Free Trade and Tariffs: A Speech Delivered on July 20, 1881, to the Penge and Anerley Liberal Association (Classic Reprint) by John Slagg (Paperback / softback, 2015)
Excerpt from Free Trade and Tariffs: A Speech Delivered on July 20, 1881, to the Penge and Anerley Liberal Association I propose to-night to call your attention to matters which relate to the commerce of this country. At the present time these have, in addition to their usual importance, a special interest derived from the fact that they appear likely to form a political battle-ground for the Tory party; and I must confess that, unless some of our opponents had chosen to force Reciprocity, Protection, and Retaliation to the front as semi-political questions, there is perhaps less reason w than at any former period for the resuscitation of such obsolete theories. It is true that the negotiations w in progress for the completion of a new Commercial Treaty with France have called particular attention to the subject of our trade relations with foreign countries, and doubtless the irritation caused by the attitude w assumed by France has helped to raise the clamour for the reimposition of import duties by this country from its rmal condition of a slumbering heresy into the active form of a public agitation. I will attempt to tabulate, as well as possible from the confused and conflicting expressions of these retrograde ecomists, some statements as to the objects they have in view, and their method of obtaining them. We are told, then, that the course they advocate is good for purposes of revenue; secondly, that it will protect and foster our industries; thirdly, that it is useful in coercing foreign nations into granting us more liberal terms, or to punish them if they exclude our trade; and, further, this policy is commended on the ground of its adoption by foreign nations, and the success which is said to attend its practice. Firstly, as to the benefit of a Protectionist system to the revenue. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art techlogy to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.