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Lorsi|ue le document est trop grand pour §tre reprociuct en un seul cliche, 11 est fiimi A partir de I'angle sup6rleur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'imagas nAcessalre. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. by errata ned vo lent une pelure, fapon A I. 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 ^fit'i.i •riiE RESULTS OF THE NATIONAL POLICY. A PAPER READ BEFORE THE YOUKG MEN'S REFORM CLUB OF MONTREAL, BY MR. R. S. WEIR, B.C.L. The above was the subject of a paper read before the members of the Young Men's Reform Club ot Montreal, on Tues- day Evening, April 12th, 1881, by Mr, E. S. Weir, B.C.L. He spoke as follows : — Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen — You are aware that a 2 aper bearing the title that I have taken tor the present one, was deliver- ed before the Junior Conservative Club of this city a short time ago. The writer of that paper took as the text of his political sermon an amendment introduced in the House of Commons by Sir John A. Mac- donald in 1878. I am (luite willing to take the same text for my discourse. It reads as follows : — " That this House is of opinion that the wel- fare of Canada requires the adoption of a Na- tional Policy which, by a judicious readjust- ment of the tariff, will benotit aud roster ti.e agricultural, the mining, tlie manufacturing and other industries of tlie Dominion. Tliat such policy will retain in Canada those of our fellow-countrymen now obliged to expatriate themselves in search of einp'.oyment denied them at home, will restore prosperity to our struggling industries now to sadly depressed, will prevent Canada from being made a sacrifice markot, will encourage and develoed an active interprovincial traie, and moving as it ought to do in tlie direction of reclpi'ocily <>l tariff with our neighbours, so far as the varied interests of Canada may demand, wMls tend to procure for tliis country reciprocity ol trade." From this it will bo seen that at least five benefits were to follow the doption of an N. P. : 1. 'Ihe benefiting and fostering of the agricultural, mining and other industries 2. The retention in Canada of those Cana- dians whose departure to the United States made the Conservative heart to bleed dnring Mr. Mackenzie's regime. 3. Restoration of prosperity and abolition of the slaughter market. 4. Development of an active interpro" vincial trade. 5. Reciprocity with United States. To the doctrines of the amendment of 1878, it is true, we may find some difficulty in binding our opponents ; for, as Mr. White states, with great but perhaps unnecessary candour, that the Conservative policy "is a flexible policy (laughter), not a mere dogma to be blindly adhered to ; its nature varies with the changing circumstances of the country, and the moving condition of the nations with which it holds intimate trade relations." Mr. White might have added, that it also varies with " political exigen- cies." (Laughter.) There is no-hing a Tory hates like a good sound ;.iinciple. The strident of Canadian economics must never forget that Canada is, commercially, largely an appendage of two other great countries. Great Britain and the United States. No one can deny that our prosperity is bound up with that of those two great countries ; and any assumption that we have the game wholly in our own hands is to claim for Canada what no other country can claim, and is erroneous. Our past ex- peiience conclusively shows that our pros- perity rises and falls with that of Great Britain and the United States. Regardlet-s of this obvious truth, the Conservative party unjustly, and I fear dishonestly, blamed the Liberal Administration for the late depres- sion, just as they now claim for their own Administration the present improvement in trade, which is entirely due to the two good hat vests that Providence has given us, to bad harvests in Europe, to a revival in the lumber trade, and of prosperity in Great Britain and the United States. (Hear, hear.) 2 But I might hero call attention to Roiue tigures, which will illustrate OUR TRUE VOSITION. TaKe the articles ol Hour, grain and meal . During the live years, endins: 1878, the not • export amounted to $48,590,000 ; but for the two and-a-half years, ending Slst last December, amounted to $42,421,000. That is to say, while the average annual export for the period of five years was $9,900,000; for the last two and-a-half years it was $17,600,030. The fact that we exported in the last two and-a-balf years nearly as much as in the five years of the Mackenzie Government ot grain, flour and meal, and the fact that the exports of the produce of the forests have greatly enlarged, .show to what our prosperity is really due, and how much, or rather how little, the N . P. hue had to do with it. In view of the evident facts the claims put forward jr the N. P. are .simply grote.