Sir John's Conversion

After drinking the King's toast and lighting their banquet cigars, the members of the National Liberal Club settled back in their chairs last week to hear Britain's most important Liberal Cabinet Minister formally renounce his faith. It was a moment to make the late great William Ewart Gladstone turn in his grave, but, full of turtle soup and tawny port, the National Liberals took it calmly. All his life a Free Trader, Sir John Simon. Secretary for Foreign Affairs, was explaining his conversion to a high tariff policy.

"There is nothing in the philosophy of Liberalism," said Sir John, "inconsistent with the facing of new facts in a changing world. ... I have completely changed my point of view that tariffs are of no value for purposes of negotiating. ... It is a crude harsh method, but it appears under the circumstances to be the only method, and it is effective.

"I confess that I did not expect that the new British tariff system would work but I am bound to admit that it is producing remarkable results. . . . Three years ago Great Britain had dropped to third place in the list of exporting countries, but today she again stands first."

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