The Daily News WEDNESDAY, MAY 6. SOCIALISM AND PROTECTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 115, 6 May 1908, Page 2

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, MAY 6. SOCIALISM AND PROTECTION.

brow tlie accounts ttlul reach the coiuuies, il uouid appear iUal iue bring made by in Lngumu naa been productive ui something ,l »caie. ihe evidence i- aliimUu| by llit: speech rccenuj ueii*eied in Loid iiuaehcrj a a pie;K(<'Ut Ol l«e LJ"" oral League, lu winch ilu promulgated a polif\ Liic whoie ami and objea "i uiucii, io judge 'o' L '*e uUcraiice, <», jiulili: hn'il, ib io dam Itauk the adviimiiig udt\ U \ut!) iNi J Vli «'»" ttv i-larcd Uiai iiu iuau •uuld miaoiiain,* br cxihcUml io vou; iii> uuu miuiX'SL«. Luul cad* a i.iberal, bill caoHiluiliy Ju' i* a.i un-tu ciat, aiid Ins wlioU; iutcivaU arc li'uaid up iu m piaclicall) the tiLit'iiiciiam'u ui tlie proociil aUiic ui' Ho iaiis Lu realise tin- too pun«inlly lliai make iur liucian-in, and" thai whilst remain, prngiv.s:?. Tlu' tame cau,->e.s led U» li l '- J'tciuli Revolution. Jlud •

tury liml in I'iain.e in i/Sl) lie Jiiig'n have had Uie prescience to predict i'"' lln ii eoiiHny; eaUiMtropae. lie ealla up oll lhc people ui JOnylaliJ "io rally Lo li» 1 ' pi 'which lie Im* tfiven Iheni. us it ior a jiiojiieiiL tile march of »Soeialism could l'e stayed by words by a ''programme.' 5 Like King Canute, lie might just as well order back the sea.

Kven iu ihN yuuug and bright J»min* iun there was a Lime when tliousaims ol unemployed gathered in the streets ol , our U'wns and cities. Having no means whereby lo live, the burden ol sustain [ in" these uuiorluualcs fell upon others, j and very many fell under u. when i employment was given, when tile wci'e cleared, a blessed relict" came. Let Lord Kosebery calculate the thousands oi people in Uritish workhouses, the thousands living on out-door relief, what tlie cost of this dead weight is to the community, and then let til's coniparalively small fragment be added in tii< -.rujiglilig unemployed, tile vast masses Mink iu hopeless poverty— on the brink oi crime and the gaol -and compare tnc H total of human sniveling with tiie ln.\ S ury, tile extravagance, the wa-ir lual tl prevails on tile oilier hand, and pi'"- !!|'* oabiy he will begin to realise how ea ii is tor intelligent men Lo driu nuo | the vortex of frociali.Mii. Lord iU'sebcry liad "read wuJi pained .surprise the protest 011 behali ol {Socialism, signed liy one hundred ministers of religion, wiio seemed imperfectly to comprehend the doctrines they had advocated." The doctrines they had advocated had at all events been intimately associated with the early Christian Church, but however that may be, they had no doubt in their ministrations beell all too frequently brought face to fiiL' L ' with horrible conditions of misery and snU'cring, and conditions had converted them—as they were converting thousands of the laity—as nothing else could.

Lord Rosebery declares that "if it conies to a choice between .Socialism and Protection, I shall have no hesitation, disagreeable as tile course may be, of preferring Protection." The mystery is liy what process of ratiocination the noble lord came lo put protection and socialism ill juxtaposition as alternative courses. As an ardent Freetrader, Lord Rosebery surely cannot believe that the adoption of protection j will result in such a large, measure of social amelioration as to ell'eclivclv stay the progress of Socialism. Germany, France, ami America have protective larill's, ami in all of these lands the Socialists are much more and powerful than in Huglund. Tlie . adoption of a policy of protect ion or the continuance of Free-trade matters not the least lo the Socialists. What the nolde lord probably meant to convey is that, in order to resist the pro gress of the Socialists, however terrible the ordeal might be, he would be willing to join and eo-operatc with Protgetioni^lk. This serves to illustrate how groat the scare is; indeed, it seems to be more than a scare—it partakes of tile nature of u panic. Again, lariguag' proves inefficient. Lord Rosebery'talks o! Protectionists when as a matter of fact there are no Protectionists in the real meaning of the word, in England. Tile colonies having frunklv extended preference to (treat Brit a in, have a-ked that with a view to solidifying the Umpire. some degree of preference should be granted by the Motherland to them, and the most: th 0 wildest Tariff Reformer in England has claimed is that this should be conceded.

Possibly for the Motherland to coiiced-.' a slight fiscal preference to her colonial children might, in a small degree, he regarded as an infringement of the broad principle of Free-trade: hut. to characterise generally all who favor such a concession being made as Protectionists is surely a misuse of terms. Many years have passed since the people of EnWand fought out the question of Free-trade or protection, and there is no reason to doubt their loyalty in the muiii to the decision arrived a(. It would be well to rem ember, however, that Hi,, conditions have very materially changed so r the colonies are concerned." Sixty years ago the great self-governino colonies were not in existence. The baliv communities have since developed into groat tree States, pafh the nf a|| extensive commerce, pouring into r„e Motherland their millions of tons of OMW, ~ h|, I ,rCSPnt conditio,. iL X 7'f' 1 wh(!n thfi "-'ondeinnaof Protection w as about to be nro.vounced, ,t is probable that a modificatiMi would have been allowed in favor of the colonies. Tn the eves of Lord Rosebery it is quite a terrible thin* to imagine himself fighting side bv "side tIon l irv roteet,o " iSt '' : ' aga ' nSt 4,10 ™ vo1 "- but thl,r Pagandll of tho Socialists, but th ngs may not. be so awfully bad • i lieyes. First lie has to find the protectionists.