«que and au insult to ones intelligence. Now, if there was one blessing which the Conservative leaders proclaimed they could bestow upon the people of Canada, if there was one thing for not providing which Mr. Mackenzie's Administration was upbraided, decried and maligned, if there was one thing the Conservative could not see a vestige of trom i 873-78, and not seeing which moaned and wept and bewailed, it was a home market. The e.stablishmcnt of a home market was to be their che/d'osuvre — their crowning triumph — their great claim to everlasting remembrance. And Mr.. .Vhite keeps up the enthusiasm. He thinks he has got a home market, and says " that in this respect the effect of the National Policy has been very marked." Lot us see, then, how far this has been accomplished. If we compare the trade returns of 1878 with those of 1880, both issued under the name of Mr. McKenzie Bowel 1, we can obtain the following results : DKCREASKD HOMK MARKKT. Increased Exports. 1878. 1880. Exports. Barley Mult . . 7,881,5»8 4J5,2«)6,550 «7,y84,9.52 Beans 71,1()2 75,191 4,029 I'eas 2,420,044 3,819,390 39!),316 Oats 2,340,062 4,717,040 2,370,978 Rye 415,825 957.820 541.995 Potatoes 1,062,229 1,42:^15 mi',im Wheat 4,383,535 5,090,5a5 «0«,970 Hay 17.2(J9 64,444 47,175 Hops 208,928 338,3.30 29,402 ilutter (lbs)... 13,006,620 18,535,362 5,528,736 Oheese ;«,064,294 40,368,678 2,314,384 Eggs (doz .).... 5,262,623 6,452,580 . J ,189,660 Horses 14,179 :il.393 7,214 Horned Cattle. 2}(,925 rA,iiH 25,019 Hheep 2-12,98» 398,746 15.5,757 Hwlne 3,201 6,22f< 3,028 Poultry and other animals. $67,448 !j!141,034 $73,586 Flour, brls 476,431 514,591 68,160 These figures nail the Ue to the mast- head of the Conservative ship. The farm- ers have not had a larger home market ; they have not saved the cost of ocean transport. Our opponents may plead the larger harvest, but they cannot thus shirk the question. The farmers will hold them hard ; jd fast to the false promise of an in- creaseu home market. Nor will fate leave the Tories alone even in this position. Under the protection system the farmers received less for their products exported. They had to send more away for a less sum than in 1878, under Liberal sway, (Hear, hear.) Here are the figures Decreased price in 1880 4c per bush . 2c per bush . 5c per bush . 4c per bus\i. 6c per bush. $1.69 porton 2c per lb. Ic per lb. Ic per doz. $1.40 per h'd 40c per head 37cper brl. 1878. 1880. Beans 70,*il3 76.498 Peas 1,984.101 2,577,516 Oats 959,985 1,707,326 Potatoes 361,134 459,668 Wheat 5,.376,195 5,942,042 Hay lftS,628 484,967 Butter 2,382,237 3,068,061 Cheese 3,997,,521 3,893,.366 Eggs 646,574 740,6ft5 Horses 1 ,273,728 1,880,379 Hwlne 23,255 41,281 Flour 2,739,466 2,930,955 UIIXINO. "But," says Mr. White, "the N.P. has bene- fited our milling interests, for has not our exports increased 16 percent, showing that the milling interests of Canada have been fostered, and an enlarged home market afforded by the changed fiscal policy." Increased ex- ports are a strange sign of a larger home mar- ket ! Moreover, is it worth while to make the entire Canadian nation pay 50 cents a barrel more for their flour simply in order to ex- port some 68,160 more barrels? Mr White very conveniently leaves out in the cold another milling interest — thatot oatmeal — wl.ich gives far more employment to labour in this country. The N.P. kept out 2,000,- 000 bushels of American oats. What result- ed ? Far from excluding any protection to the former, he received five cents a bushel less. How did it affect the miller ? The trade returns again speak aloud. In 1878 we . exported 174,511 brls; in 1880 only 100,921 brls., Bhowing a falling off of the quantity ground in our mills of 73,590 brls., for which 36 cents less a barrel was got. Truly Mr. White spoke when he said the results of agricultural protection were very marked. IMPORTS vs. EXPORTS. Mr. White refers in congratulatory terms \h the question of imports and exports, but deals with it in a way which is surprisiUrC in the extreme. Pointing out the increase in exports and imparts during the past two years, ho asserts, without one word of proof, that it was all due to the N. P. He might jnst as reasonably ascribe it to himself. The truth is that our present prosperity, so' far as it exists, is due, in great par^ to the increase of our exports ot lumber and of animals and their products, together with i \ If the demand in Europe for our grain. If the Junior Conserrative essayist really wished to trace the close connection between our exports and imports he would have learned a different lesson. For instance, in the first halfof 1879 our exports =$43,607,000. In 1880 for the same period our exports=f54,- 122,000. In 1879 for the same periml our imports x.