Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1909-09-29
A Historical Speech.

Mr.. Arthur James Balfour, former
prime minister, ana present leader
of the unionist party of the United
Kingdom, made a remarkable speech
at Birmingham. England's manufac-
turing metropolis, a few days ago.
He boldly advocated a protective tar
iff policy for the kingdom as the
only means of adequately meeting
the crushing competition from the
United States and Germany. When
the far-seeing Joseph Chamberlain,
retired to private life a few years
ago, broken in health and in spirit
by the refusal of HIS countrymen to
follow his lead and adopt the policy
of protection, predictions were made
on all sides that England would never
desert free trade. Mr.. Balfour. who
was then premier, and always has
been a shrewder politician than Mr..
Chamberlain, declined at that time
to join Mr.. Chamberlain in a move
ment for protection. He did not, it
is true, commit himself on the ques-
ton, and he broadly intimated that
he believed the time was approach
ing when it would become the duty
of British statesmen to seriously
consider the ACCESSIBILITY of making
a change in the traditional policy.
The failure of the two leaders of
the unionist party to stand together
for a definite program led TO apathy
in the unionist ranks, and a great
victory of the liberals, under Mr..
Henry Campbell-B Zimmerman, was won
at the ensuing election.
Mr.. Balfour now makes it clear
that he has all along believed that
Mr.. Chamberlain was right-he has
merely thought it inopportune hith-
erto to say so. 1t was necessary, he
says, for the voters TO have ample
time to think over and digest the
grave proposal. In his Birmingham
speech he committed himself irrev-
ocably to the doctrine of protection.
He told the Birmingham voters that
the days of Great Britain's unchal-
lenged supremacy in the industries
were gone-never to return. The
United States was building up the
greatest commercial empire" ever
seen on earth. Germanys idustrial
progress was unexampled. almost
staggering" in its achievements.
ter of a Europe commercially armed
against Great Britain" The New
York Suns cable quotes him as
adding that it was amazing, even
contemplate, that the people of this
country should sit with folded arms,
hiding themselves behind the anti
quated free trade formula, and watch
those empires forging the weapons
with which they were going to cap
her sphere of commercial influence"
The liberal budget, if adopted, would
send British capital abroad for in
vestment in foreign mills. He pointed
out that British capitalists wanted
profit on their investments, and if
they could not get satisfactory profit
at home they would withdraw their
capital and place it in the United
States. The budget had raised the
most important issue Tor many years,
he said, land the nation had now
to decide whether to enter upon an
upward, hopeful forward movement
of tariff reform, or take the first
Though in nowise lasD step on the
downward track which leads to the
bottomless confusion of socialistic
legislation" A letter from Mr..
Chamberlain was read. Il hope" he
wrote. 'the house of lords will see
the way to force a general election.
and / have no doubt of what the
country's answer will be-"
That one of the great political
parties of the United Kingdom will
definitely make the protective prin-
ciple one of its chief planks in the
next election seems certain now, in
view of Mr.. Balfours bold leader
ship of the movement. His speech
at Birmingham. is likely to mark a
historical turning in the fiscal policy
of England.
These developments have par
ticular interest for the people of
the United States. Prosperous. free
trade England" has been the favorite