At Stockport, on Monday, in addressing a Conservative Club, Sir
Richard Cross entered on the delicate subject of Fair-trade, and very wisely repudiated all taxation of the food of the people, whether bread or meat ; indeed, he truly reminded his audience that he had always rejoiced in the increased import of American beef. He admitted that a great part of the improve- ment in England had been due to Free-trade, but,—there is always a " but " to these Conservative admissions,—the Ameri- cans themselves are evidently determined to exclude our exports, and why should we not inquire into the reasons of our recent commercial depression, even if they should modify Free-trade P Why not, indeed, only that any one who knows what Free-trade means, knows that we can only hurt ourselves by putting any limitations upon it. The Americans have hurt themselves by it, and hurt themselves very considerably. As Sir John Lubbock showed, in his able address to the Liberal Association at Lewisham this week, our foreign trade has increased very much faster than theirs, and obviously on this account. Then, again, Sir Richard Cross will have it that the Fair-trade movement is of working-class origin. SD far as we have observed, all its most enthusiastic advocates are of the middle or higher classes, like Mr. Chaplin, Mr. Lowther, and Lord Salisbury. We do not at all believe that the Working Men's imprimatur can fairly be affixed to the Fair-trade movement. The Trades Unions, at least, pointedly disown it.
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