$34,118,000, and in 1880 for the same period our imports =$44,618,000. Thus our imports increased $10,499,000, against an increase of our exports of $10,495,000. Now this, I claim, demonstrates clearly how an increase of exports is al- ways accompanied by a very large aAl im- mediate increase of imports. Now, I have already shown that our exports are due to entirely different causes than those which operate through the N. P. And if the present Adminiutratien have attained to power in a fortunate era, it is because they have reaped what they have not sown and gathered what they have not strewed. (Ap- plause.) Another cause may be found in the fact that in the years of depression the strictest economy was practised both in Canada and the United Statei^, and when an era of prosperity again struck us, the pur- chases of all kinds of goods were very large, including not only the products of this country but forving contributions from Europe also. That was another cause of the increased exports. I find some remarkable figures in the Bankers' Magazine for Feb- ruary, 1881, that will serve to illustrate this point. In five articles the values of imports from Europe into the United States have increased by $84,000,000 in the first ten months of 1880, over the same period in 1879, showing that the present prosperity is gene- ral, and due to no factitious policy what- ever ; • Imports. ^^'^^ Cotton 19,518,000 Iron & Steel M's. 11,42.5,000 Tin Manufact's. 10,318,000 L'ther&M'sof.. 7,180,000 Wool do do -.31,109,000 1880. $ 28,300,000 58,485,000 14,689,000 10,0-22,000 52,290,000 Incr'se. $ 8,752,(XK) 47,0(W,000 4,371,000 2,842,000 21,121,000 $79,640,000 $163,786,000 $84,146,000 But even the prosperous year ot 1880 can- not compare with 1878, the last year of Lib- eral sway. What are the facts and figures ? AGUREGATE TRADE. 1878 $170,523,244 1880 159,639,807 Decrease $10,829,431 Mr. White asserted that the N. P. has lowered the rates of freight across the 'ocean. This is on a par with his assump- tion th»t all the natural progression ot Ca- nada, all the increased production from its wealth of fieldt*, torobts and mines are due to the Protectionist policy. Freight between America and Europe is less now than for- merly, but in 1878 it was less than in 1872. Its tendency, as far as Montreal is concern- ed, has been downward, and of late, also, at New York, Boston and other ports, consequent on tbe gradual abo- lition of carriers to shipping It would, indeed, be strange if a protective policy, which aims at shutting out imports from other countries, and at consuming our agricultural products ourselves, could have a beneficial effect on shipping and freight. Its very aim is to stop foreign trade. Forcing, as it does, the ships to come here in ballast, with a dead loss on the voyage hither, it cannot be but that the ship-owners will demand a higher rate for the home- ward voyage than they otherwise woui ^ ; a rate which is deducted from the profits i.f our farmers. The N. P. is causing a com- parative diminution in' the trade of our port. The increasing harvests of grain have enabled us to export more in actual quantity from this city, but our aggregate trade is less ; and, relatively to Boston, to New York and to Baltimore, we never ex- ported as little as last year. Nay, more. Of the grain exported from this continent, Montreal never handled so small a per cent- age as she did last year. The N. P. is an incubus that handicaps us in our competi- tion for the Western carrying trade, despite our unrivalled water-course, (^pitethe im- provements in our canals and narbour, and even despite of all movements to- wards the great boon of a free port. As regards rates of freights it may be laid down as an axiom that any negotiations which hamper trade, and lessen the ease with which cargoes to and from a port can be obtained, will raise the rates of freight. Th«s the avowed purpose of the N . P. to decrease imports has this eftuct, and will lessen the number of ships thut will come to our