New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-19
London, January
friend writes me:

ing upon lee shore"
AS the world includes England and
the British Empire. it appears that
England and the British Empire must
with the rest OF the globe. be drifting
upon lee shore. The United States OF
America must be drifting also. Ny
friend is writer and which is more
unusual. a thinker: capable Of giving
reasons for any faith that is in him.
He is an economist; naturally prone TO
take economic views; or even financial
And he appeals to me to warn you:
Not TO lose a moment in securing
something remedial, such as the Aldrich
plan OF currency. ] never saw a situa-
ton so alarming. 1t is quite mex
plicable that Wall Street does not
wake up"
/ | transmit this warning. though when
at home last month | had been hearing
all the time that never had America, or
at least the United States, been so
and otherwise. However. my immedi-
ate business is with England. and
| think il possible enough my friend has
some ground for putting forward once
more what Carlyle called the condi-
tion OF England question" He is a
Tariff Reformer and still more an I'm
perialist: and in those two important
characters says
1T is a melancholy and a fitting COM
mentary that all the cohesive Fed
eralist side-'the direction OF Emigra
tion by preferenCe'-is now being
'chucked by the Unionist party. The
issue was in two parts, Preference
Empire Making) and Protection. The
latter only survives
Of course believe that the salvation
| Of this country is to be worked out II
at all. by the party which represents
| the Conservative forces Of this country.
| That is the UniOnist party. All the de-
structive forces are to be found IN the
Radical party. which still calls itself the
Liberal party, and in its allies. Yet II
! is the Radical party which, 10 all sp-
4
the Unionist party. which cannot keep
itself united During the last few
weeks il has been doing its best to be-
come disunited. The attempt TO make
or keep Imperial Preference living
faith and policy has nearly rent it in
| twain; though in a very unequal di-
vision. The question has been dis
! cusseC as a question OF taxes on food.
! which the minority hold 70 be the only
means of insurlng Imperial Preference
! 10 the Colonies, and therefore Of bind
| ing the Empire together. Canada APP
pears TO be Of that mind and says, or
some Of her leaders say, not otherwise
is any such theory as Imperial Prefer
| ence possible. Their message TO Eng
| land is:
| You must insure us a substantial
advantage in your markets. and YOU
| cannot 90 that otherwise than by tax
| ing non colonial wheat wherever it
comes from; or perhaps by bounty 20
colonial wheat, which would mean
much the same thing"
! To which the English Protectionist
replies
Yes. in principle that, no doubt, is
so. but Food Taxes are unpopular In
England. and if we pledge ourselves to
impose them the workingman will re-
volt and we shall lose the next cleo
ton; and with it all chance Of saving
the country from the immense dangers
which threaten it,"
And they therefore are for post
pOning the question TO a future time
or, alternatively. for submitting il 70
the people as a specific issue, 10 be de-
termined not in the usual way by a
general election but by a Referendum
Mr.. Balfour, who has never completely
rid his mind of inherited Free Trade
superstitions, thought some time age
that a Referendum might be sOlu-
ton. Mr.. Bonar Law. the present
leader Of the Unionist party. speaking
three weeks ago at Ashton under
LYME. announced for himself and some
of his colleagues, that it was not GER
tain whether II and when his party re-
turned 10 power, taxes would be put on
foodstuffs But he asked for power tC
impose such duties, within certain mar
row limits, '1f the Dominion repre-
sentatives at an Imperial Conference
should consider them TO be not merely
desirable but necessary for carrying
through a preferential arrangement
This was attacked as leaving the
party in an uncertain position as
weighing it with contingent obliga-
tons not likely TO win votes. and as
making imperial legislation dependent
on Colonial opinion. The Times took
that line. THE Daily Mail" expressed
a like view in terms Of characteristic
energy. Here was an example OF that
peril which Mr.. Garvin pointed out not
long ago in "The Pail Mall Gazette
the peril Of a too great authority con-
centrated in a single man; Lord North
cliffe. who practically owns The Daily
Mail" and practically controls The
Times" The controversy spread, ano
became fierce, and for d time the
Unionist party appeared 10 be in dan
ger of disruption. or Of losing its leader
The attack on Food Taxes was repre-
scented as an attack on Mr.. Bonar Law
Radical journals welcomed all this with