list2-第59章

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immense　property　secularised；　or　at　least　reduced　to　what　was



actually　necessary　for　their　maintenance；　if；　in　consequence　of



these　measures；　civil　liberty　had　gained　a　firm　footing；　the　feudal



nobility　had　been　reformed　and　the　monarchy　limited；　if；　in　a　word；



Spain　had　politically　developed　herself　in　consequence　of　a



Reformation；　as　England　did；　and　if　the　same　spirit　had　extended　to



her　colonies；　a　prohibitive　and　protective　policy　would　have　had



similar　effects　in　Spain　as　it　had　in　England；　and　this　all　the



more　because　at　the　time　of　Charles　V　the　Spaniards　were　more



advanced　than　the　English　and　French　in　every　respect；　and　the



Netherlands　only　（of　all　countries）　occupied　a　more　advanced



position　than　Spain；　whose　industrial　and　commercial　spirit　might



have　been　transferred　to　Spain　by　means　of　the　protective　policy；



provided　that　the　institutions　and　conditions　of　Spain　were　such　as



would　have　invited　foreign　talents　and　capital　to　her　shores；



instead　of　driving　her　own　native　talents　and　capital　into　foreign



countries。



　　　　To　what　causes　England　owes　her　manufacturing　and　commercial



supremacy；　we　have　shown　in　our　fifth　chapter。



　　　　It　is　especially　owing　to　her　civil；　mental；　and　religious



liberty；　to　the　nature　and　excellence　of　her　political



institutions；　that　the　commercial　policy　of　England　has　been



enabled　to　make　the　most　of　the　natural　riches　of　the　country；　and



fully　to　develop　the　productive　powers　of　the　nation。　But　who　would



deny　that　other　nations　are　capable　of　raising　themselves　to　the



same　degree　of　liberty？　Who　would　venture　to　maintain　that　nature



has　denied　to　other　nations　the　means　which　are　requisite　for



manufacturing　industry？



　　　　In　the　latter　respect　the　great　natural　wealth　in　coal　and　iron



which　England　possesses　has　often　been　adduced　as　a　reason　why　the



English　are　specially　destined　to　be　a　manufacturing　nation。　It　is



true　that　in　this　respect　England　is　greatly　favoured　by　nature；



but　against　this　it　may　be　stated　that　even　in　respect　of　these



natural　products；　nature　has　not　treated　other　countries　merely



like　a　stepmother；　for　the　most　part　the　want　of　good　transport



facilities　is　the　chief　obstacle　to　the　full　utilisation　of　these



products　by　other　nations；　that　other　countries　possess　enormous



unemployed　water　power；　which　is　cheaper　than　steam　power；　that



where　it　is　necessary　they　are　able　to　counterbalance　the　want　of



coal　by　the　use　of　other　fuels；　that　many　other　countries　possess



inexhaustible　means　for　the　production　of　iron；　and　that　they　are



also　able　to　procure　these　raw　materials　from　abroad　by　commercial



exchange。



　　　　In　conclusion；　we　must　not　omit　here　to　make　mention　of



commercial　treaties　based　on　mutual　concessions　of　duties。　The



school　objects　to　these　conventions　as　unnecessary　and　detrimental；



whereas　they　appear　to　us　as　the　most　effective　means　of　gradually



diminishing　the　respective　restrictions　on　trade；　and　of　leading



the　nations　of　the　world　gradually　to　freedom　of　international



intercourse。　Of　course；　the　specimens　of　such　treaties　which　the



world　has　hitherto　seen；　are　not　very　encouraging　for　imitation。　We



have　shown　in　former　chapters　what　injurious　effects　the　Methuen



Treaty　has　produced　in　Portugal；　and　the　Eden　Treaty　has　produced



in　France。　It　is　on　these　injurious　effects　of　reciprocal



alleviation　of　duties；　that　the　objections　of　the　school　to



commercial　treaties　appear　principally　to　be　founded。　Its　principle



of　absolute　commercial　liberty　has　evidently　experienced　a



practical　contradiction　in　these　cases；　inasmuch　as；　according　to



that　principle；　those　treaties　ought　to　have　operated　beneficially



to　both　contracting　nations；　but　not　to　the　ruin　of　the　one；　and　to