ports, and by reducing the competi- tion, raise the rates of freights in compari- son with New York and other ports, so that the grain produce of the West will inevitably seek their outlet at those ports . The effoct was not very materially noticed last year owing to the phenomenal increase in importation, due to causes that will not operate so largely this year. Protection in the United States has resulted in giving a magnificient carrying trade over entirely to foreign bottoms, and by the rapid decrease in Canadian ship-building it would appear we arc to have a similar experience. THE SliAUGUTKR MARKET CRT. Previous to the elections of 1878, the Con- servative leaders, prompted by the rich monopolists at their back, went roaming over the country, telling the people that [noronsed im\ Slaughter. 224.000 $ 116,01)0 i:!7,379 .')1.').5() 12.5,192 92,99.5 7,83.5,161 464,912 1,124,.'V48 146,69) 804,{):^ 2:n.l00 Canada was beinft made a slaiiKhter market of American goods. The people, naturally, had been quite content to take the goods they could buy for the least money ; but then they were told what an evil uncommer- cial and unpatriotic policy it was. The people swallowed the odious nostrums of Sir John and his wealthy monopolistic backers, and the N. P. was established ; the capitalists were at liberty to chargfe from 10 to ir> per cent, more for their goods. No more was heard 'of the slaughter market cry. Yet the Trade and Navigation rcturnri show that foreign goods are slaughtered in Oana'^a as much as ever. Take the follow- ing list as examples, and you will find that the slaughtering has increased, though far be it from us to complain : •"• Imports. 1878. Brass iM'ft'res. . .$ 108,000 $ CArriages a5.429 Copper M'ft'red. a2,l»7 Cotton 7,!?70,222 F laxen Gooods . . 977,8,53 Taper Goods... 573,8.34 Total !^9,147,&3.j $10,2.51,217 $1 ,103,682 TAXATION AND I/ABOR. The N.P. hns added about $7,000,000 an- nually to the burdens of the people, and of this sum the Finance Minister admitted that only $1,000,000 went into the Treasury of the Nation, the balance finding its way into the pocl-ets of the protected class. Here then ii^" "^her of the great effects of tha N.P.; fc ':■ • tectionist tariff raises not only the pri' >f all imported goods, ^ut also of all goods made in the country. The majority of the people of any country are tlie poorer classes, and the large portion of any tax must be levied from them. The family of the poor man is generally large, and its consumption pioportionately great. The poor man buys in small quantities too, and whether it be an ounce of tea, a pound of sxigar o^ a hundred'.feiglit of coal, he must pav the highest price, and if he buy on credit he must 'N-iy the higliest interest. Can anything stronger against f^- L.trirt' be |)roved then than by showing that in pro- portion to the poverty of a man, so is the amount forced from him by the tariff' in- creased? Now this is actually done by means of the odious specific- dtity. P^or ex- ample take the coarse grades of cotton, such as a poor man would ualuraPy buy, costing in England foiu' cents a yan^. Tiic specific duty is one cent a j'ar-/, i. e. twenty- five per cent., add ] b per cent, nd valorem, and a. fori;/ per cent, diifii is the rate. ' On fine grades, costing .say 10 cents a yard, the specific duty is only a tenth, or 10 per cent., add the ad valorem duty, and we find that on the kind/)f cotton a wealthy person would buy only 25 7>e7' ceM^ is charged. This is not a solitary example, but, from the mature of a specific duty, operates wherever it is found. Thus the poor man is placed at a disadvan- tage in purchasing woollen clothing, caps, dress goods, etc. A similar comparison could be instituted between the rich lady's cashmere shawl and the poor woman's woollen covering ; between the poor man's tools and hardware, and the rich man's jewellery ; between the tax on the $200 piano one class buys, and the $600 instru- ment g, richer class purchases. The poor man suffers thus in every way in order that the country may support a few wealthy paupers at his expense. The labou er shoulAunderstaud by this time that, under a continuance of tho o\4 policy, he would not only have found a full-time employment, but could have lived at a much less cost. As it is it would be strange indeed if those labourers remaining with us -)2 Indians 421,5()8 «.J0,0.% 2ii8,,j2.s Customs 714,527 716,12(i l,5t>t» Excise 1,724,IMM) l,a52,tK)0 128,000 Total .$5,61)9,743 .