Protection, Salisbury, "Puff."

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 85, 29 December 1887, Page 4

Protection, Salisbury, "Puff."

Salisbury vigorously condemns the Protection movement! He declares it could only result in a civil war ! That's rather an exaggeration, is'n't it? Not at all 1 It's the most far-seeing and outspoken statement that he could have made, and all the more creditable to him because the Protectionist belong to his own party I Oh, Salisbury's straightforward and downright enough I Very different from Gladstone with hie doubleshuffling, snake-swallowing tricks of speech, which nobody can get a hold of any way I But how does Salisbury make out that the Protection movement could only result in a civil war P Why, in sueh a commercial and industrial country as great Britain, with an enormous mercantile, financial and social fabric baaed entirely on Treetrade, a return to Protection would involve the ruin and starvation of half the population! The question would be, which half ? But do you mean to say they would come to actual hostilities about it ?

Certainly I It would be a life and death struggle between the classes demanding Protection and the classes dependent on Freetrade! which would win ? Can there be a doubt ? The Freetraders would stamp the Protectionists into mud I But meanwhile the lose

and suffering would be frightful and it would take the Empire half a century to recover from such a struggle! There is no fear of it, is there P Not the slightest! The strongest Government that could be formed in England would be utterly powerless to carry a Protective measure! Even if they got a Parliamentary majority by any chance, the force of public opinion would overwhelm them! Besides, the leading statesmen of all parties are dead against it! Who are in favor of it, then ? There are a few cranks like Lord Dunn ven and Lord Bateman who have always been hankering after Protection in one form or anoth^! But the present movement is certainly got up by the Home Rulers in order to make a split between the Conservatives and the Liberal Unionists ! The Grand Old Mischiefmaker most likely has a hand in it! He’ll be jolly well sold, then ! Both Hartington and Salisbury are down on Protection like a thousand of bricks ! Yes, this last speech of Salisbury's will do more than anything else to close the ranks of the Unionist Allies, and weld them into one powerful party! It will gain for him the respect and attachment of men who were never able to work cordially with the Conservatives before! He seems to be knocking spots off Gladstone all along the line I He is so ! Gladstone hss’n't scored a single point si ace he broke faith with his party and threw himself into the arms of Parnell!