(TO THE EDITOR OP THE " SFECTATOD..".1
Siu,—Mr. Bonar Law with the generosity so characteristic of popular orators has offered the Conservative Free Traders the liberty to choose by which sauce they will be cooked—the Socialist sauce or the Protectionist sauce. May I be allowed to express to Mr. Bonin. Law my grateful acknowledg- ments of his generous offer and at the same time to point out to my fellow-Conservative Free Traders that the offer con- tains a petitio principiiP—for there is no reason why we should be killed or cooked at all. No one can compel us to kill our- selves or to be killed by others, and we are quite at liberty to live and preserve our corporate existence.
Tho means of self-preservation are simple. We can remain Conservatives, but withdraw our names and subscriptions from Protectionist organizations and transfer our names and subscriptions to individualist organizationa such MS the British Constitution Association, the Constitutional Free Trade Association, the Anti-Socialist Union, or other similar bodies.
This "means" (I feel sure the Protectionist papers will forgive my infringement of their patent rights in the word) " means," after all, I am merely taxing the foreigner. But
this " means" that we do not support the theory that it is possible to promote the prosperity of a people by increasing their taxation and hampering their trade ; whilst we aid with our efforts those who are engaged in the defence of liberty and property. It also " means " that at the next election we aro free to vote against Socialism and at the following election to vote against Protection. Finally, it " means " that when the imposture of taxing the foreigner or robbing the idle rich has been exposed by experience a rallying ground will be preserved for the disillusioned dupes of the two competing forms of Socialism.
am, Sir, Sas., GRAHAM Bowes. Studwell Lodge, Drozford, Hants.
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