TO THE EDITOR OF THE INDEPENDENT.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXV, Issue 3042, 6 September 1870, Page 4

TO THE EDITOR OF THE INDEPENDENT.

Siu, — The enclosed copy of my previous letter, "Protector," of tho Bth current, I bog to forward, the original having been miscarried or mislaid : — Sir, — .Feeling exceedingly Jiko a crushed bug, tho life nearly out of me by another " Free Trader," I | beg you will allow me to reply in as midtiun in parvo as possible. To occupy your columns in answering his letter — which is a mere quibble from beginning to end — as in no instance does it reply to my letter on protection, would be out of the question to follow him, but with your leave — I dony having asserted that "tree trade would not apply in a colony ;" that, on the contrary, it would apply if genuine, but that the charlatan system or theory of free trade would not apply. Had " Another Free Trader" explained what he meant by froo fcrado as I asked him, I would hare had something to go by, bub as ho appears to be quite destitute of any knowledge of what he means by free trade, and as he has misrepresented what I said in aiy previous letter, I will ju9fc copy from it a few words, viz. : — " My own view of free trado is open ports to every nation in tho world, and no Customs-house at all." And bolow, " nftev ten or fifteen years, do away with Customs duties, go iv for free trade and direct taxation." Now, does thi.« not show "Another Free Trader" not only " ignorant of his ignorance," but a flippant quibbier and a falsifier of tho statements and ideas of others ; says atemble deal about nothing, iv fact it would be a waste of your space to follow "Another Free Trader" in his red herring trick to tho moon and the rest of our planetary system, out and beyond it ; perhaps to heaven ; but as to whether the material univerao is made up of invisible points of needles and pins or of atoms of green cheese, " Another Free Trader" rmißt decide for himself. lam content to believe it was and is being " made out of nothing," that is to say, something invisible. Perhaps " Another Froo Trader" would bo more fortunate with his red herring to try a hit at tho laws of gravitation, or on tho fickle play of the (Magnetic attraction and repulsion of the mariner' b needle, or on uuimal magnetism, or on the new and exciting and interesting thomo of " Did man ever swing a tail." I could oven admit this theory, and also of the power that relieved him of his graceful pendulous ornament and superseded it by hands and digits thai; would apply where the other would not. For instance, it could not bo supposed by any " theoi'jr" ■whatever to scratch his head (or its antipodes) with his tail j or raise his l,ile (hat) to a lady ; tho theory is an impossible ono ; just aa impossible as "Another Freo Trader's" charlatan system of free trade is, viz, to have a heavy duty — import— on all the articles we cunnot produce, and no duty on flour and cereals. This class of reneoncra consider it almost as sacrilege to put a tax on tho bread that Heaven sends us, as if nil other blessings came from an opposite direction. If " Another Freo Tr>tder" is no better up in | mathematics or natural philosophy than be is in ! political economy, hois a mere eh u-latan, wishing us to believe he is a profound man of scionce. In conclusion, I am quite willing to bolieve I am "a good sort of person" or "ignorant of my ignorance." He may beat me in both, and I will not Tall out with him ; I will even toss up which is which. Sir, just allow me to add tliafc J. S. Mill has been rejected as a candidato for Parliament, as deluded free trado principles has brought tens of thousands of artizans to beggnry. As one instance, millions of knife-blades are made on tho Continent, stumped Sheffield, and sont thera to be handled. Much esteemed, aa Mr Travora is, if he had not resigned, ho would also have boon rejected horo by his constituents. On tho Continent — so called— free trade isvery unsatisfactory. England is finding out its fallacy, America rejects it, Melbourne will not havo it, and there is a general coloninl cry for protection ; that is what is really wanted in absence of genuine free trade. — I am, &c, Pjjoxectoe. P.S. — Tho rich wore never richer and tho poor poorer than at the present timo in England, and have beon made so by charlatan freo trado. Rangitikoi, 31st August, 1870.