ABSTRACT
The origin of the Tariff Reform League is not exactly lost in obscurity. Most Tariff Reformers heartily wish it were. It was born of Protectionist parents, and the Tariff Reformers have been trying to hide the fact ever since its birth. The fullest and most authentic record of the event is printed in a Press Directory. Other versions exist, but most of them are ashamed of the parentage and try to slur it over. When the Tariff Reform League changed its pupal form, the discarded skin was taken up by what Mr. Williams described as "a similar association which had been formed to work Birmingham and the Midland District". The League is the epitome of Protectionist methods. The reasons for its failure are written in its own publications. The League has used arguments that have been proved false, and for very shame has been obliged to use them no longer.
