Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-04-14
OPEN
TRADE ATTACKED
Long Cherished British Custom Suffer.
ing Blow rs Result of Recent
Revolt at Manchester.


volt of Manchester, the home of Cob
den, against the cherished British ira
dition of open markets for the goods
of all the world, was only the start in
a movement which has gone steadily
forward in the great industrial CEN
tiers of the country, Birmingham, Shelf
field, Edinburgh, Leeds, and practical
ly all of the important trade Centers
joining in the move for a straight-out
tariff law. 1t is not a political move
ment, as tariff controversies in the
United States have been: this is essen
TALLY an economic movement, sponta-
neous in trade and agricultural quar-
tiers, with the war and the feeling
against German competition as the
chief incentive to a change.
1T has reached the point" said an
American official who has been closely
studying the movement that any op-
pOnent of tariff is now denounced as
a German sympathizer, so that the old
Golden men and free traders are
obliged to keep silent for fear of los
ing their reputation by being classed
as Germans"
All the large commercial cities with
out exception came out definitely for
tariff law at the recent gathering here
of commercial bodies from all parts of
the kingdom. Manchester. the second
city in the country. had already shown
its position by retiring its board of di
rectors who proposed free trade res
olution and sought to send free trade
delegates to London So Manchester
ence, for the significant reason that it
had refused to approve the presence of
free trade delegates But Birmingham.
Sheffield and all the other great CEN
tiers were represented in an impress
sive gathering of the men who run the
big industries of the country; a gath
ering of hardheaded business men,
each one of them looking like the typi-
cal John Bull, and all of them imbued
with the idea that the old traditions
must 60 and new tariff law take its
place The resolutions of these differ
/ ent cities show the varying shades Of
view, but all in the same general direc-
| ton of a tariff.
| Birmingham resolution asked that
| the government inquire into the desir-
/ ability of fostering and safeguarding
I British industries which have suffered
/ from foreign competition. mainly from
Germany. AS originally drawn the
Birmingham resolution had boldly used
the word protection" and the program
headed the Birmingham resolution
with the title: Protection and Deyel-
opment of Industries" But conserva-
| ton prevailed on the use Of words
protection being a new and strange
/ word in a country Of free trade tradi-
/ tions-and the fostering and safe
guarding" of British industries was
/ finally hit upon and adopted as a
! phrase less Earring to the old ideas
/ Sheffield's resolution was even firmer
and declared: That forthwith there
should be put in hand the necehssary
! inquiry for raising a very substantial
portion of the revenue by import
! duties" Sheffield also proposed: That
encouragemen and, if need be, fnan-
cial aid must be accorded to the deyel-
Opment in these realms of such trades
as are necessary for national safety
and are indispensable to the due devel-
opment of other industries which have
hitherto been the monopoly of alien
enemy countries"
Edinburgh's resolution declared that
"a discriminating customs tariff is nee
essary, and should be prepared forth
with" Edinburgh also declared that
British trade policy should render
this country Independent Of supplies
from those countries in active or lat
ent hostility TO us
Leeds proposition stated; at is de-
sirable to institute a three-fold tariff,
namely: /. A British empire tariff ::
2. A general tariff TO be applied with
probable discrimination to neutral and
enemy countries. That each of the
tariffs should be maximum tariff, and
that tariff No. 3 should be higher than
! the other two"
Norwich proposed: That a maxi
mum and minimum British tariff on
imported manufactured goods should
| be set up, with a sur-taX on goods rom
! q \ A 1n
allowed to allies and neutral countries
/ in return for special reciprocal ad-
vantages."
! Liverpool. Leicester, Derby, Brad
ford and many other great seats of in
! dustry had similar resolutions, differ
/ ing only in phraseology, showing a
! practically universal sentiment for a
/ tariff law which would revolutionize
| the established economic system. Man
chesters resolution, sent in before its
| board OF directors had been overthrown
because they adhered to free trade,
voiced their view thus: ut 1s highly
committed to any such far-reaching de
cision as the modification of our pres
ent fiscal system" But this resolution
the only expression for adhering to
| the old policy-was withdrawn, as
Manchester itself had reversed this
policy and was choosing commercial
directors favoring a tariff.
| All OF these varying shades OF tariff
view from different parts of the coun-
try were finally incorporated In two
resolutions, by Birmingham and Lon