♦"J,305,767 $706,024 These figures tell the story of extrava- gance for themselves. Compare the esti- mates for next year with last year's expendi- ture, and it will be seen that the heavy surplus was only a too good excuse for heavier contemplated expenditure. Our national debt is also increasing. The annual interest payable on our public debt is now $7,775,000. The sums tacked on t*^ our fixed expendi- ture, the debts incurred, and the increa.'i. iug interest iu public indebtedness make an annual charge upon the revenue of tiio country that 17^ per cent, taxation cannot cover. The era of low tariffs has passed away. COAL. There is another point in which the Junior Conservative essayist strovo to con- vince his audience that the Tarii, was a blessing to them. He referred to the duty on coal. This tax is generally conceded to be one of the meaus whereby inter-Pro- vincial good-feeling and trade was to be en- couraged. Well, we desire to create good- leeling, as much as we can. We desire to foster legitimate inter-Provincial trade as much as we can, but we altogether deny that either good-feeling or inter-Provincial trade has been accomplished" bv the process which has been put forward to secure these ends. Mr. White evidently believes firmly iu all his leaders have told him <^l the kindly effect this coal tax was to pro- duce, but forgot to mention that the Finance Minister has had the candour to admit that if the United States would re- mit their duty on coal, he would do the same. Is kindly feeling to be restored anil legitimate inter-provincial trade to be fost- ered by the imposition of a coal-tax which attempts to force Nova Scotian coal to the West ; and yet is the Finance Minister pre- pared to forego these advantages in order to secure the free admission of our coal into the fJniied Slates? This coal-ta.\ is one of the most odious kind; its avow.jd object being not to raise more revemi", but to en- force upon the Western Provinces the use of .Nova Scotian coal. It is odious too, be- cause it is a tax on one of the first necessa- ries of life, the price of which is high, irres- pective of the tax. As Mr. Goldwin Smith has pointed out, nothing can make Canada 6 habitable, eHpecially for tlie labouring clasH, but abuiulaace of fuel. It increases the cost of freight by increasing the running ex- penuea of railway and canal car- riage, and thus adds to the general cost of goods so transported. Mr. White admits that, notwithstfinding Protec- tion, the increase of imports amounted to 223,270 tons from 1878 to 1880. Nova Scotia herself imported 10,^99 tons in 1878, and 12,519 in 1880, so that the tariff does not even keep fwreign coal out of Nova Scotia. Azain, I find that in 1878 Nova Scotia exported 140,210 tons of coal, while in 1880 she exported only 133,790 tons. The fact thus is that Nova Scotia imported more coal in 1880 than in 1878 and exported less. SUOAH. As regards this toothsome article Mr. White waxed very enthusiastic. He stated that "the people have, under the new tariff, been supplied with a better quiility of sugar, and above all, the price to the con- sumer has actually been less than it would have been under the old tariff, and the old system of importations of refined s'lgar." It is difficult to believe this when it is well- known that the price of sugar in New York averages $0 13, which, with duty added, would be $8.66, wherHas the price as sold in this city by Uedpath amounts to about $9.75 per cwt., leaving $1 per cwt. to exactly represent the incidence of the tax lo our people; and as the great bulk of the sugar they consume, when tiiey are allowed to consume it acco'.diug to their own choice, is of a much liigher quality. It is perfectly clear that the people of Canada are paying $1,114,000 a year as a tax on their sugar. Of this two- thirds goes to the Ticasury, and the remain- der goes to swell the pockets of our rich monopolists. THE TEA TKAnB. In his argument on the Tea T-tuie the Junior Conservative writer claims that the Canadian merciiants have now a control of this business ; that Canadian cities are the centre of the distributing trade instead of New York and Boston. What is tlie extent of this immense distributing trade? Ac- cording to Mr. White's own figures we only imported direct from Japan and China 2,500 tons in the year 1880, or a good cargo for a brigantine. The increase in the direct trade of 1878 was only 1,64<5 tons, according to the figures given by Mr. White. It is difficult, then, to perceive where the vast distributing trade comes in. It is utterly impossible to point out one single Canadian ship engaged in this enterprise, or to see a tea ship