THE RESULTS OF THE POLICY. yg

policy were to become accomplished, which party
could enforce its views? And, as has been said
above, what permanency would be achieved for a
system which depended so vitally on the views of
the party in power ?
The whole nature of Protection is such as to aid
and abet the party who wishes to increase it. It is
like astonerolling down-hill, which the Protectionists
push from above, and the revenue tariff party from
below. Already it has made its weight felt upon
the Liberal party. In 1896 they found themselves
unable to lower the tariff by direct means. The
British preference was an admirable and loyal
policy, but it was also an excellently devised
expedient for doing what the Government were
not strong enough to do in any other way.
Another instance of the force which Protection
 gathers behind it occurred in 1903. An
elaborately devised scheme of self-extinguishing
bounties upon exported iron and steel is in
existence.! The bounties were in theory to
diminish yearly and extinguish themselves in
seven years. Already, however, in the short space
of two years the self-extinguishing arrangement
has been suspended, and the bounty remains the
same. The low tariff party, therefore, powerful as

1The Tarif Commission Report on iron and steel
seems entirely to ignore Canadian competition. The
duties advocated and the retaliation threatened against
the colonies cannot fail to interest Canadian iron and
steel manufacturers.