THE PRIME MINISTER'S PAMPHLET.
The Prime Minister's Pamphlet. By Julian Sturgis. (Long- mans and Co. l.)—Mr. Sturgis thinks that he may be blamed for troubling about Mr. Balfour's pamphlet, because "it is of small importance " ; but his reply to that stricture is that it con- tains the present policy of the Conservative party. We should be inclined to make the counter-rejoinder that it may have done so for a month or two, but does so no longer. Who cares about Mr. Belfour's ingenious subtleties now that the air is ringing with the brazen eloquence of more strident voices ? Still, the author of the pamphlet is the Prime Minister, and Mr. Sturgis disposes of him with point and brevity. He makes one matter clear which is too often forgotten, that directly we begin taxing food we shall arouse the hostility of Western America. That portion of the United States is little affected by the interchange of courtesies continually passing between Britain and the great cities of the East ; but it had begun to suspect us less since the Spanish- American War, and that growing good feeling we are invited to jeopardise,—for what? He is also correct in pointing out the absurdity of Mr. Balfour's fears for the future. Both in America and Germany the future is with the Free-traders ; but we are proposing to bolster up the tottering fabric of Protectionism in those countries by imitating it when the majority of their citizens are rallying to its destruction. The fatuity of our Protectionists is not diminished by the fact that they are helping to discredit the Free-trade cause throughout the world while they profess to desire its progress.
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