direct from China or Japan unloading at any Canadian port. There are, indeed, certain Canadian merchants who purchase part of the car- goes of American ships landing at San Francisco, but that is the entire extent of the tea trade. And why ? . Our market for tea is limited to small quantities of a cer- tain kind merely, and a large percentage of the packs of tea, as they are made up and sold in China, our merchants could not sell here at all, so we are forced to continue to purchase from the wholesale shippers, and pay an additional tax to our paternal Gov- ernment. THB COTTON TRADK. In this city of Montreal no monopoly is more admiringly regarded by Protection, ists than the cotton industry. Their essay- ist asserts that " under the Cartwright tariff it had but a sickly existence, which was con- tracted in its operations and maintained with great diificulty." This statement is incorrect, for all the principal cotton mills that exist to-day were flourishing at that period, viz., the mills of Dundas, Cornwull, Lybster, Valleyfield. Brantford and of the Hudon Company. The only mill whose prosperity was dubious was that at Corn- wall, and its mismanagement was noto- rious. As far as as the "sickly exist* ence" of the Hudon and Valleyfield factories were concerned under the Cartwright tariff, it was manifeUed by profits in the one case ot 27 per cent, and in the other of 22 per cent. (Laughter.) Yet the cotton kings were not satisfied, and last year the Hudon Company made more than 50 per cent, profits, and the Valleyfield Company 45 per cent. The Valleyfield concern has just declared its quarterly dividend of 5 per cent. The original Hudon stock is quoted at 240 or 180 in the watered stock. The Hudon Company has built a, new mill, watered its stock in the ratio of one to three, and iiaid its dividend o^ 10 per cent. Altogether it has made 55 per cent on its capital.. That good man the member for Montreal West (laughter), who was fortunate enough to buy his stock at 65, must be faiily reveling in his 84 per cent, per annum. He most feelingly exemplified his gratitude by mov- ing the other day from his seat in Parlia- ment that the deposits of workiugmen iu the Government Viavings banks be reduced fiom 4 to 3 per cent. The capital of the Valleyfield Company is $370,000. On this last year they earned as profits $140,000. It will thus be seen that thcae mills are nut nm merely in the workingmcu's interest. What is the effect on the price of cotton '.' While rrtW cotton has rarely been cheaper, the manufactured article has never been more costly. The majority of the hands em- ployed can barely eke out au existence. y k t They are, as a rule, a sickly lot of women, boys and girls wearing out a diseased life formere pittances. Jn the Hudoi* Mills out of 500 hands employed, 50 men ^anoot be found. The wages vary from 20 cents a day to $1 . A good weaver, who can keep four looms going, earning the latter sum. ('ompared as to importance with the LUMBER INDUSTRY, the cotton milling sinks into insiq;niticancc, nor is it by any means so profitable to the people. Nine-tenths of the value of the lumber is paid out for the labour that pro- duces it, and is apenii in the country, while 50 per cent, of the value of cotton is sent out of the country for raw material. Yet the tarilT werks injury to the lumber trade. All materials employed in producing it are increased in price, thus the blanket the lumberman formerly bought for $2.50 or $2,75, he cannot now get under $4, and so with his axe, and all his necessaries. The enhanced price of lumber is accounted for in this way, and goes, not into the pockets of any one engaged in that trade, but into the stuffed safes of a few petted industries. We in Montreal are in danger of measuring the effects of the N. P. by the cotton mill and the sugar factory ; but these contribute to the couutry but as one in a 100. The whole country is unjustly taxed ; the farm- ers, the lumberers, and the entire consum- ing class, which constitute the immense proportion of the nation, that one or two favourite industries and capitalists may flourish. The policy of the Liberal party is to deal out equal justice to all, and to rightly distribute the burdens of taxation It should be kept in remembrance that a revenue tariff, such as must exist in this country, affords a very large measure of in- cidental protection. The 17^ per cent, of the Cartwright tariff enabled the Hudon Company to make profits of 27 per cent, in 1878, and any industry which rannot exist without adding a heavier taxation than 17 J