrial world.
The army of the unemployed increas-
- each week and so serious has the
aituation become that the Government
u confronted with the necessity of af-
fording relief. Private charity. liberal
as 1t has been, is proving wholly mad
sQuate to the needs.
The political doctors are wholly un-
able to agree as to what Is the matter
with British industry. All they know
u that the patient is sick and that he
does not improve under their reme-
dies. Things have been going from
bad to worse for several years. and
now they are chiefly worse. It looks
- II Edwards empire needed a COM
petent business manager. one equal at
least to the task Of reducing the Gov
srnmsnt's outgo to the size of its in
come. Mr.. AsQuith's government
seems splendidly equipped for in.
sreasing expenses. but so far 1t has
hailed utterly to increase revenues.
One Of the results Of the hard times
and the governments financial en-
barrassments is that the protection
lists are making headway. 1t is the
belief Of many public men that a gen.
sral election is not far distant, for
on several recent votes in the Conn.,
mons the Government has barely
maintained it's majority. With anoth-
er general election the opinion is gen.
eral that the present parliamentary
majority Will be oYerthrown and a
majority returned pledged to the pol
Icy OF a protective tariff Cobden's
theory Of free trade, which has been
Britain's policy for more than a gen.
GRAFTON, has proved lamentable fail
ure, because the freeness of trade has
come to be wholly one-sided. While
the goods Of all the world pass British
ports without the payment Of duties
about every other important nation
now imposes duties. protecting their
own markets against British goods
Even some Of the British Of colonies
have tariff taxes and a number of
cases they are levied against the
mother country.
In situation like this, with indus
tries languishing, revenues falling off
and the expenses Of government in
creasing, the British public mind is
about ripe for an overthrow of the
traditional British policy.
1t would be reasonable to expect In
a time like this that the Socialist and
Labor vote would greatly increase
bu such was net the case in the re-
cent municipal elections. All the
substantial gains were made by the
Unionists. the party which advocates
a protective tariff and which went
down to defeat at the general election
because Of the Chamberlain propa-
ganda. which was then too new to be
acceptable to British voters, taught
Tor generation to believe that free
corn and a cheap breakfast table were
the only things needed to make tho
British workman happy. The years
since then have rudely jolted the the
ories OF Golden and the British work.
man has often found himself hungry.
though all his edibles were untaxed.
1t Is the judgment today of politi.
clans that a general election could
be forced any time the Unionist lead
ers saw fit but as things are now the
longer parliamentary election Is de-
iayed the better they satisfied. It is a
case OF giving calf all the rope 1t
wants. The Liberal government is
daily getting in worse disfavor, and
when the Unionists return to power
they want a sufficient majority in the
Commons so they will not have any
embarrassing alliances with the minor
parties. something that daily causes
trouble for Mr.. Asquith's ministry.
Americanomania" Is a new word
which has been coined by a CORES
pondent OF the Pail Mall Gazette. He
says 10 what Is the matter with
Australia. and he IL grieved beyond
measure that II Is so.
The enthusiasm with which the
American battleships were greeted by
Australians has been bitter Dill for
Englishmen. but this writer is the
most melancholy OF them all. Even
New South Wales, the mother State"
ne Gays, has proved herself vovnv