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that　in　spinning；　weaving；　and　all　preparatory　processes；　the



German　goods　were　fully　equal　to　the　British；　but　only　in　the



finish　a　distinct　inferiority　might　be　observed；　but　that　the　want



of　this　would　disappear　after　a　little　time。'



　　　　It　is　very　easy　to　understand　how　by　means　of　such



representations　as　these　the　English　Parliament　may　at　length　be



induced　to　abandon　its　corn　laws；　which　have　hitherto　operated　as



a　protective　system　to　Germany。　But　it　appears　to　us　utterly



incomprehensible　how　the　German　Union；　which　has　made　such　enormous



advances　in　consequence　of　the　protective　system；　should　be　induced



by　this　report　to　depart　from　a　system　which　has　yielded　them　such



excellent　results。



　　　　It　is　very　well　for　Dr　Bowring　to　assure　us　that　the　home



industry　of　Germany　is　being　protected　at　the　expense　of　the



agriculturists。　But　how　can　we　attach　any　credence　to　his



assurance；　when　we　see；　on　the　contrary；　that　the　demand　for



agricultural　produce；　prices　of　produce；　the　wages　of　labour；　the



rents；　the　value　of　property；　have　everywhere　considerably　risen；



without　the　agriculturist　having　to　pay　more　than　he　did　before　for



the　manufactured　goods　which　he　requires？



　　　　It　is　very　well　for　Dr　Bowring　to　give　us　an　estimate　showing



that　in　Germany　three　persons　are　engaged　in　agriculture　to　every



one　in　manufactures；　but　that　statement　convinces　us　that　the



number　of　Germans　engaged　in　manufacturing　is　not　yet　in　proper



proportion　to　the　number　of　German　agriculturists。　And　we　cannot



see　by　what　other　means　this　disproportion　can　be　equalised；　than



by　increasing　the　protection　on　those　branches　of　manufacture　which



are　still　carried　on　in　England　for　the　supply　of　the　German　market



by　persons　who　consume　English　instead　of　German　agricultural



produce。　It　is　all　very　well　for　Dr　Bowring　to　assert　that　German



agriculture　must　only　direct　its　attention　to　foreign　countries　if



it　desires　to　increase　its　sale　of　produce；　but　that　a　great　demand



for　agricultural　produce　can　only　be　attained　by　a　flourishing　home



manufacturing　power　is　taught　us　not　alone　by　the　experience　of



England；　but　Dr　Bowring　himself　implicitly　admits　this；　by　the



apprehension　which　he　expresses　in　his　report；　that　if　England



delays　for　some　time　to　abolish　her　corn　laws；　Germany　will　then



have　no　surplus　of　either　corn　or　timber　to　sell　to　foreign



countries。



　　　　Dr　Bowring　is　certainly　right　when　he　asserts　that　the



agricultural　interest　in　Germany　is　still　the　predominant　one；　but



just　for　the　very　reason　that　it　is　predominant　it　must　（as　we　have



shown　in　former　chapters）；　by　promoting　the　manufacturing



interests；　seek　to　place　itself　in　a　just　proportion　with　them；



because　the　prosperity　of　agriculture　depends　on　its　being　in　equal



proportion　with　the　manufacturing　interest；　but　not　on　its　own



preponderance　over　it。



　　　　Further；　the　author　of　the　report　appears　to　be　utterly　steeped



in　error　when　he　maintains　that　foreign　competition　in　German



markets　is　necessary　for　the　German　manufacturing　interest　itself；



because　the　German　manufacturers；　as　soon　as　they　are　in　a　position



to　supply　the　German　markets；　must　compete　with　the　manufacturers



of　other　countries　for　the　disposal　of　their　surplus　produce；　which



competition　they　can　only　sustain　by　means　of　cheap　production。　But



cheap　production　will　not　consist　with　the　existence　of　the



protective　system；　inasmuch　as　the　object　of　that　system　is　to



secure　higher　prices　to　the　manufacturers。



　　　　This　argument　contains　as　many　errors　and　falsehoods　as　words。



Dr　Bowring　cannot　deny　that　the　manufacturer　can　offer　his　products



at　cheaper　prices；　the　more　he　is　enabled　to　manufacture　　that；