per cent, scarcely de- serves fostering at the expense of the great mass of the people. It cannot be denied that every single factory erected under the protection system is paid for at a very heavy xate by the consumers. It is all very well for the factory-owners to appeal to the patriotism of the masses for juuh a result, but not one cent does their own patriotism lead them to expend tor the support of the masseifi. There has been a lactory craze in the land. The Conserva- tives promised that there would be a fac- tory on every hill-side, and the people were delighted. But factories are not altogether a benefit. (Hear, hear.) While we import our goods we support factories elsewhere, and send as pay the product of our labour, not money as the Protectionists falsely teach. If we establish the foreign industry in Canada by protection, two things result. First, we withdraw a certain number of our men from the employment the country naturally gives them, such as lumbering, farming, etc., and set them at an employ- ment for which they are not so well fitted. Thus, one industry is damaged and we pro- duce anotfter article at a heavier cost, for, as a result of our not having natural facilities for that industry, we shall have to employ a hundred men to do the work eighty men could do where there are natural facilities. Then it is apparent the country gains noth- ing unless we bring the foreign labour, the foreiffn operatives, too. Otherwise loe- sim- ply transfer labour Jrom one industry to another. Secondly, the mass of the people are taxed to support a certain branch of trade, and the country loses the revenue it would other- wise derive from the importation of the foreign article. The factories, too, are sources of social and political disorder*, and we have already had instances of this in the strikes at the Hudon and Valley field mills. It is a mistake to consider that prosperity and numerous population depend on manufactures. Holland, the most thickly town-8». :tled countr/ in the world, owes its multitudes entirely to commerce and agri- culture. In France, a larger per cent, of the people are engaged in agriculture and commerce apart from factories than in any other country. Of cities, Chicago, San Fran- cisco, Sidney, London and New York, owe their prosperity to commerce. In themeantimj it is the duty of the Lib- eral party to demand a readjustment of taxation. While remembering the manu- facturing industries we have and that are suited to this country, we remember also the farmer at the plough, the fisherman at his nets, and the lumberman in the forest. We protest against the promotion, growth and prosperity of one interest at the expense of all. We protest against a policy which injures the great iron industry and the manufacture of agricultural implements, by an insane tax on taw material, on coal and pig iron. We protest against a Tariff that works injury to the mill owners, by impos- ing a restriction on importation of wheat, by which certain large mill owners are given a monopoly of grinding in bond ; which injures the lumberman by increasing the cost of his supplies; which injures the fisherman by impoeing heavy duties on hi* food and clothing, while he derives no bene- fit whatever from this policy ; which injures the farmer and the railways by plac- ing a tax on inter-communication. We protest against a policy which has work- ed mischief to three-fourths of our manu- factures And is killing their export trade ; k we prot«iit iu the people'H name against a tariff that haa almost annihilated our ship- building, and which is a curae tu labour in every department ; we protest against le- KiHlation whicK creates rich monopolists. We demand a re-adjustment of taxation in the interest of the masses ; and can any one doubt that in '83 the people will answer the demand by sweeping away a false and per- nicious •yst«m. (Applause.) Gentlemen, in conclusion, let me say that there can be no doubt that nur side is the side of Right. The great forces and laws of the universe, the grt-at economic principletand truths that are inherent in the nature of things, we take to guide us. They are the sources to which we look for knoW') ledge, and I e the day quick in coming or be it slow, its irresistible advent is none the lesH certain, when the false and un- •ound, the ruinous and calamitous policy which has tarnished the great word Na- tional will either meet its end by starving on the famine it will create or by being hurled from its place by the hands of an awakened and indignant people! (Loud applause.) 1 :i>- 1