THE RISK OF TARIFF REFORM.
[TO THAI EDITOR OF THZ -Spipmezon.1 SIR,—There is no doubt that the present Government has grievously disappointed many who voted for it at the last General Election, and that if there were now a strong and united Opposition its chances of repeating at the next General Election the success that brought it into office would be very small: • 'Unfortunately the Opposition is neither strong nor united, as there is every reason to believe it would be apart from the question of Tariff Reform. But upon Tariff Reform no one can speak confidently as to the views of the great mass of the voters, or even of the one man whom the majority consider the only possible leader. I would therefore venture to ask whether, so long as there is no certainty that the -working classes—upon whose vote so much depends—will vote
• for Tariff Reform, it is safe to risk everything upon the answer to that one question. No doubt many manufacturers and traders will vote in its favour, but the traditions of the terrible times amongst the poorer members of the community when the country had Protection are still so strong that it is not too much to say that it is at any rate very uncertain how the working classes will vote. Moreover, the man who was its great advocate is laid low and cannot do battle for his cause. It will probably now be admitted by all that the late Govern- ment contributed to the hugeness of their defeat by the error of judgment in not appealing to the country at an earlier date. And it would appear that a somewhat similar error may not only prevent their return to power for a long period, but result in giving the advocates of Home-rule some right to claim a mandate for that question as well as for other proposals for which at present no such claim can be made. Unfortunately the answer to the question whether the working classes are prepared to support Tariff Reform at the polls can only be given at a General Election. And to prevent a possible reverse, would it not be wiser to defer the submission to the electorate of the question of Tariff Reform or no Tariff Reform, and in • lieu thereof to undertake to institute an inquiry into the whole subject ? It is evident that the question must be sifted by a Royal Commission or in some such way 'before any legislative proposals can be submitted to Parlia- -ment. So in addition to saying, Is it desirable ? I say, Is it necessary to risk so much on the uncertain answer to this one
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