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PROTECTIONIST VICTORIES-FREE TRADE SUCCESSES 185
men of science, however, we must put our money, I
believe, on the man of science.
Somehow or other, the world will be the richer for
all these inventions, and the Mrs. Partingtons of
politics, however great and highly placed they may
seem for a time to be, will only make themselves
ridiculous by striving to sweep away the inrushing
ocean.
(5) Last of all we mu~ notice, as making for Free
Trade, the rapid growth of conditions in the leading
countries of the world, especially in Germany and the
United States, such as those which existed in this
country when it became Free-Trading, and which, in
fact, compelled it to be Free-Trading.
The modern nations are all becoming great manu-
facturing States, where the manufacturing is partly for
export, and where, by this very condition, it is generally
able to hold its own at home and abroad in face of the
unrestricted competition of the world. Such countries
have need of cheap food and raw materials, which must
consequently be made free imports, and there is nothing
else that needs to be or can be Protected.
The time is at hand, then, when our great rivals
nolens volens will be forced into the Free-Trade camp.
I am quite aware of the reluctance of Germany,
France, and Austria-Hungary to accept the inevitable.
They tight against cheap food and cheap raw materials,
essential to their prosperity, by duties for the Protection
of their agriculturists. But the game is plainly a losing
one, as they are finding out (what we found out long
ago) that protection of this sort does not protect. We
may confidently await the issue.

The Future of the United States.

As far as the United States is concerned the position
is even clearer, because there is no question there of
Protection to agriculture. I cannot do better than quote
some remarks from a distinguished American econom-