By comparison with their rivals, then, the Unionist Party is
in clover. We write before any important business has been done at Yarmouth and while some who seem to have a low opinion of Mr. Baldwin's sense, not to say of his honour, predict that he will declare for Protection, though he will call it by another name. Yet Mr. Baldwin's statement of his intentions has been perfectly unambiguous. In a letter to the Chief Govern- ment Whip on August 3rd, he said " Safeguarding was the policy which was adopted at the last General Election, and it will be continued. We are pledged, and shall continue to be pledged, not to introduce Protec- tion." He added, " No manufacturing industry will be barred from presenting its case before the tribunal." There, in a very few . words, is the policy which the Government have hitherto followed, and which they mean at the most to develop along the existing lines. A Government who definitely wanted to be Protectionist obviously could not leave the matter in the hands of an impartial committee. They would have to assume full responsibility for such a tremendous change in fiscal practice as introducing general Protective tariffs.