the　immense　advantage　of　the　other。　If；　however；　we　investigate　the



cause　of　this　disproportionate　effect；　we　find　that　Portugal　and



France；　in　consequence　of　those　conventions；　abandoned　in　favour　of



England　the　progress　they　had　already　made　in　manufacturing



industry；　as　well　as　that　which　they　could　expect　to　make　in　it　in



the　future；　with　the　expectation　of　increasing　by　that　means　their



exportation　of　natural　products　to　England；　that；　accordingly；　both



those　nations　have　declined；　in　consequence　of　the　treaties　thus



concluded；　from　a　higher　to　a　lower　standpoint　of　industrial



development。　From　this；　however；　it　merely　follows　that　a　nation



acts　foolishly　if　it　sacrifices　its　manufacturing　power　to　foreign



competition　by　commercial　treaties；　and　thereby　binds　itself　to



remain　for　all　future　time　dependent　on　the　low　standpoint　of



merely　agricultural　industry；　but　it　does　not　in　the　least　follow



from　this；　that　those　treaties　are　also　detrimental　and



objectionable　whereby　the　reciprocal　exchange　of　agricultural



products　and　raw　materials；　or　the　reciprocal　exchange　of



manufactured　products；　is　promoted。



　　　　We　have　previously　explained　that　free　trade　in　agricultural



products　and　raw　materials　is　useful　to　all　nations　at　all　stages



of　their　industrial　development；　from　this　it　follows　that　every



commercial　treaty　which　mitigates　or　removes　prohibitions　and



restrictions　on　freedom　of　trade　in　such　articles　must　have　a



beneficial　effect　on　both　contracting　nations；　as　e。g。　a　convention



between　France　and　England　whereby　the　mutual　exchange　of　wines　and



brandies　for　pig…iron　and　coal；　or　a　treaty　between　France　and



Germany　whereby　the　mutual　exchange　of　wine；　oil；　and　dried　fruit；



for　corn；　wool；　and　cattle；　were　promoted。



　　　　According　to　our　former　deductions；　protection　is　only



beneficial　to　the　prosperity　of　the　nation　so　far　as　it　corresponds



with　the　degree　of　the　nation's　industrial　development。　Every



exaggeration　of　protection　is　detrimental；　nations　can　only　obtain



a　perfect　manufacturing　power　by　degrees。　On　that　account　also；　two



nations　which　stand　at　different　stages　of　industrial　cultivation；



can　with　mutual　benefit　make　reciprocal　concessions　by　treaty　in



respect　to　the　exchange　of　their　various　manufacturing　products。



The　less　advanced　nation　can；　while　it　is　not　yet　able　to　produce



for　itself　with　profit　finer　manufactured　goods；　such　as　fine



cotton　and　silk　fabrics；　nevertheless　supply　the　further　advanced



nation　with　a　portion　of　its　requirements　of　coarser　manufactured



goods。



　　　　Such　treaties　might　be　still　more　allowable　and　beneficial



between　nations　which　stand　at　about　the　same　degree　of　industrial



development；　between　which；　therefore；　competition　is　not



overwhelming；　destructive；　or　repressive；　nor　tending　to　give　a



monopoly　of　everything　to　one　side；　but　merely　acts；　as　competition



in　the　inland　trade　does；　as　an　incentive　to　mutual　emulation；



perfection；　and　cheapening　of　production。　This　is　the　case　with



most　of　the　Continental　nations。　France；　Austria；　and　the　German



Zollverein　might；　for　instance；　anticipate　only　very　prosperous



effects　from　moderately　low　reciprocal　protective　duties。　Also；



between　these　countries　and　Russia　mutual　concessions　could　be　made



to　the　advantage　of　all　sides。　What　they　all　have　to　fear　at　this



time　is　solely　the　preponderating　competition　of　England。



　　　　Thus　it　appears　also　from　this　point　of　view；　that　the



supremacy　of　that　island　in　manufactures；　in　trade；　in　navigation；



and　in　her　colonial　empire；　constitutes　the　greatest　existing



impediment　to　all　nations　drawing　nearer　to　one　another；　although



it　must　be　at　the　same　time　admitted　that　England；　in　striving　for



this　supremacy；　has　immeasurably　increased；　a