Lord Bateman proposes to the country, in Monday's Times, to
recognise the policy of Free-trade as a failure, and to return 'to a policy of " limited Protection." If the worthy Peer would only tell us what his proposed limitations are to be, he would, perhaps, give us the means of considering his case. This he does not do. But if we understand the hints of his letter aright, what he wants to do is to retaliate in our English tariff on all foreign 'countries which adopt a tariff hostile to us. And there, we sup- pose, he would put his " limit" on Protection ; beyond that, he would not go. However, that is quite far enough. If he would only show us that it would be worth our while to punish a man who had cost both himself and us a pound each through 'his foolish stipulations, by insisting on further stipulations of a nature to take another pound out of our own pockets as well as another pound out of his,—we would become his disciples. But to rip yourself up in order to compel your enemy to do likewise is a feat attempted only in fairy tales, and even in fairy tales it is only done in appearance, while Lord Bateman would have us do it in reality, for the melancholy pleasure of seeing the unpleasant effect thereby produced on our antagonists.
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