ABSTRACT
I Have been told, I do not know whether it is true, that this city, and, indeed, this county, are treated by political map-makers as within the range of a certain sphere of influence whose headquarters are supposed to lie in the city of Birmingham. That sphere, whatever may be its precise territorial limits, is at present the seat of a good deal of magnetic disturbance, and I cannot but think that you here in Worcester, if any such connection did ever exist, which I do not know, could hardly choose a fitter time to terminate it than a time at which Birmingham, whose greatest political glory in the past is to have been associated with the name of John Bright, is being invited to turn its back upon his creed, and to become the rallying centre, may I not say the dumping ground, of the crudest and rawest fallacies of Protection. I do not apologize for asking your attention for a short time to the present phase of the great controversy which occupies the foreground of public attention and interest, and the technicality and complexity of some parts of the subject are such that I may, I am sure, make a special appeal to your indulgence. I will say very little upon the general aspects of the question. It would be difficult to add—indeed, it would be a presumptuous and impracticable task—to the luminous exposition and defence of the fundamental principles of our fiscal system which has been offered to the country during the last few days by Sir Michael Hicks-Beach and Lord Goschen. Nor would it be possible to better in any way the presentment of our case from the Imperial point of view which was given as lately as Saturday last at Leicester with unrivalled cogency and authority by Lord Rosebery. You are told that the Colonies are making you an offer in exchange for the taxation of your bread. The fact remains that up to the present moment there is not a single one among the score of Parliaments in our self-governing Colonies which has passed a resolution in favour of the policy of Mr. Chamberlain.
