OCR Text |
Show I.WTt IIY .1.A1ST0M Gladstone, who has boea ready in allying himself with reform ideas, keeps away iu tho roar on the subject of tree trade, continuing to bo au ard-ontCobdenite ard-ontCobdenite in tho face of the changed conditions under which free trad! is becoming be-coming less and less desirable for England Eng-land itsoif. in a speech on Saturday, in referring to the subject, ho usjd the following language: "Our children and kinsmen in America, Amer-ica, to whom wo have kioked and miglit still look to teach us , many useful legislative lessons, havo feet up in this matter the example of a i retrograde retro-grade nation. They have thought for a moment, though I believe onlyl for a moment, that the secret of prosperity wa3 to bo found in tha fixing by gov- eminent of the channels en' j terpme .il4ml''M.Ml ' vv liicli irijVjnuity should bo exercised. ' It is a little surprising to tiiit Mr. Gi.ADsrosa using such language as that. England adopted free trade because be-cause she was master of the industrial world aud needed cheap food upon which to subsist her operatives. The contention has always been that American protection hindered outer-priso. outer-priso. Its object is to direct enterprise into new channels, and it is apparent that Mr. Gladstone realizes that it has done so. The trouble with him, as with all the free traders, is that this direction di-rection of cuterpriso into now channels in America cripples industry in Eng-laud. Eng-laud. England's solo aim is to control business, and she would follow any course ueccssary to accomplish that purpose. If sho were iu tho position of the United States sho would do just as this country has done aud men liko Mr. Gladstone would hold that it was all right. It is tho height of foolishuess for the groat Englishman to lecture Americans for "fixing by government of tho chau-iiels chau-iiels in which entorprise shouid run." It is a great political sin iu his mind for this country to do such a thing at tho expense of his own, but ho cannot criticise crit-icise us without reflecting upon English Eng-lish policy. England has been in a position po-sition where sho did not needproteetion as applied in America, but sho has very diligently arranged channels in which enterprise should run. In order to secure se-cure tho carrying trade of .tho world and to extend her commerce, she has spent enormous sums in subsidies. the has protected her commerce in every possible way, aud no expanse has been shunned vvhuu it was needed to give her control ia any field. Jl' it is wrong for tho American government to protect pro-tect American industries it is wrong for England to build up her merchant marine ma-rine by a Minii.ir policy, but Mr. Glai-sroNE Glai-sroNE would not think of criticising the methods by which England's shipping interests havo been given such wonderful wonder-ful development. i'he United States is looking out for itself, audit is doing it so effectively that England is hurt at every point. Our government wTd keep right ou working for its own 'peo-; 'peo-; pie, and its coursi should bo a hint to ! our English frieuds that such silly lcc- tures are wasted efforts. |