A further argument for Free Trade as an essential condition of empire is to be found in the fact that from the strategic and military point of view the Empire rests upon sea power, and that sea power in the true sense cannot be possessed by a nation which does not also pos sess supremacy or something approaching i supremacy in the matter of its mercantile marine. A great national navy depends upon a great commercial navy. But a commercial navy cannot exist without Free Trade. It is the nations which encourage all who have anything to sell to come freely to their ports and sell it there without let or hindrance, which most easily develop a large mercantile marine. Britain stands first in the world of shipping, not because she has better resources for ship building and not because her population is by nature more inclined to sea-faring than others, but because she is a Free Trade nation. Eng lishmen feel that if they are to keep their empire they must remain a great shipping power, and to be a great shipping power they must maintain Free Trade.
Monopoly and There are two other factors which operate to make Eng lishmen maintain their present fiscal system. The first is the dread of monopoly which is to be found in the British democracy. They are intensely suspicious of anything in the nature of Trusts or Combines, or of allowing any body of commercial men to be in a position in which they can say "You must either buy the goods we make, or accept the services which we offer, or go without.) Dreading intensely the creation of monopolies, they cling to Free Trade, for they realize that it is almost impos sible to establish a complete monopoly under their present system. As long as the doors are
open and the traders of every nation in the world are allowed to send what they will to Britain and dispose of it there freely, the task of creating a monopoly in any of the essential needs of mankind is almost impossible of ac complishment. Another reason which weighs not less strongly with the British nation is the dread of political corruption. Rightly or wrongly they believe that there is always a danger under Protection of corruption entering political life. It must not be inferred that the British people consider that a proper regard for national interests can never be found in protectionist states. The history of America shows that plenty of unselfish patriotism is to be found in countries where protection prevails. The fact, however, remains that the British people do dread very greatly the introduction of protectionist conditions into their political life. Further, they dread the direct corruption of the Legislature by the great commercial in terests. They may trust their Members of Parliament in the abstract but they do not wish to see them exposed to the temptations which unquestionably exist when enormous pecuniary interests depend upon the maintenance of a Protectionist tariff. Hence, the British democ racy feel that with the maintenance of Free Trade is bound up a great deal of what they value most in the political system under which they live. See THE BRITISH TARIFF MOVEMENT.