It is
possibly pardonable then that the British manufacturer and politician
should seek earnestly the fourth requisite, viz., a large market abroad.
Hence the necessity of free trade.
"To advocate publicly that other nations should adopt free trade, that
England might have an increased number of buyers, and consequently
greater profit on her products, perhaps would not be judicious; so the
principle of free trade for the world at large must be sugar-coated, to
be acceptable. Therefore your philanthropic and alert Richard Cobden, and
John Bright, and your skilled writers, both talked and wrote much about
the 'brotherhood of mankind,' hoping that the markets of the world might
willingly open wide their doors to British traders. Of course, advocates
of free trade reason that the larger the number of buyers the larger the
prices.
"Mr. Searles, whenever America can command, as Great Britain does
to-day, cheap capital, cheap labor, and cheap raw materials, she too
may vociferously advocate free trade, and that other nations shall open
wide their markets for the sale of American products.
"Don't you see, Mr. Searles, that protection and free trade are equally
selfish and not philanthropic principles?"
"Mr.
Pages:
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47