THE AMERICAN TARIFF. 245 



to another. Long after Great Britain had rejected 

 Protection, and accepted Free Trade in principle, the 

 idea prevailed that, against any nation which continued 

 to maintain a protective tariff, Protection was neces- 

 sary in self-defence the injury caused to us by their 

 tariff being supposed to be compensated by injury 

 caused to them by ours. That we have thoroughly 

 learned the error of this view is best shown by the fact 

 that we in no sort attempt to protect ourselves (save 

 the mark !) against the free introduction of American 

 agricultural produce into this country, as in old times 

 we should have thought ourselves bound to do, as a 

 compensation for the effects of their tariff on manu- 

 factured goods. We know from costly experience, that 

 though by counter-Protection a nation can, indeed, 

 injure another which maintains a prohibitory tariff, 

 she injures herself in far greater degree. We have 

 learned in fine, that Free Trade, like Mercy, is 



Twice bless'd 

 It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes. 



But although the principles upon which the more 

 advanced Protectionists of America have advocated 

 their cause are less directly interesting to us, it may 

 be well briefly to consider them, because of the valuable 

 lessons derivable from the tests which America has 

 applied to those principles during the last few years. 



The favourite argument with American Protec- 

 tionists has been that a wide diversity of occupations 

 is necessary for the social well-being of a nation, and 

 that such diversity can only be secured, for a young 



