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THEWEAK}IATIIII{StlF THETI'ORLO.
I love to readthe Age. But for the Age I might have been a Free
Trader, an upholder of the exploded fetich of Cobdenism. Day by day
my faith broadens in the all wisdom of my infallible teacher, while
gratitude streams from my heart continually, as I ever gain deeper
insight into the profundities of scientific economics. How does it stir
my soul and move my heart with pity when, with my now enlightened
vision, I contemplate all the fear-stricken countries scattered over this
rolling sphere. With what dismay and apprehension does each rightly
regard the other. And right it is that this spirit of funk should be
universal. For only consider what weaklings are the nations. How
their feeblenessappeals to the tender-hearted. But recently did a prominent member of the Republican Party prove that Canada with her
possibilities is a menace to United States trade. Across the border
the Dominion Protectionist leaders plead Canada's cause against those
who would throw her into the cauldron of competition with the mighty
American Republic. ,Germany, with wise care, protects herself against
the onslaughts of the British manufacturer, and in Britain a patriotic
propaganda rages to rouse the people there to their danger in hugging
the Free Trade delusion, and to waken them to the menace of the
German trader. Nearly every country in Europe realises its pitiable
helplessnessagainst foreign competition, and strenuously protects itself against every other country. Australia, too, is fully alive to a
true comprehension of its weakness and incapacity to hold its own in
open competition, and carefully guards its shores against the foreign
trade invader, while New Zealand shrieks aloud for more protection
against its trader foes. How true the words, " To be weak is to be
miserable."
It is a tragic world for nations that would live. All are weak, and
each is wedker than the other. Protection is imperative to one and all;
without it every country courts certain annihilation.
In Australia, w€re it not for Protection, our factories could not
hold their own. They would close down. The employees would be,
discha,rged. There would be no work, and starvation would closely
follow the heels of unemployment. Our wise men say so, and it must
be so, for they agree wtth the Age. Without Protection New Zealand
would suffer a like fate. Their wise men say so, and they must know,
for their views are upheld by the Age.
And if the nations of Europe, Canada, United States, South America, South Africa, etc., adopted Free Trade, all those nations too
'Ihe
Age
would go down in irretrievable, overwhelming disaster.
says so. All their wise men say so, too. For each, in the case of his
own land, tells how it could not possibly compete in trade with other
lands. That, if his country threw down its barriers, the others would
invade, slvamp, ancl ruin it. How plain, then, it all is that if all nations aclqpted Free,Trade, all nations would rush in and dump and
dump till the earth resounded.
Without Protection everybocly in the world would be out of work.
The combinerlargurnentsof the wise men'prove it, and it harmonises
witlr tlre printiples expounded by the Age. Production throughout the
world rvould be paralysecl; everything would come to a standstill;
nothing woulcl be made anylvhers-no boots, no clothes, no machinery.
Tl.rerewoulcl be fio mo're wool, no more meat, no more corn. Mankind
worrld sit with folded hancls. There would be nothing for the people
to do btrt to clie, and bury one another, or vicc versat:
Englancl would ffood the world with goods, becauseof the absence
of protective tariffs to resist her. But owing to being a Free Trade
corlntry all her people would be unemployecl. Ge,rmany would delugi:
her tvith goorls made in Germany, but in Germany, owing to Free
Trade, every factory would be closed down, and every vvorker be idle.
In every lancl the clang of the workshop would be hushed. Everyborly r,vorrlclbe in r,vant. for through Free Trade every country in the
rvorlcl woulcl be swan4reclwith food, clothing, and manufactured arr
ticles of every conceivablekincl. With everybody in the world out of
rvolk, r,vith goods being dumped on every shore in payment for goods
received, ',vith enormotts production on every hand, through countries
being able to thrrs clrrrnptheir goods into all other countries, with universal idleness and nniversal dtur-rping,rleluging, invading, and swamping-Oh ! hox, can people upholcl Free Tracle when it only requires a
little intelligence to be a Protectionist. Only a little intelligence-not
too nrrtch.
The FREE TRADE aNd LAND VALUES LEAGUE
Invites yoru attention to its platform. If yotr agree with any of its
planks yoll are askecl to join the League and help bring about the
clesiredreform. Follorving is a brief outline of the
PLATFORM OF TflE LEACUE.
trEDIlRAL.-r.
Abolition of Customs and Excise Taxes, beginning u,'ith those on food, clothing ancl tools of indr-rstry. z. In substitLition for Cnstoms and Excise Taxes, the perfecting of the present
Lancl Values Tax by the abolition of the exemptions and graduations.
Reduction of Railway freights and fares, limiting
STATE.-I.
the charges to rvorking expenses only. z. Abolition of Stamp duties.
3. Abolition of the Income Tax, which is inquisitorial, costly and unjust. 4. Constrttction ancl maintenance of main roads by the State.
5. The necessary revenrle to be obtained by Land Values Taxation.
MUNICIPAL.-I.
Exemption of improvements from Rating.
z. To make Crown and Railway Lands rateable in the same way as
privately-ownecl lanrls. 3. Abolition of plural voting.
valuation of land for all purposes-local, State,
GENERAI-.-One
and Fecleral. Proporti"t"l
1"pffi
Aoonpss-t-ondon House, 97 Elizabeth St., MELBOURNE.
Lr.lrl-nr No. 3.]
Phone 8o35