The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-24
KANSAS CONNENT
TARIFF REFoRM IN ENGLANp

TARIFF REFORM IN ENGLAND.
Inc phrase tariff reform in England
means what protection does in the
United States, and the opponents to
tar1n reform are free traders. The
question: of protecting home indus
tries has been an issue in recent cam
paigns, but the free traders have car
ried the day.
The Englishman learned his ideas
on the tariff question many years ago
When the. corn laws were in vogue.
me Islands could not produce food
enough for the Inhabitants and bread
and meat had to be imported. OF
course. if they We're taxed the burden
IeIl upon the consumer. The agricul-
turlsts enjoyed the tariff because it
protected their products.
But the mass of the Inhabitants did
not produce food but consumed it, and
when times were particular hard and
food dear, they arose in their might
and repealed the corn laws, and ever
since 1t has been fatal to political sue
cess in England to advocate a tariff.
Had English statesmen kept food free
ana advocated certain taxation for
manufactures, they might have Won
But Great Britain is a manufac-
turing country whose foreign market
| Is greatly in excess of its home mar
ket, and the manufacturers saw that
IN order to keep their foreign GUS
toners they must admit free to Eng
| land what those customers had to sell.
Thus they got their food and raw ma
terlal very cheap and could prosper
without the scheme of protection.
But the protectionist, quoting the
prosperity of the United States. is
abroad in England. and the, issue
known as tariff reform, that is. pro-
| lection to home industries including
bread and meat, has raised its head
America will watch the growth of
the protective sentiment in England
with absorbing interest.-Wichita
| Beacon.
SPIRITS AND POLITICS. P.
Stories of snooks and occult matters
generally have gained such prominent
place IN the. magazines that it seems
only natural sequence that they have
drffted into politics. William T. Stead,
the eminent London journalist. may be
counted the worlds most successful
interviewer, since his list includes
most of the owned heads of Europe
as we'll as Dr.. Cook Finding no more
worlds to conquer on this sphere, he has
taken to the spirit world, and man
| ages to get his interviews printed,
showing clearly the advantage of rep
utation.
The London Fortnightly Review
prints one of these interviews with the
Shade of Disraeli. dealing with the
British budget. Quite seriously these
opinions from the other world are set
forth telling what the once famous
British statesman would do about the
matter were he still in voting form
The principal feature of the interview
! is the fact that the dead statesman so
clearly agrees with the interviewer,
which was rather to be expected. Clever
reporters have been known to do such
things in interviews with statesmen
still able to come around to the Office
and kick about it.. So, while a dead
man may not be taken seriously in
politics, there seems no good reason
why he shouldn't be greeable.--Atchi-
son Globe
LET THE PRODIGAL RETURN.
AS to this talk about putting Presi-
dent Waters on the program of the
Kansas Day club, there certainly will
be some opposition to it. The old
machine crowd will fight it, because
the old machine crowd places the par
ty name above the man every time.
Waters is probably a man a good deal
like F. d. Coburn. who bothers little
with politics. Coburn is a liberal Re-
Democrat, and either one of them is
good enough for anybody. At every
banquet of the Kansas Day club for
years there have been Democrats pres
ent as guests-prominent Democrats,
members of the legislature, and leaders
of the party. There has never been
| any objection TO their presence 1t is
| considered rather a compliment that
| Democrats should care to attend a
function of the opposition party. 1t is
| looked upon as a hopeful sign, to be
encouraged. Why should not the Kan
sas Day club listen to speech from
| Waters, even though he may have
voted the Democratic ticket now and
then? The chances are that he voted
for Hadley and Taft in the last cleo
ton, and that ought to count a good
deal in the redemption of a Missourian.
-Sa1ina Journal