pro THE EDITOR OF THE " SFECTATOR."1
Sin,—When in one week we have Mr. Austen Chamberlain publicly declaring that the Conservative Party has no place for Lord Cromer and other distinguished Free-traders, and in the same week we have Mr. Balfour pleading for both wings of his party to unite, one fails to agree with your desire for union as stated in your article headed "The Ostracism of the Unionist Free-Traders." The majority of the Conservative Party is pledged to Tariff Reform. Can Unionist Free-traders who are thus in the minority honestly uphold the Free-trade flag by uniting with an overwhelming Tariff Reform majority ? What boots it for Mr. Balfour "to cry peace when there is no peace" ? Unionist Free-traders must be blind not to realise that Tariff Reform is the "password" to gain admittance to the Conservative camp. Enter if you will; your action is suicidal to Free-trade Unionism. There is only one path open to Unionist Free-traders, whose first aim is to stem this tide of Protection, and that is to act as the Liberal Unionist did during the Home-rule crisis. The result would be twofold : (1) There would be formed a United Free-trade Party ;
(2) there would be formed a party not so eager to indulge in far-reaching Socialistic schemes.—I am, Sir, &c., A UNITED FREE-TRADER.
P.S.—As the Union is not in danger at present, Unionists would sacrifice nothing by uniting with the Free-trade party at present in power.
[Our correspondent forgets that Free-trade and Socialistic legislation are incompatible ; that the Liberals by their determination to lay the foundations of an expenditure of £30,000,000 a year on old-age pensions are also laying the foundations of a general tariff. The fact is a very dis- agreeable one, but it is useless to ignore it.—ED. Spectator.]
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