therefore；　a　manufacturing　Power　which　exclusively　possesses　its



home　market　can　work　so　much　the　cheaper　for　foreign　trade。　The



proof　of　this　he　can　find　in　the　same　tables　which　he　has　published



on　the　advances　made　by　German　industry；　for　in　the　same　proportion



in　which　the　German　manufactories　have　acquired　possession　of　their



own　home　market；　their　export　of　manufactured　goods　has　also



increased。　Thus　the　recent　experience　of　Germany；　like　the　ancient



experience　of　England；　shows　us　that　high　prices　of　manufactured



goods　are　by　no　means　a　necessary　consequence　of　protection。



　　　　Finally；　German　industry　is　still　very　far　from　entirely



supplying　her　home　market。　In　order　to　do　that；　she　must　first



manufacture　for　herself　the　13；000　centners　of　cotton　fabrics；　the



18；000　centners　of　woollen　fabrics；　the　500；000　centners　of　cotton



yarn；　thread；　and　linen　yarn；　which　at　present　are　imported　from



England。　If；　however；　she　accomplishes　that；　she　will　then　import



500；000　centners　more　raw　cotton　than　before；　by　which　she　will



carry　on　so　much　the　more　direct　exchange　trade　with　tropical



countries；　and　be　able　to　pay　for　the　greater　part　if　not　the　whole



of　that　requirement　with　her　own　manufactured　goods。



　　　　We　must　correct　the　view　of　the　author　of　the　report；　that



public　opinion　in　Germany　is　in　favour　of　free　trade；　by　stating



that　since　the　establishment　of　the　Commercial　Union　people　have



acquired　a　clearer　perception　of　what　it　is　that　England　usually



understands　by　the　term　'free　trade；'　for；　as　he　himself　says；



'Since　that　period　the　sentiments　of　the　German　people　have　been



diverted　from　the　region　of　hope　and　of　fantasy　to　that　of　their



actual　and　material　interests。'　The　author　of　the　report　is　quite



right　when　he　says　that　intelligence　is　very　greatly　diffused



amongst　the　German　people；　but　for　that　very　reason　people　in



Germany　have　ceased　to　indulge　in　cosmopolitical　dreams。　People



here　now　think　for　themselves　　they　trust　their　own　conclusions；



their　own　experience；　their　own　sound　common　sense；　more　than



one…sided　systems　which　are　opposed　to　all　experience。　They　begin



to　comprehend　why　it　was　that　Burke　declared　in　confidence　to　Adam



Smith　'that　a　nation　must　not　be　governed　according　to



cosmopolitical　systems；　but　according　to　knowledge　of　their　special



national　interests　acquired　by　deep　research。'　People　in　Germany



distrust　counsellors　who　blow　both　cold　and　hot　out　of　the　same



mouth。　People　know　also　how　to　estimate　at　their　proper　value　the



interests　and　the　advice　of　those　who　are　our　industrial



competitors。　Finally；　people　in　Germany　bear　in　mind　as　often　as



English　offers　are　under　discussion　the　well…known　proverb　of　the



presents　offered　by　the　Danaidae。



　　　　For　these　very　reasons　we　may　doubt　that　influential　German



statesmen　have　seriously　given　grounds　for　hope　to　the　author　of



the　report；　that　Germany　is　willing　to　abandon　her　protective



policy　for　the　benefit　of　England；　in　exchange　for　the　pitiful



concession　of　permission　to　export　to　England　a　little　grain　and



timber。　At　any　rate　public　opinion　in　Germany　would　greatly



hesitate　to　consider　such　statesmen　to　be　thoughtful　ones。　In　order



to　merit　that　title　in　Germany　in　the　present　day；　it　is　not　enough



that　a　man　should　have　thoroughly　learned　superficial　phrases　and



arguments　of　the　cosmopolitical　school。　People　require　that　a



statesman　should　be　well　acquainted　with　the　powers　and　the



requirements　of　the　nation；　and；　without　troubling　himself　with



scholastic　systems；　should　develop　the　former　and　satisfy　the



latter。　But　that　man　would　betray　an　unfathomable　ignorance　of



those　powers　and　wants；　who　did　not　know　what　enormous　exertions



are　requisite　to　raise　a　national　industry　to　that　stage　to　which



the　German　industry　has　alre