Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on Tariff Reform

From The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on Tariff Reform is a letter written by Arthur Conan Doyle first published in The Hawick Express on 9 march 1906.


Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on Tariff Reform

Sir, — Pray give my kindest greetings to all assembled friends. I have a very lively recollection of the personal kindness which I met with during my two years' work in the Border Burghs. I think that it is the question of Tariff Reform in which they, as well as I, are principally interested. When we remember that every University in the kingdom, the City of London, and the whole of the industrial Midlands have gone straight upon it, we must recognise that, if quality could outweigh quantity, we have won our battle already. If you take in the manhood of the colonies we have at the present moment, treating the Empire as a whole, a large majority in mere quantity. No cause which has progressed so far in so short a time can possibly fail to win ultimate success. I am sorry that the Border Burghs are not among the chosen band who are carrying forward the flag of industrial progress. I believe that the issue there as elsewhere has been obscured by that Chinese slavery, which has already been admitted by the Under Secretary of the Colonies to be a lie or a "terminological inexactitude," to quote his foolish phrase. I said this throughout the election, and now the Government themselves confirm it. I fancy the election of 1906 will live in history as the great Chinese hoax. I suppose that those cartoons of Chinese slaves have hardly had time to be removed from the walls of your burghs before their authors have been forced to admit that they are false. However, they have served their turn. There are some political fanatics who would look upon such proceedings as a mere move in the game of politics, but surely the average voter when he finds that his feelings have been played upon, and his support obtained under such circumstances, will bear it in his memory for the future. Once more wishing all my friends a most pleasant evening and every happiness.

Yours very truly,

ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.
Undershaw, Hindhead, Surrey.

P.S. I hear there was a rumour that I was in hospital after the contest. That was a terminological inexactitude.