The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-03-25
Test is the Greatest Since the
Historic Days of Golden
and Bright in England.
Correspondents Of Associated Presu,l

4 Correspondence Of Associated PresEl
LONDON. March 25--FTee trade.
the very cornerstone OF the British
fiscal policy. iS going through the
greatest trial 1t has had since tho
historic days OF Golden and Bright
and greater far than the upheAVal OF
Il dozen years ago when Joseph
Cham herlaIn threw the bomb Of pro-
lection. The latter agitation YVES
political with the picturesque per-
s0nallty OF Chamberlain behind It,.
! but this new movement Is sponta-
neOus with the people and great buHl-
ness organizations. and Is gaining
strength AZ It. proceeds. 1t began In
the group OF great commercial cities
Manchester. Birmingham, Sheffield
and Bradford---lInked together as
! one community. and IL sweeping
through the country. rlvnlllng even
the war as n topic OF heated discus
| sion. and taking firm hold OF the
government itself.
Manchester. the. citadel Of free
trade and the home OF Golden, has
taken the most drastic action in re-
iectlng the traditional doctrine on
which god deal OF Its fame rests.
The board of directors of It's cham
Der Of commerce, being men Inherit
ing the old Golden spirit. sought to
rrasHert the traditions of the city by
reIteratlng the Manchester doctrine
Of free trade. BY unanimous vote of
thirty out OF thIrty-three directors
present. they adopted the following
resolutions:
THE Manchester chamber OF COM
MERGE adhere to the policy OF free
trade. not mere doctrinnl free
trade. but free trade for the purpose
Of admitting imports at the lowest
possible cost. especially raw materI-
MS and semi-manufactured articles,
which are practically the raw ma
terlals Of various trades: and the
chamber reststs proposals for protac-
tive tariffs. seeing that these bolster
up artifcially inefficient industry ut
the expense OF the community"
Storm Brought On.
This resolution brought on a storm
such aB Manchester has not seen
since the war began. 1t was ut once
challenged by the new protective
element OF the body. and vote called
for by the full chamber. On the
vote. the directors were overwhelm-
ed. two to one, 988 to SGT. n major
ity of 461 against them and their
free trade pronouncement. The po-
Bltlon OF the directors Mt once be-
came untenable. and the thirty who
had passed the resolution submit
ted their designations. These were
accepted with thanks and cheers. and
q new board not committed to free
trade Is being chosen. The men who
resigned include two Manchester
members OF parliament, Mr. Need
ham and Mr.. MIDI, and many OF the
solid old figures OF Manchester life.
But 1t was not so much the action it
self. but the symptom 1t showed OF a
deep change of sentiment at the
home OF the old free trade move
ment. which has aroused the llveliest
comment here and throughout the
country.
Birmingham and the other Indus
trial communities have spoken along
similar lines, but without the sensa-
tional exit OF the staid free trade d.
rectors. Birmlnghan's resolution
calls for the appointment of business
men 10 formulate business policies.
particularly the formation OF a gen
eral tariff system. This is recognized
as part of the same movement
against the traditional policy, and
against the intellectuals and large
lawycr-eletnent in public life which
support the old policies.
Important Question.
Following the Manchester agita-
tion, the London Spectator, one OF
the most solid organs OF conserva-
tive public opinion, posed the ques-
tion: In our opinion the time has
come when the government should
impose general tariff" 1t went on
to say that the new tariff should
take the form OF general ad valoren
duties Of ten per cent on all goods
entering the country. the ad valorem
being settled by board OF apprais-
ers without appeal similar tn the
American system. When the war Is
over. 1t added. special commercial
treatment might be given to the al
lied nations, such as France, Italy
and Russia and to neutrals who
nave prayed tl'N EtlHlep llllH 4uILEI
apparently applying to the United
States in case It's policy on the block
ade and armed merchantmen did not
become too onerous for the allies. 1t
declared that the need OF a general
tariff was now universally admit
ted: that income taxes had now
reached a maximum and should not
he further increased, and that India
and Egypt were already applying an
nd valorem tariff system.
Lord Cromer. who applied the ad
valorcm tariff to Egypt. was one OF
the first of the important personalI-
ties to endorse the proposal for the
same system In England. "As an old
1 and convinced free trader" he wrote,
~ should like to say that agree gem
orally with your view expressed IN
Why not general TARIFF have
for long thought that the govern
ment should have introduced such a
tariff at an early period OF the war.
The imposition of indirect taxes for
revenue purposes Is In no way on