[TO THE EDITOR Or TRY " SPECTATOR. "] SIR, — The majority of
your correspondents upon the above subject in your current issue are Unionist Free Traders, and one of them a Free Trader first and a Unionist after. Will you allow one who is a convinced Tariff Reformer, but a Unionist and Covenanter first, to raise his feeble voice to plead with his fellow Tariff Reformers to use every effort to obtain from our leaders the pledge that Food Taxes at least should be submitted to a Referendum before being enacted ? What possible injury could be done to the good cause of Tariff Reform by such a pledge ? Surely no Tariff Reformers desire to obtain Tariff Reform against the will of the people, or, if there be such, surely their number must be a negligible quantity. Is the great and predominant, yes sacred, cause of the Union to be used by any as a mere lever to obtain Tariff Reform? I say "sacred cause," for is it not the cause of liberty for all Irishmen P Is it not the cause which aims at saving us from the tyranny of the United League and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, which seeks to save us and our country from the disgrace of being governed by the party which in the past encouraged repudiation of contracts and, at the least, winked at outrage and murder—" keeping silence," as the late Lord Spencer said (after he had become a. Home Ruler), " when speech would have been golden" P Why take the slightest risk (and would it be slight risk P) when such a cause is at stake P As to the objection that Tariff Reform is too complicated a subject for Referendum, the official report of the Referendum on the last revision of the Swiss Constitu- tion furnishes a sufficient answer. This Referendum contained over a hundred articles, many with several sub-sections. It worked smoothly and its results have been satisfactory. All Unionists must feel a deep debt of gratitude to you, Sir, for your action with reference to our great cause. I hope you will keep hammering away. Let not the victory at Bow and Bromley lead any Unionist to forget the lesson of Bolton.
0 that the United Kingdom may soon follow the example, in another way, of Switzerland, that country which is so absolutely free from militarism, in imposing the obligation (should not one rather say, "granting the privilege " ?) of universal military training !—I am, Sir, &c.,
[Our correspondent is not quite correct on one point. The majority of correspondents protesting against the withdrawal of the Referendum pledge have been Tariff Reformers, not Unionist Free Traders. This to us, who place the Union above Free Trade, is the most disquieting of all the signs and omens. We are quite prepared to acquiesce loyally in the Albert Hall policy, provided it is the will of the majority of the Tariff Reformers. But if it is only the will of a minority of them, and if the majority agree with our correspondent, then we are indeed in a false position.—ED. Spectator.]
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