THE CASE OF FREE-TRADERS WHO ARE SUPPORTERS OF THE GOVERNMENT.
r TO THE EDITOR OF THS " SPECTATOR."1 "A Free-Trade Supporter of the Government" have in mind Mr. Lyttelton's speech on the fiscal debate in the House of Commons when he wrote his letter (Spectator, February 27th) ? The Colonial Secretary, if I remember rightly, said that the Government would support those candidates who advocated the Government programme, and also those whose views on the fiscal question went further than the official policy. That is to say, some men hold retaliation as the goal to be arrived at, others would go further; in other words, retaliation is nothing more or less than a "half-way house" to Protection. How, then, can retaliation be "absolutely in- consistent with" Protection ? Or, in a word, assuming that to be true, one might ask "A Free-Trade Supporter of the Government" two questions : Why do the Government sup- port Protectionists and why do Protectionists support the
Government P—I am, Sir, &c., A. W. G.
[We should very much like to see answers given to these two questions by our former correspondent, or some other Free-trade supporter of the Government. —En. Spectator.]
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