Excerpt from The French Treaty and Reciprocity: A Speech Delivered in the House of Commons, on Friday, August 12th, 1881

The noble lord tells us that he is in favour of Fair Trade. I have a great respect for the noble lord, though I am not able to take him at his own estimate as the true repte sentative of the trading classes and the commercial interests of this country. But it is in no disrespect to his general ability that I challenge him to point out to the House any practical distinction between what he calls Fair Trade, and what the rest of the world have hitherto consented to call Protection. He complains, for instance, with regard to the Cobden Treaty that it bound this country not to impose any duties on French produce, while it left the French free to levy duties not exceeding thirty per cent. On the products of English industry, and he says that this is not a fair arrange ment. But how does he propose to alter it? He may, of course, endeavour to persuade the French to give up their duties and to allow the free import of English goods. He knows, however, that this is impossible, and the only altema tive open to him is to meet the French in their folly and to impose duties not exceeding thirty per cent. On our imports from them. That may be right or it may be wrong, but at least the operation would produce a state of things exactly similar to that which existed under the Protective system which the noble lord professes to disapprove. On the whole, then, although the means are different and the language varies, it appears in every case, and in spite of protests to the contrary, that hon. Members opposite do intend to revert to a system of Protection, although they prudently refuse to tell us the exact nature of the protective measures which they desire us to adopt. Although in this respect they continue indefinite and vague, we have at least as one result of the discussion a full statement of the grounds on which the claim for Reciprocity or Retaliation is based, and I am here to challenge the allegations which have been made, and to say with regard to them that they are, in the main, either greatly exaggerated or altogether inaccurate.

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